Summary

Sabbath and the art of rest is about more than just being tired or having a holiday. It’s about enjoying God’s presence and pursuing his purpose for our lives.

Introduction

The holiday season is upon us and we recall that Sabbath and the art of rest is not a luxury, but a necessity. It’s not just something we do when we have time; it’s something we do because we love God and want to please him.

This week I find myself at The Salvation Army’s Southern School of Christian Arts. If you’ve ever taken care of a group of young people or spent time around them, you know what I mean: you will know they are active from the time we persuade them to get up to the time we persuade them to finally go to bed! For us as adults, rest isn’t always as easy to come by – and yet it’s necessary for our spiritual growth just like sleep is necessary for physical health.

Setting the Sabbath Apart

The Sabbath is meant to be a day of rest and worship. It’s part of the Ten Commandments, which God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai. The fourth commandment says, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.”

The Sabbath reminds us that God created the world in six days, then rested on the seventh day (Genesis 2:1-3). The first act of creation was light; God used His power over darkness to bring light into existence (see John 1:5; Colossians 1:15). Likewise, Christians remember that Jesus came into our world as light – he was born at Christmas time when it was dark outside! When we celebrate Christmas every year on 25 December, this is another way we honour Christ’s birth into our lives as well as his death and resurrection about three months later during Easter season.

The Lord’s Day

When it comes to the Sabbath and the art of rest it is good to remember the Lord’s Day is a day of rest and worship. It is a time to remember the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who conquered death so that we could live forever in him. The Lord’s Day is also a time to remember God’s goodness, grace, and love for us – to reflect on how good God has been to us and what he has done for us through Jesus Christ.

Our Creator designed every day as part of his plan for our happiness. He gave us Saturday as well as Sunday so that we could enjoy both time off from work (or school) and special opportunities for spiritual renewal through worshipping him together with other believers at church or family devotions at home.

Sabbath and the Art of Rest

Sabbath and the art of rest is a spiritual discipline. Rest is a way to connect with God, and it can help us be more productive in our work. Rest can also be used as an opportunity for self-reflection, or even family bonding if you have children who want to spend time with their parents on the weekend!

We Pursue Rest Not Just for Relaxation, but for Worship and Relationship

The fact that Sabbath and the art of rest is a gift from God should be a powerful motivator for us to seek it out. The more we rest in God’s presence, the more we become like him – a thought that should motivate you to get up off the couch and get moving!

Sabbath and the art of rest isn’t just about relaxation or pleasure; it’s also an opportunity for worship and relationship with others. We learn this through our own experience as well as Scripture: when we stop working, we can see more clearly how much work has gone into what we have been doing (Psalm 92:4). When we stop rushing around trying to do everything at once (Exodus 23:12), people are able to connect with us on a deeper level (1 Corinthians 7:5-6). And when we take time out of our busy schedules each day for worshipping God through prayer and reading his Word (Psalm 119:48), he reveals himself more fully in response than ever before!

Conclusion

In the end, Sabbath and the art of rest is about more than just being tired or having a holiday. It’s about enjoying God’s presence and pursuing his purpose for our lives. We can’t do that if we’re chasing after everything else at the expense of our well-being and spiritual health. So sometimes it might be wise to take a day off from work – or even just some time away from your phone or computer screen – and do something relaxing as a means of reconnecting with God!

This week on Battle Drill daily devotionals, we focus on the truth that Sabbath and the art of rest is a gift from God that should be a normal part of our routine.

There’s a new episode of Battle Drill Devotional every Monday through Friday.

Click on the link – https://linktr.ee/battlefieldresources – to listen, watch or subscribe to this podcast.

Photo by Michele Marri on Unsplash

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