Hey everyone, Happy Labor Day…and sorry about those of you who are reading this at work! :-)
Something hit me a few years ago when I was reading through the 10 commandments…take a look at them for yourself in Exodus 20:1-17.
Some commandments are pretty short because they don’t really need an explanation, ones such as…
- You shall not murder.
- You shall not commit adultery.
- You shall not steal.
- You shall not make fun of the pastor when Clemson loses.
OK, I made that last one up…but you get the point, right? There were just some commands that God knew didn’t need a lot of explanation to go along with them.
SO, with this in mind…it was the fourth commandment that got me, found in Exodus 20:8-11…God basically says here, “Take a day off,” and THEN proceeds to break down what this means, lest any of us think we are exempt.
Let that sink it…God spent more time explaining the fourth commandment (the one that says take a day off) than any other commandment.
What’s the point of all this? Simple—God wants everyone of us to have a time of disconnect so that we can rest, reflect and worship!
I used to boast that I never took a day off, justifying it all by saying, “The devil never takes a day off, why should I?”
That worked until I heard John Maxwell say in response, “The devil isn’t supposed to be your example!” OUCH!
One more thing…pastors and ministry leaders are the absolutely HORRIBLE at this! We think (I said “we”) that if we are not at the church it just might fall apart…which means we aren’t taking into consideration that…
- The church belongs to Jesus…not us!
- Jesus loves the church more than us!
- We could not love the church unless HE moved us to do so!
- It’s not all about how good we are…but rather how awesome He is!
Do we trust God at His Word…and do we trust Him enough to take time off, knowing that though things may seem out of control to us…they are always in control with Him?
OK…that’s it—got to go play Playstation!
One disclaimer…I know some HAVE to work because of important things coming up…such as, oh…I don’t know…the launching of a campus in…oh…Holly Springs! BUT…if you don’t take a day of rest dude…I am personally going to whip your rear end at the next coaching network! :-)