Sabbath

"You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the Lord." Leviticus 23:3


My devotional reading took me to Leviticus 23 this morning. Leviticus usually does not really light your fire. It can be tough to muddle through. It's a hard book to read.  Lots of repetition and lots of rules.  However, it spoke to me. Leviticus 23 is full of ordinances from God about when it is not appropriate to work. It's almost like God is giving His people permission not to work. And that is so poignant for 2012. We live in a world of email, texts, and constant communication. It's hard to take a day off of work, it's hard to get away from work because it's right there on your computer or phone, and it's hard to justify vacation or holidays when there is so much to do. But, we NEED those breaks. We are often sad masses of availability, but we need times when we're not available to anyone but our God and our family.

What is so alarming in our current culture is that we are made to feel guilty for taking Sabbath time.  In our over-worked and over-stressed and money-hungry culture, we have bought into the idea that 'time is money.'  Time, actually is irreplaceable.  Time is fleeting, and you only get a limited amount of it with your family.  Moreover, you only get a limited amount of time on earth to truly live out your purpose as a child of Almighty God.  With Thanksgiving around the corner, I hope you will take time to unplug from the world to which you are normally available. God tells us in Leviticus 23 that we are hard wired to have times of Sabbath and rest. We need times of worship, solitude and family. One day, each of us will have a 70th birthday party. Our kids and grand kids will be there. Not one of us will say we wished we had worked through more holidays, or answered our phone a few more times over Thanksgiving or responded to a few more emails when we were supposed to be having dinner with our family. Not one of us will say we wished we'd focused more on work than our relationship with God. Not. A. Single. One. Of. Us. No, we will say that the times with family and our spiritual growth were what has been most important. If that's what you will say when you're 70, why not live that out when you're 30, 40, 50 or 60? As you prepare for Thanksgiving next week, take a break and have a moment with God. Focus on your family. And don't feel guilty for it. God made you that way and wants that for you. It pleases Him, and you'll feel better at that 70th birthday party.