What do you do on Sunday? I took inventory, here’s my typical list:
Go to church
Go to lunch
Respond to email
Go to the hardware store
Organize my desk
Clean something in the house
Wish Chick-fil-A was OPEN!
Here’s my new problem. I just listened to the Convene podcast with Dr. Jim Galvin. Turns out I’m pretty much in violation of one of the Ten Commandments with my above list. YIKES! Jim blew up my paradigm about Sunday.
You can listen to the 24-minute podcast here.
The Bible commands us to take a day of rest. It’s called taking a Sabbath. It’s not optional and it turns out the command did not morph with the emergence of smartphones, the 24/7 internet, or stores open on Sunday. It was, however, easier to rest when all the stores were closed and we had no cell phones to distract us.
Here is God’s plan for a day of rest:
”Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Work six days and do everything you need to do. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to God, your God. Don’t do any work—not you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your servant, nor your maid, nor your animals, not even the foreign guest visiting in your town. For in six days God made Heaven, Earth, and sea, and everything in them; he rested on the seventh day. Therefore God blessed the Sabbath day; he set it apart as a holy day.”
Exodus 20:8-11 The Message (MSG)
So, grab a drink, sit down and take in Dr. Galvin’s comments. He and the interviewer, Dr. Mark L. Vincent, are two of the wisest people I know. They’ve thought about this deeply, so you’ll get the benefit of their thinking of many years in just 24 minutes. Who knows, you may just discover that it’s OK to not work and produce things one day a week. You may find yourself more rested for the week ahead. You may be more deeply connected to God.
Turns out God wants to move your plans ahead, even while you’re resting or asleep.
“If God doesn’t build the house, the builders only build shacks. If God doesn’t guard the city, the night watchman might as well nap. It’s useless to rise early and go to bed late, and work your worried fingers to the bone. Don’t you know he enjoys giving rest to those he loves?”
Psalm 127:2 The Message
About the Author
GREG LEITH
Greg Leith is the CEO of Convene. He was born in Canada and lived in all four corners of North America. His career spans over 35 years of senior leadership roles in corporate, non-profit and academic sectors. Recently, he served as Director of Strategic Alliances for 13 years at Biola University in California.