Day 4

In seeking the Lord for the assignment I am to write to you today, I was reminded of several conversations I’ve had with my bride recently about resting in God. I was also prompted to download and listen to a sermon I heard almost a year ago on rest.

The words below are paraphrased from Robert Morris, the senior pastor at Gateway Church in Southlake, TX (my church). I’ve heard lots of sermons on and about the Sabbath, but nothing reached my creative artists’ heart like this one.

To listen to the sermon, click here.

To watch the sermon, go to their website and click on the video link for Rest is Part of His Plan.

Here are the key parts that I am prompted to write and share with you (yes, you personally - I know God wants me to write to you).

-Beginning of paraphrasing-

The Sabbath is the refreshing of our soul (your soul is your mind, will and emotion). I wonder how many creative ideas we’re missing for our business and family because we’re too tired to come up with them?

Have you ever been emotionally exhausted? Have you ever blown up? What’s the reason we give when we repent? “I was just tired.” Why don’t you just be honest and say, “I was just violating the principles of God and not resting, so I blew up.”

Mark 2:27 “The sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”

If you go to Israel today, you’ll find that on the Sabbath (Saturdays), the elevator buttons don’t work. Instead, one elevator will run automatically and stop at every floor, then rise all the way back to the top and repeat the process. Why? Because pushing the buttons is work! God never wanted us to get legalistic about keeping the Sabbath; instead the Sabbath is a benefit as much as it is a command.

Here’s the metaphor Robert came up with to describe how we miss out on the blessing of the Sabbath (rest):

If your job was to be a driver for a fuel tanker truck, you’d be busy going back to the source (refinery) and then taking the full tanks of fuel to each station. In our lives, we are like that fuel trucker. We have to go back to the refinery and wait - literally doing nothing - while we rest and take on a new load of fuel.

But in our lives, we look at “doing nothing” as a waste of time. So we then take that day of rest and spend it trying to “be productive”! But just like the fuel trucker, if we don’t go back to the refinery and refuel, we won’t have anything to give to the stations in our lives, such as family, friends, work or church. In thinking that we’re being efficient, we’re actually being foolish and running out of gas!

-End of paraphrasing-

Guy and gals, I know that we ‘work’ on the weekends, but that means you must take a day off during the week. Let me tell you straight up: I didn’t do this. I would work 7 days a week because I couldn’t get everything done that “needed” to be done. What a lie from the pit of Hell!

Listen up: God knows what you need far better than you do. Take a day of rest and relax. Let God speak to you in your time of relaxation and joy. You’ll not only have more physical energy, your mind will be more alert and creative and your walk with the Lord will be greater. I don’t guarantee it - He does.

So here’s your assignment:

• Mark your calendar (and PDA) with your day off and stick to it!
• Spend quality time with God each day and enjoy the easy, free conversation you’ll have on your Sabbath with the Lord, your God.
• Review the things that must get done and ask God which ones are not really needs at all.
• Ask for God’s forgiveness (He’s so ready to give it to you) for only obeying 9 of those 10 commandments.

I know you will be as convicted as I was by this truth. I implore you to share this blog post with your leaders, peers and volunteers. Just click here and copy the link so you can email it to those people God lays on your heart.