Start taking time off

“On the seventh day you shall rest.”                      Ex 34:21 NKJV

One of the best ways to maintain your perspective on what’s truly important is to plan times of rest and recreation. The word recreation means to “re-create”: to recharge your batteries physically, spiritually, emotionally, and relationally. Rest and recreation restore your creativity, fuel your vision, and bring balance to your world. The fact is, some of the people we admire most are socially and relationally dysfunctional. For example, if you took the pulpit away from certain preachers and the CEO title away from certain executives, they’d be totally lost. And if you’re honest, you’d conclude that in all likelihood they needed counseling. They’ve only one string on their fiddle—work. Without it they don’t know how to live! The Bible says, “God…rested from all his work” (Ge 2:2 NIV). Now, since God doesn’t sleep and never gets tired, clearly He was setting an example for us to follow. Purpose-driven people can become obsessed with work and believe they don’t have time for fun. Some may even consider fun to be “carnal.” But Jesus said to His disciples, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mk 6:31 NIV). God, who thought that taking time off was so important that He put it in the Bible, said, “If you treat the Sabbath as a day of joy…if you honor it by refusing ‘business as usual,’ making money, running here and there—then you’ll be free to enjoy God!” (Isa 58:13-14 TM). So the word for you today is: “Start taking time off.”

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