If you are getting the recommended 8 hours of sleep each night, then you only have 16 discretionary hours on any given Sunday.  How do you spend those hours? Watching football? Enjoying family picnics? Cramming in email responses and presentation tweaks before the clock strikes twelve?  At midnight, another week of work begins, are you rested?  Spiritually revitalized?  Recalling fond memories of the weekend?

In an era of 24/7 business, making one entire day holy can seem very antiquated.  In the Old Testament, failing to honor the day of rest was punishable by death. (Exodus 31:14-15)  In the New Testament, the Pharisees (desperate for Christ’s demise) hoped to catch Jesus breaking this law.  They watched as His disciples were eating heads of grain on the Sabbath, in a sense harvesting or working.  When confronted, Jesus explained this day is not for legalistic ritual and rules.  Rather, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”  (Mark 2:27) 

Why is it so hard to set aside just one day a week for fellowship, rest, and worship?  It might be a combination of the following:

1. Strong Work Ethic:  As leaders, we have the opportunity to set an example for our team members.  We hope our unwavering dedication to the business will rub off onto our employees.  If we work 8 more hours, we get 8 more hours of work done, right?  Unfortunately, it is hard to sustain high quality work without a break and the extra hours might not represent our most efficient effort.
   
   
2. Avoiding Boredom or Obligations:  Let’s face it; some people don’t know what to do with that much ‘spare’ time on their hands.  Since, industry news or daily P/L reports are always available, ‘workaholics’ are unable or unwilling to participate in a non-work related activity.  And don’t forget about those who hide in their work.  Sometimes it is easier to be buried in what we know (and what will pay a salary), rather than be challenged by family tension or someone else’s idea of fun.
   
   
3. Lack of Trust: Taking good care of one’s business sounds like obedient stewardship, but it can also be an excuse for working nonstop.  It also implies that you can’t trust God to provide for you in only 6 days of YOUR work.  Ouch, sounds like a twinge of prideful ownership or greed!  “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5)

The consequences of the go-go-go attitude are many: physical and mental burnout; losing touch with family and friends, missing out on worship and spiritual growth, and feeling guilty about working (or not working).  Not everyone has Sunday off.  These days, somebody has to run the cash register at the hardware store or operate the ferris wheel at the amusement park for weekend adventurers.  Even if our ‘seventh day’ falls on a Wednesday, we are still subtly tempted away from making it holy.  Pick a day, any day, and set it aside.  Determine what the Sabbath means to you.  Even our powerful and mighty God, who never changes, took a break on the seventh day!  (Malachi 3:6)