By Dr. Mark Dance

Fifteen years ago, I was working out by myself in a virtually empty gym when I completely ran out of strength in the middle of my last set at the bench press. 

I was unable to bring it back to the rack, which wouldn’t have been a problem if I could rest it on my chest and throw off the plates or ask for help. But I was so powerless that the barbell rested right on my throat. I wasn’t only pinned down, but I was also breathless, and consequently, speechless. 

Then I saw a Jonathan Vest out of the corner of my eye running toward me from the other side of the gym. Jonathan literally saved my neck.

Have you ever overestimated your strength?

Driven pastors often overestimate their abilities and underestimate their limits, which is why we need to revisit an old school solution to busyness, barrenness, and burnout to help you finish your ministry marathon without giving up or getting disqualified.

Ministry fatigue and burnout are the most common challenges I hear from pastors. According to Lifeway Research’s Greatest Needs of Pastors study, 45% of pastors say they struggle with consistently resting.

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy: You are to labor six days and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You must not do any work.” Exodus 20:8-10a, CSB

But God not only blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy, He still blesses those who take it seriously enough to consistently observe it.

Here are four reasons you need to take Sabbath seriously today:

1. Sabbath is a command to obey

Sabbath is a 24-hour cease-and-desist order. It’s a reminder to work hard, then rest easy. We don’t need to choose between work and rest, because neither is negotiable.

Both the Hebrew and Greek words for Sabbath are a command to stop, not merely slow down.

Rejecting or neglecting this command is nothing short of open rebellion. Sabbath was initially enforced by the death penalty. While those desert rules were intense (and temporary), they remind us how serious the Sabbath command is to God.

Driven people sometimes blow it off either because we don’t want to stop, don’t think we need to stop or, frankly, don’t know how to stop.

Why is it so hard to keep it holy? It could be lack of faith and discipline, pressure to succeed, arrogance, ignorance, disobedience, or insecurity. But will God really let your business, ministry, or even your family fall apart because you obeyed Him and unplugged for a day?

Spiritual disciplines won’t save us, but they will grow us. Stopping is a spiritual discipline, especially for those of us who were created with a bias toward action.

God made King David lie down in green pastures to restore his soul (Psalm 23:2-3).

Pastors are among the worst at skipping out on the Sabbath. Pastors work hard on Sundays, so that day isn’t even close to a Sabbath rest for us. But does that get us off the hook? We must find a way to disengage from our occupation for a full day every week.

2. Sabbath is a gift to enjoy

Our profession applauds self-denial and sacrifice, both of which are commendable unless we confuse neglecting with denying ourselves. Self care is strategic, not selfish.

Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27, CSB).

Sabbath was never intended to be punitive. It originally was a gift to a group of freshly emancipated slaves. God wanted them to know they were no longer slaves but sons and daughters. 

You would expect high-fives all around, but the Israelites were awkward with the new normal. The people of God were not yet used to life without their Egyptian taskmasters.

We still resist and reject His Sabbath gift, don’t we? I sometimes marvel at how quickly I slip back into my chains of slavery. Terminally driven leaders surrender to the lure of Egyptian bondage and the constant pressure to succeed.

My interest in the Sabbath came from a painful experience in repeatedly ignoring it 15 years ago. In all of the excitement of church growth, I neglected my personal growth by blowing off the Sabbath consistently. I was blindly racing down the road to burnout without a clue as to where the exit ramp was.

When my warning light came on, I did what most driven people do, ignored it and floored it so I could drive faster. I had let the work of God around me kill the work of God within me and paid the price for that neglect, as did my family, staff, and church.

When I believed I was only as good as my ministry, I become my own Pharaoh.

Needing the applause of my members, they become my taskmasters. Do you get your identity in who you in Christ or what you do for Christ?

3. Sabbath is a plan to implement

Sabbath is not just a good plan; it’s God’s plan. And He modeled this plan in the beginning (Genesis 2:1-3).

We need to recapture the rhythm of work and rest God strategically put into place at creation. A healthy Sabbath lifestyle includes seasons of intense work, followed by seasons of intentional rest.

Burnout is not the result of working too hard; it’s the result of resting too little.

We see Jesus oscillating between work and rest. Sometimes He’d encourage the crowds to stay and eat, heal one more person, or pray all night. Other times He’d retreat to the lakes, mountains, or wilderness for rest and renewal. One time Jesus even slept through a life-threatening storm. Why? Because He was tired!

So how do you keep the Sabbath holy today?

• Plan ahead with your spouse.
• Place boundaries around your job and life. When your work week is over, just stop. Disconnect with your job and reconnect with God, your family, and yourself.
• Make it happen instead of making excuses. Nobody can make you stop but you.
• Say no to negotiables so you have the opportunity for a more strategic yes.

The rhythm of your life is as unique as your family, but is that rhythm and pace healthy, sustainable, realistic, and, most importantly, biblical?

The application is flexible, but the command is not. The New Testament focuses on why more than how. I challenge you to observe a 24-hour period of Sabbath rest every week for a month and see if God will bless your obedience.

We were created to need rest.

4. Sabbath is a person to love

Lasting Sabbath rest is ultimately found in the Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus Christ.

“Therefore, don’t let anyone judge you in regard to food and drink or in the matter of a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of what was to come; the substance is Christ.” Colossians 2:16-17, CSB

Sabbath is more than a time management principle to allow you to catch your breath, an Old Testament commandment to check off a list, or a reward for finishing your job each week.

The ultimate Sabbath rest is found in the Savior who is personally inviting you to rest in Him.

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30, CSB

We need to lead our families and ministries as though we are not the hero of either.

“Therefore, a Sabbath rest remains for God’s people.” Hebrews 4:9, CSB

Jesus is inviting us to enter into His rest from sin and death, which has been pre-paid by the finished work of the cross and resurrection. Jesus took our place on the cross for our sin. That is love. 

Jesus isn’t only uniquely qualified to save us from our sins but also from ourselves. Sabbath rest isn’t just about the next life but also the one we’re living right now.

Jonathan Vest saved my life in the gym that day, and I’ll always be grateful to him. But Jesus Christ saved my life from sin and death—and candidly, from me.

Dr. Mark Dance is the executive director for Arkansas Baptists. He pastored and planted churches for 30 years and led pastoral initiatives at Lifeway and GuideStone for 11 years. He authored Start To Finish and Rest Well, Lead Well, and earned degrees from Howard Payne University (BBA), SWBTS (M.Div), and SBTS (D.Min). Mark and Janet have two adult children and live in Conway, Arkansas.

This article was originally published on LifewayResearch.com.

Photo cutline: Jon Tyson | Unsplash