Work Six Days, and Then Rest

by Rick Warren — March 9, 2019

“Work and get everything done during six days each week, but the seventh day is a day of rest to honor the LORD your God” (Exodus 20:9-10 NCV).

Rest and recreation are so important that God put it in the “Big 10”—right up there with not committing adultery, not murdering, and not stealing. You’d say, “Well, I’d never murder anybody. I’d never commit adultery.” But are you taking a day off every week?

Exodus 20:9-10 says, “Work and get everything done during six days each week, but the seventh day is a day of rest to honor the Lord your God” (NCV). “Sabbath” means a day of rest.

God didn’t make the Sabbath for his benefit. He made it for ours: “The Sabbath was made to benefit man, and not man to benefit the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27 TLB). When I ignore God’s laws, who gets hurt? Not God.

It doesn’t matter what day of the week you take your Sabbath. Those of you who are entrepreneurs or self-employed or who work remotely, if you don’t schedule a Sabbath, you’re never going to take a break. You schedule everything else, so you need to schedule your Sabbath.

What should you do on a Sabbath?

  • Rest your body. In the French Revolution, they abolished Sunday as a day of rest but later restored it because the health of the nation had collapsed. You might think, “But I feel guilty when I relax.” Well, Jesus didn’t feel guilty. He made the Sabbath a priority.
  • Recharge your emotions. You can recharge your emotions through quietness, solitude, or recreation that rejuvenates you.
  • Refocus your spirit. Worship—both group worship and time alone with God—puts your life into perspective.
Talk It Over

  • You get 168 hours each week. Take a few moments to write how much time you spend each week on different activities (work, sleep, meals, driving, physical activity, spiritual activity, family time, hobbies, and so on). Subtract the time from that 168-hour total as you go.
  • How many hours a week should you be working? What is getting too much of your time?
  • What are some ways for you to rest?

Give hope, prayer, and encouragement below. Post a comment & talk about it.