As a Christian I am supposed to work right? But we are also told to rest. Where do I draw the line?
While it is true that the Bible teaches a strong work ethic, this is not the whole picture. Before we were ever commanded to work we were given instruction on rest. In Genesis chapter 2 God sets the standard for rest in the setting aside a day for rest. Yes it is true that before the fall and the curse and our calls to work and such things, God gave us instruction on rest.
So the question of where do we draw the line or how does this fit together is answered in this ...
We are called to rest as part of our reliance on God and not our own toil. We are called to rest because God made us and knew we would need it. We all can get tired and feel the need for a break and yet we often do not take a break until we are over tired. God made this plan so that every week we would receive a significant rest. So the sabbath rest was given by God for a purpose, the rest we need, our reliance on Him, a part of our worship.
As far as our work goes, we are bound to work for our lives. The Bible is full of instruction about work and being diligent. Yet we are never told that our work requirement caused the sabbath to be put on hold. So do your job, do it well and with a good heart being thankful for the opportunities that are before you. Live out your life of worship in the workplace. Then take regular time off for rest. It is important. Not time off once a year for a holiday, regular time off for rest. Weekly is the best but I know that some of you work shift work and do not have that opportunity. So as a rule of thumb every time you have your regular days off (weekends, shift change, etc...) set one day aside for your sabbath.
Then we have the hard part of learning what it means to rest... we will tackle that topic later.
Cheers
Preacherman
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