January 28, 2021 7:00 pm
There’s a home improvement store near me that has a big green button in one of its departments. If no assistant is present, you push the button, which starts a timer. If you’re not served within a minute, you get a discount on your purchase.
We like being the customer in this scenario who enjoys the speedy service. But the demand for fast service often takes a toll when we’re the one expected to deliver it. So many of us today feel rushed doing our jobs, working long hours, checking email multiple times a day, and feeling pressured to meet tighter and tighter deadlines. The customer service tactics of the home improvement store have seeped into all our lives, creating a culture of rush.
When God told the Israelites to keep a Sabbath, He added an important reason: “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt” (Deuteronomy 5:15). There they’d been forced to work ceaselessly under Pharaoh’s excessive time constraints (Exodus 5:6–9). Now freed, they were to give themselves a whole day each week to ensure they and those who served them could rest (Deuteronomy 5:14). Under God’s rule, there were to be no flush-faced, out-of-breath people.
How often do you work to the point of exhaustion or get impatient with people who keep you waiting? Let’s give ourselves and each other a break. A culture of rush is Pharaoh’s doing, not God’s.
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Let's pause right now for a word of encouragement from Our Daily Bread.
Our devotional for today is titled, Out of Breath, and it was written by Sheridan Voisey. There's a home improvement store near me that has a big green button in one of its departments. If no assistant is present, you push the button, which starts a timer. If you're not served within a minute, you get a discount on your purchase. We like being the customer in this scenario who enjoys the speedy service, but the demand for fast service often takes a toll when we're the one expected to deliver it. So many of us today feel rushed doing our jobs, working long hours, checking email multiple times a day, and feeling pressured to meet tighter and tighter deadlines.
The customer service tactics of the home improvement store have seeped into all our lives, creating a culture of rush. When God told the Israelites to keep a Sabbath in Deuteronomy chapter 5, he added an important reason. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. There, they'd been forced to work ceaselessly under Pharaoh's excessive time constraints. Now freed, they were to give themselves a whole day each week to ensure they and those who served them could rest. Under God's rule, there were to be no flush-faced, out-of-breath people.
How often do you work to the point of exhaustion or get impatient with people who keep you waiting? Let's give ourselves and each other a break. A culture of rush is Pharaoh's doing, not God's. Now let's take a breath and be refreshed by hearing God's word. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Deuteronomy chapter 5, verses 12 through 15. Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey, or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do.
Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore, the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day. Let's pray. Father, the demands of life can be overwhelming and lead to complete burnout, threatening the health of relationships and our physical and spiritual health. Help us to stay alert to when we are giving too much of ourselves to our work and to build times of Sabbath rest into our week so that we can be refreshed and renewed in body and in spirit. Thank you, Lord. It's in Jesus' name that we pray and rest. Amen. Today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.
Whisper: medium.en / 2023-12-30 09:46:26 / 2023-12-30 09:48:05 / 2