John Stanko

"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 animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy" - Exodus 20:10-11.

When the Lord rested, He did not take a nap or relax and do nothing, putting creation on auto pilot. He rested to enjoy His creation and to set a pattern for humanity that included stepping away from their God-ordained work activities for one day to enjoy what they had accomplished. The Sabbath was a chance for mankind to refocus, realizing the Lord was the source of their provision and not their own work. Notice also that nothing was said about worship on this 'holy' day -- that custom came later. The original intent of the Sabbath was for people to refocus their reliance on, need for, and relationship with the Lord.

LEADERSHIP STEP: How do you spend your rest day? Is it consumed in fretting and planning the next six days, or in appreciation for what you have done in the past week? Your Step today is to do some things you enjoy or that are related to your values -- things you don't have time to do during the week, like visiting family, gardening, or painting. Your Step today is to stop working over the coming weekend and reconnect with the Lord and your joy, however you do that best.