Never Underestimate the Benefits of Rest

Scripture Reading - Mark 2:27 "And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: "

We fail to realize sometimes just exactly who came up with the commandments we receive from God. It is the "I Am that I Am" who gives them to us. He is the Alpha, the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the One who was, and is, and is to come. The commander is the one who created us. God's commands for us are just that, they are "for us", for our best benefit. If we follow them then our bodies will best function the way they were intended to function. Who among you has ever felt they are too busy. Do you feel overwhelmed at the fullness of your day? Is God somehow pushed aside as we fill our time up with other things? Now, the things we do that push us to or above our physical limits a lot of times are not necessarily bad in themselves. They are just not actually as necessary as we are led to believe they are. I have many weekends where I've had to go back to work to rest. I have had Sunday's that I have went to Sunday School, then to a church dinner after church, then to a prayer meeting before evening church, then to evening church, and then stopped by the hospital to visit someone after church. Then I wonder why I'm so tired and everything I do seems to be ineffective and why although I had spent my entire Sunday involved in churchy things, I had actually accomplished not very much and spent so little time alone with God? Is it just me, am I crazy? Or, do any of you have similar things happen to you? We have to remember the importance of following the commands and examples that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ provides us with.

In today's scripture reading, we are told by Jesus that man was not made for the sabbath, but, instead the sabbath was made for the man. It is meant to be a day of rest to the Lord. For the Lord worked for six days then he rested on the seventh day. We must allow our physical bodies the opportunity to recuperate. Limit you activities on the sabbath. Actually get some rest, do not run yourself ragged. Physical rest must be prioritized. Jesus actually did so. We read of times when He left the disciples and went to a desert place. A place where He could physically get some rest and more importantly, a place where He could be alone with God. How many times have you actually scheduled some quality alone time with God on the sabbath? Time that was absent from family members, absent from church members, absent from sporting events, absent from friends, time that was dedicated to God and to God alone? This concept is definitely lacking in my life. But, I know I would benefit greatly from starting to practice such an idea. Start with taking 30 minutes today and spend it totally with God. Do this outside of your regular church schedule. Remember the sabbath, keep it holy. The word holy means "set apart". Use the sabbath as it was meant for you to use it, a time of physical rest, with the emphasis on the Lord. If we use the sabbath wisely, everything we do in our Christian walk will become better.

Be Blessed and Live in the NOW!!!