It Made The Top Four!
How often do we compare commandments to avoid feeling convicted……. Many of us love to compare our sin against that of someone else and rationalize why we aren’t as “bad” as they are, like that is going to impress God when we get to heaven. “There is none righteous no not one.” Romans 3:10. Another way to put that is “you all deserve eternity in hell and nothing you have done, can do, or will ever do is good enough to change that.” We tell ourselves “Well I have never killed anyone so I’m not that bad of a person.” We act like we are some kind of super Christian because the “messy” sins listed in the 10 commandments we’ve never committed…. I’m speaking in generalities and not regarding myself, there are times in my life where it seemed like the 10 commandments was more of a checklist than orders from God to never commit. But so many of us as Americans are chasing the “American dream” where “hustle and grind” is a part of daily life. Insert commandment number 4, yes, this one made the top 4! “Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy.” When was the last time any of us observed a day of rest free from all work and responsibilities regarding our career in some form or fashion…. This isn’t one of the “ugly/messy” commandments, so we like to just take it as more of a suggestion rather than honoring it as one of Gods ten commandments that he gave to us. We’ve turned the workaholic hustle and grind chasing our dreams into its own idol. If I work hard enough long enough, then I’ll have enough money to be able to be happy. If I can double my sales, we can put in the pool…. God completed creation in 6 days, created mankind on the last day and then immediately observed the day of rest. Man showed up and had not even done any work and God emphasized the importance of rest in our lives so that we would have enough perspective to respect it and obey it. But were American. We are hardworking fathers who have a spouse to provide for, family to protect and children to feed so work, work, work, is just part of life as we know it and we really can’t afford to take a rest day.
It’s the fourth commandment, it is farther up in the line than murder. But for us it’s just a suggestion God knows ‘we got work to do”. Take a step back. Husbands are called to lead, and to be the leader God calls us to be we must first follow. We must follow in line with what God commands us to do. Observing a sabbath day is not a suggestion. How many fathers and husbands are tired, literally tired all the time and feel exhausted like no matter how much we fight and push ourselves life is just out of reach. We keep striving and working towards this hypothetical “break” that no matter where we are at and what we have done keeps moving the closer we get to it. How much better can we as husbands be if we every week observe a day of rest away from career and work responsibilities to genuinely rest and spend time with our savior. We are commanded to do this; Christ knows how crucial it is for husbands and fathers to be their best and without adequate rest we are opening the door for satan to easily destroy us. We must be putting on the full armor of God daily to lead guide and direct our families but if a soldier never rests then armor can only provide so much protection from our enemies before we begin to start taking blows that we won’t have the energy to fight against.
One day a week four days a month we are CALLED to do absolutely nothing except rest, relax, and be restored in Christ. Work schedules are crazy now days and there is nowhere in the bible that tells us our sabbath day must be on Sunday and can only be on Sunday. If that’s the case, then when in the world do pastors get their sabbath because for them Sunday is a workday. Sit down with your spouse, talk about this, pray about this, and PRIORITIZE observing a true sabbath day and if it works out make this day the same day for each of you! No matter how busy or crazy the week may seem how much better would you feel knowing “in two more days we get an entire day together to rest and relax.” Guilt free, don’t think that in following Gods will for your life its ok to feel guilt while resting because “I should be cleaning or doing laundry, or I just need to send two more emails” whatever the case may be. If this is your process, then you’re going to begin to resent Gods calling in your life and your telling Jesus “I know you have called me to do this, and I am it’s just I have a lot of really important stuff to do and if I don’t do it today then I could lose my job.” Gods will for your life is always going to provide for you and if you can’t take one day away from work fully then your work and career is your god and owns you. If your career owns you then God is not first in your life, your spouse is not second, and your children are somewhere down on the list out of sight. As husbands we are called to love and serve our savior first and foremost above all else and secondly to pursue love and serve your spouse. If those two are ever out of order expect chaos to be in your rear-view mirror. If your 1 & 2 are fully in line and submitted in Gods will for your life, then your career no matter what direction if may turn is going to take care of itself and regardless your savior and spouse will be with you right by your side. Imagine how much different your marriage relationship could be if you intentionally spent one day a week focused on Christ and your spouse in loving and serving them free from work and responsibilities of life. How much more will God bless your marriage and your spouse if you are both living in His will for your life? Your career and responsibilities will work out.
Prioritize your life. Get your priorities right and follow God and His will for your life above all else first. If your marriage is a wreck hanging on by a thread, don’t try to fix it chase after Jesus first. Our God still performs miracles, and He can do so much more than we could ever ask or think if we can let go of our “control” we think we have and give our lives to Him. Pursue Jesus first and foremost above all else each day and His will for your life and never stop chasing your 2. If anything in life comes before your one and your two, then your life is never going to be on track. Give one day a week to God for Him to restore you and in doing that He can restore and rebuild your life and marriage from ashes to something absolutely beautiful. Rest in Him.