By: Pastor Jarren Rogers

“Setting apart a day of rest testifies to a self-reliant world where our work does not save or define us, God does.” – John Piper

The other day, I went to Walmart and I noticed a sign hanging on the front door:

THE PHARMACY WILL BE CLOSED FROM 12-2 TO ALLOW THE PHARMACISTS TO BREAK FOR LUNCH

After seeing that sign, I realized the fact that Walmart valued their Pharmacists enough to realize the importance of their taking a break. They knew that taking a break is important to the wellbeing of their employees.

I believe that God values and cares about us enough to do the same thing. He realizes the importance of rest, so he made it a command that we take a Sabbath. In fact, he created us to need rest!

Sleep depravity and failure to take rest can result in a variety of health issues including high blood pressure and increased chance of heart disease and diabetes.

God made us as humans who need rest. And we serve a God who rested. If taking a Sabbath was important to God, it should be important to us.

We live in an age and time where hard work and workaholism is celebrated and encouraged. Where rest is equated with laziness and taking a day off means that everything might fall apart without you. While there’s nothing wrong with working hard and being dedicated to your job, God calls you to simply take a day where you rest.

Rest allows us to step out of the busyness and stress of life. It helps us to take the focus off ourselves and our lives and places it on simply enjoying being alive. On our Sabbath day, we should use it as a time to be reimmursed in God’s presence. Rest can be a worshipful act!

Do something you love. Participate in your hobby. Watch your favorite movie. Read a good book. Cook a fun meal. Just take moment to celebrate the life that God has given you and worship Him for it.

Take a nap, snuggle up with a loved one, lay out by the pool. Just take a moment to rest assured that God is with you, that the world can continue on without you, that God is good.

In the good times and the bad, Sabbath and rest are the things that keep us grounded. Even when the world is falling apart, we should choose to rest in our Savior, because we believe that He has it under control. Even Jesus, when a stormed rocked the boat He and His disciples were on, chose to rest.

We worship a God who cares and loves us enough to command us to rest. He knows that rest is good for us. He knows that Sabbath helps us physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Will you follow his command?