27 Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27-28)
30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them,“Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” 32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. (Mark 6:30-32)
It is hard to believe that we are almost down to only one more week (Holy Week) of this journey. The commentaries in response to each day’s posting have been excellent so far, including yesterday. Thanks!
Today we address the Discipline of the Sabbath. There is the potential for confusion with this Discipline so I’ll make a clarifying statement before we get to our Dear Libby letter. This Discipline does not call for a legalistic adherence to a specific day of rest as was stipulated in the Old Testament. However, it does recognize the benefits of habitually taking time off to rest. With this as context, we will consider a question to Libby from Chester.
As a reminder, you will play the part of Libby and share your thoughts on the challenges people are facing. Libby is not expected to be an expert. Rather, Libby simply shares from personal and practical experiences. So, please feel free to chime in even if you have questions yourself. Also, even if you don’t have the time to share, think about how you have addressed the challenge in your life or how you would address it in the life of a loved one.
Please review the Bible passages above and Chester’s challenge below.
Dear Libby,
I am aware that there is now no legalistic prescription for a weekly day of rest. However, the principle of taking regular time off certainly makes sense to me from spiritual, physical and mental perspectives. The problem is that I can’t seem to get off the treadmill of life. To make matters worse, e-mails, the internet and other digital mediums make the ability to “get away” almost impossible for me. I am predominantly consumed with work activity but sometimes home and even church activities also add to the rat race. So, the idea of regularly spending a day without distraction, focusing on God, my family or other non-work related activities is a very foreign concept. How have you accomplished regularly taking the time to rest Libby? I would be very interested in your thoughts and useful tips.
Always going,
Chester
Today’s Question:
What thoughts would you like to share with Chester?
April 7, 2017 at 1:35 pm
I am sometimes guilty of same.
But I have succeeded a few times and it was worth it. I was rejuvenated for Monday.
I am guessing it may be difficult for you as for others like us but just try it a few times and don’t “beat up yourself ” if it cannot be done each week.
I can tell you that as you grow older you will have the time ):
Some Companies are also asking ” for blood from employees” so that some people end up working over into the Sabbath.
Hope Libby that you are living in Trinidad and Tobago and not in the US/ Florida as you work into the weekends and there is no mercy. But in TT it is NOT bad. We get time to enjoy the Sabbath.
April 7, 2017 at 5:32 pm
Dear Chester,
Because like you I have a propensity to always be on the go, I have had to prayerfully ask myself what’s really behind this behaviour. Why do I find it so hard to slow down? Some of the deep reasons I have come up with are: 1. I get validation and a sense of importance from accomplishing things, and so being active is like a drug. 2. I gain greater financial success from doing more work. 3. I am not as comfortable with silence as I should be.
All of these reasons emphasize why I should make taking the time to rest and focus on God a priority. 1. My importance needs to be defined in God. 2. My security, including financial security needs to rooted in God. 3. I need to use rest and time away to ensure my priorities are Biblically based.
Chester, I would encourage you to also prayerfully think deeply about why you can’t slow down.
Libby