Two days ago I had an interesting conversation with my wife. A shipment arrived from Amazon. Included in the package was a book written by John Maxwell entitled “No Limits: Blow The Cap Off Your Capacity.” She innocently asked, “Why did you pick that book?” I responded, “Well, I need to increase my capacity so I thought this book would help.” Her response stopped me in my tracks.
Sonya said, “You have more capacity than anyone I know. You have plenty of capacity. You need a Sabbath!” These are the kind of lovingly, hard things you hear from a wife who is a Godly woman and also your best friend.
The 20th chapter of Exodus contains the following words:
“And God spoke all these words, saying,
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
13 “You shall not murder.
14 “You shall not commit adultery.
15 “You shall not steal.
16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.” (ESV)
I must confess a leadership sin. I often neglect taking a Sabbath. I’m sure you do as well. It is probably the top leadership sin. We keep a keen eye out for sins like adultery, taking the Lord’s name in vain, and stealing. But I easily dismiss God’s mandate to take a Sabbath.
The following are just five of the benefits to taking a Sabbath:
- It is a dedicated time to connect and hear from God Himself.
- It is a time to take some much needed rest.
- It is a time to trust God and watch Him get things done as I honor Him.
- This subsequently builds my faith.
- It gives me a chance to come together with other believers and corporately worship.
I am sure the book will be excellent but the major lesson I received was personal coaching from my wife.
What are your thoughts on taking a Sabbath as a leader?
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