Long ago I was warned “the law is a jealous mistress.” It’s true: lawyering can consume your life. I know lawyers who work seven days a week and never take vacations.
Things could be worse. Millions in Asia work 16-hour days in sweatshops for a few dollars a day. Prisoners in communist nations suffer terribly. Prisoners of War in Japan were routinely worked to death. Meanwhile, Americans fought to enshrine two-day weekends and a 40-hour work week. Some Texas school districts are now adopting four-day weeks. (Can you imagine?)
What is the proper balance?
One indicator is nature: throughout history you could do little or no work after nightfall. Don’t let the blessing of electric lighting cause you to work unnatural hours.
More important than nature is scripture. God required His people to work six days, but rest on the seventh. We are to do no work on the sabbath. You know who struggles with this most? Ironically, it may be pastors. They must work on Sundays, and often ministers work Saturdays and Sundays. But many find it hard not to return to the office on their days off (often Mondays and/or Tuesdays).
But God created the Sabbath day for a reason. It is a holy day, a sacred time. It is critical that we get away from work and worship Him, feed our souls, and encourage each other. Your time off is a sacred calling. For 40 years, God provided manna for Israel: they collected it six days a week (for 2,080 weeks), and it spoiled if kept overnight. But on the sixth day, they collected double and kept it overnight because God would send nothing on day seven, ensuring they could stay home and be still.
God looks at the day of rest DIFFERENTLY. We should too.
We need balance: work hard. The Bible tells us to work hard over and over. But we must also honor the Sabbath by resting from work. This most-disobeyed of the Ten Commandments is a holy break for worship. FIND A WAY.
“Remember the Sabbath Day. Keep it holy” Exodus 20:8.
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