Daily Devotion:

Title: Chilling

Date: July 15, 2012

God said to Adam, “Get outta da garden.  Don’t come back.  Now you’re goin’ to sweat to put bread in your pocket, a cell phone in your hand, and gas in your truck.  You’ll get a day off a week.  I’ll call it Sabbath.  It means take a break, take a nap, play with the kids.  Work’s good.  You’ll like it (most of the time).  But rest is good.  You’ll need it.”
OK -- so that’s not a direct quote.
 
I want to know -- how many of you actually take a real day off in a week?  Raise your hands. 
 
God directed us to rest once a week, to have potlucks, have fun, stay home, watch the game, go to worship, or hang with friends.  Sabbath matters for working stiffs like Adam, and for working stiffs like Eve, too. 
 
Sabbath used to be enforced by Blue Laws, back when everything was closed on Sundays. Of course, closing stores on Sundays wasn’t fair to Jews or Muslims, who prefer Saturdays and Fridays to Sundays for their days of worship.  Still, it was a day when everything closed and there was nowhere to go.  These days, for Muslims, Jews and Christians, and everybody else of any faith, or of no faith even, taking a Sabbath day off, including maybe going to worship, isn’t easy - but it’s so good for the body, for the soul, and for our relationships.

 
Let’s Pray:  Dear God, when we need a Sabbath, a time out, let us know, gently, and help us take one weekly with You and the people we love.  Amen.
 
Here’s a Thought:  Take a Sabbath day.