Thursday, September 3, 2009

Divert, Withdraw, Abandon

I start my vacation in another 24 hours or so. What a blessing! It reminds me of something that Rick Warren said at our General Council about a month ago: Divert daily, withdraw weekly and abandon annually. It is an extension of God’s command to remember the Sabbath. The Sabbath, of course, was made for man and not man for the Sabbath – that is what Jesus told us. And boy do we need rest! So Warren told us to made sure to divert our attention from our jobs for at least an hour a day if we can. That means doing something that is not remotely connected to your job – garden, read, whatever. Then, we withdraw weekly – we take at least one day per week to get away from it all. This is the fulfillment of the Sabbath and is how God made us. Many have tried to work seven days a week, but inevitably you are less efficient – and you cannot ever focus on our God and what he has done for us! I honestly believe that everyone would be better off if they took at least one day off a week. And then, we abandon annually – just get away from it all for an extended period of time. In America, this is usually around 2-4 weeks. In many parts of Europe, it can be even longer. But it really allows us to recharge our batteries. So why don’t we all divert daily, withdraw weekly and abandon annually. You will live better if you do!

Pastor Ken

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