I know I drive my wife crazy (and by the way, today is our 16th Anniversary!  Can you believe that she has put up with me for that many years!) but I am truly a workaholic.  Part of it my nature, I don’t sit still well, and I have do something I might as well go to work.

Part of it is that I really do enjoy what I do, and so I’m always looking forward to being in the office, or working on a sermon, or writing a blog, or counseling someone, or being in the community. I really do love ministry!

But a good bit of it is just that trait within me.  I’m a workaholic.

Our culture rewards that, doesn’t it?  Our culture rewards being busy, busy, busy.

Think about how many of us are so busy.  With work.  With kids activities.  With our hobbies.  With family. With so, so many activities.  How many of us don’t even have time to breathe?

Much less pray.

There’s a forgotten commandment given to us by God.  One that we don’t think about.  One that we don’t mind breaking.  And one that we are often encouraged to break.

Sabbath.  Rest.  Believe me, as Holly and my staff at St. Matthew’s can tell you, this is not a “do what I do” thought.  I am guilty, oh so guilty of this.

But we forget God’s commandment to take a Sabbath.  We forget His commandment to rest.  Listen to what we are told today in  Hebrews 4: 9-11:

9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.

Rest.  Be thankful.  Be mindful of God.  If you’d like to be added to my devotional list, click

Rest.  Take Sabbath.  Breathe.  Pray.  Focus on God.

You don’t have to do everything.  Everything doesn’t have to be perfect.  You don’t have to be going every second of every day.  Rest.  Be thankful.

For life.

For this moment.

For grace.

For God’s love.

Slow down.  I know it’s hard.  I know we don’t want to. But we must.  You must, and yes, even I must.  We have to rest.

Taking Sabbath, it’s in the Ten Commandments.  That’s a big deal. But it’s the forgotten commandment.

Today, take time to rest.  To focus on God. To rest in the knowledge that He saves us, we don’t save ourselves.  To rest in the security of His love, mercy, and grace.

To rest.  In Him.

Today, take a moment of rest, even if it’s just a moment. And find God there, waiting on you.

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