“This Sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord, when men, after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering of their common affairs beforehand, do not only observe an holy rest all the day from their own works, words, and thoughts about their worldly employments and recreations; but also are taken up the whole time in the public and private exercises of his worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy.”
-The Westminster Confession

One of the reasons why the Puritans have received bad press is because they honored the Sabbath and kept it holy. They knew the spiritual significance of keeping the Sabbath day holy and believed it was a command, not an option.

You Need Rest

Never before has there been such a need to rediscover the lost spiritual discipline of rest; our lives are filled with busy schedules and constant obligations.

Our souls need to have scriptural rest in the same way that our physical bodies need rest. If we are not careful, we will experience spiritual burnout, which occurs when we don’t give ourselves time to rest from our daily routine. Puritans were a great example for spiritual rest because they kept the Sabbath day holy.

Even doing a good work for the Lord can be a distraction if we don’t allow time to rest. Ministers are burning out at an unbelievable rate. Nearly 90% of pastors feel overworked and 50% of those who go into full-time service drop out in 5 years.

God Wants You to Rest

Throughout the Bible, God promises rest to his people. The biblical concept of rest means a resting place; a quiet place for peace, trust, and reliance. Rest is the reason why God commanded us to keep the Sabbath. Jesus said that the Sabbath was created so that man may have rest, and not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27).

Do you allow yourself a day of spiritual rest to replenish and recharge? If not, what barriers are keeping you from doing so?

To be continued.