Dear Faith Family, 

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God, (Exodus 20:8-10a). 

It has pre-hardened, rust resistant hardened steel blades that stay sharp longer.  It is lightweight and compact making it easy to use with less fatigue.  It has a powerful motor to tackle your tasks.  And, it has a 20-inch dual-action blade for up to 40-percent less vibration than single action blades. 

The electric hedge trimmer is an awesome invention!  (Insert a Tim-the-toolman-Taylor threefold grunt here.)  It makes the trimming of shrubbery (not one of my favorite pastimes) a less arduous task.  Although capable of dividing an electrical cord with a single pass (Don’t try this at home or anywhere else for that matter!), the electric hedge trimmer was not made for severing extension cords. 

And another thing.  Hypothetically, electric hedge trimmers were not made for trimming the skin of a person’s forearm.  Let me just warn you.  Electric hedge trimmers will trim skin and beyond.  Hypothetically of course! 

Let’s just say that it was a Friday.  Maybe last Friday.  And let’s just say that I was trimming the shrubbery in my front yard.  You know, for the sake of an illustration.  And let’s just say that my left forearm was attacked by a rogue electric hedge trimmer.  And, maybe, just maybe, some of the skin thought that it was part of the shrubbery. 

Oh, never mind.  Let’s just leave it with the hedge trimmer wasn’t made for that.  It could “hypothetically” do that.  But that’s not what the hedge trimmer was made to do. 

So, here’s my point.  We live in a “busy” culture.  Seems like there is little to no value credited to being still or resting.  And we can burn the proverbial candle at all seven (one for each day of the week) ends.  But we were not made to do that. 

God set the gold standard back in the beginning when He rested.  He was setting the rhythm for the rest of creation, namely us.  But, just in case we missed the word picture in Genesis, He commanded it in Exodus 20 and repeated that command in Deuteronomy 5.  Command.  Not an option.  So, whether we consciously declare that “I don’t have to rest” or subconsciously ignore the command to rest, Scripture makes it clear that we were never made for a seven-day work week. 

How will you Sabbath to the Lord your God this week?  When will you rest?  What will you NOT do on your day of rest this week?  How will you recharge in your relationship with your God this week?  Could it be that the One who created us knew the value of gathering His bride together one day each week for being still and knowing that He is God?  

Working hard to rest, 
Pastor Karl