Tips for Slowing Down and Reconnecting with God through Sabbath




 
If you are busy and feeling disconnected from God, you may simply need to establish a Sabbath practice in your life. Our culture has become completed disconnected from both the need for keeping the Sabbath and the fact that it is a moral imperative. God didn’t just suggest or recommend the Sabbath. God commanded the Sabbath. And while many of us would never consider stealing, murdering, or committing adultery, we blatantly ignore the Sabbath.
 
I originally shot the video above as a supplement to a sermon I had written called, “The Forgotten Commandment”. It was intended as a video for our church website, but after shooting the video I realized readers of my blog like you might benefit from it. So, excuse the church invite at the end, unless your in the Texarkana area. Then I would be honored if you visited us.
 
The sermon was based upon Psalm 78:1-7. In that passage God tells the Israelites to remember the commandments and teach them to their children. It struck me that most of the commandments Christians in general are relatively good about keeping. But when it comes to the upholding the Sabbath, many Christians fail miserably.
 
A recent study in the United Methodist denomination revealed that church members who considered themselves active only attended Sunday worship an average of 1.7 times per month. That’s a 42.5% average. In any other context we would see that as a miserable failure. Imagine getting 43 on an exam or only going to work 43% of the time. Would you consider that anything but failure?
 
In a world that is increasingly more a 24/7 world, why do we fight a commandment that gives us permission to rest? I haven’t got the answer to that, but I am not sure it really matters how we justify or misbehavior. Watch the video if you are ready to start slowing down and honoring God. It’s impossible to give God our best, if we want also give God our rest. He commanded it because we need it.
 
Tonight, I spent a couple of hours cleaning our house and knocking out chores, so that tomorrow I can try to have a full day that is set aside for God and a time of rest. I will keep you post on the struggles and solutions I discover as I strive to be more faith to this critical commandment. I would love to hear how you spend the Sabbath.
 
Blessings,
 
 
John Arnold
The Practical Disciple
 
p.s. For more instruction on the Sabbath check out my post, “Sabbath Basics“.
 
 

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