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CONNIE: Have you ever been ordered to take a day off—because you’ve been working too hard? What kind of a boss would do that? Join us today as we look at the wonderful boss who insists we “Take a Break!”

Giving God’s trumpet a Certain Sound for 75 years, this is the Voice of Prophecy.

CONNIE: Hello, I’m Connie Jeffery,

LONNIE: and I’m Lonnie Melashenko. Welcome to our program today. Part 6 in our series on 12 Simple Biblical Things You Can Do to Really Improve Your Life.

CONNIE: And who would have thought that taking a break would be one of the things that we’d recommend? I mean, when we talk about self-improvement, we usually think about things we need to DO, not about stopping all the doing.

LONNIE: But I’m convinced, Connie, that that’s one of the things our world most needs. Most of us are stressed out, overworked, constantly running from one place to another, and we just don’t know how to say enough is enough.

CONNIE: But God does, doesn’t He?

LONNIE: He certainly does. After His busy week creating our world, He said that’s enough for now. Time to take a break! And He offers us the opportunity to do the same.

CONNIE: The offer—make that the order—to take a break is right there in the Bible, right in the Creation story, and for extra emphasis, right in the middle of the Ten Commandments, but a lot of people miss it, and miss out on a golden opportunity. We spoke with Clifford Goldstein, author of the book A Pause for Peace recently, about his own discovery of the joy of taking God up on His offer of time off. Let’s listen to that interview now.

KEN: I want to welcome you here to our program today….Cliff Goldstein, Nice to have you with us here today….

CLIFF: It’s good to be with you here, Ken.

KEN: We’re talking in this series about God’s gift of rest to us. You grew up in a family that probably knew about the Sabbath, right?

CLIFF: Yeah, Of course, I grew up in a Jewish home, and like many Jewish homes in America it was very secular. Of course, I knew about the Sabbath from reading but I really didn’t keep it. It wasn’t until I was older and met the Lord and had a real relationship with Jesus.

KEN: Now that’s an interesting thing. Growing up in a Jewish home but then becoming a Christian and keeping the Sabbath.

CLIFF: Yeah I always tell people that Jesus made me Kosher.

KEN: That’s a good one!!! So in your personal experience, growing up knowing about it, but not really following it, when you came to actually follow the Sabbath was that a big deal to you?

CLIFF: Yeah, it was a very positive thing for me in my life. The Sabbath, Jesus said, was made for man, and the Sabbath was meant to be a blessing for people. You know, we live in a very consumer…Well I guess it doesn’t what environment you live in, everybody is always hustling to try and make a buck, and these days it’s all about work. I said to someone the other day, you can have all the food and this and that but it never seems like you can have enough money…The Sabbath comes along and tells us to stop working, and put down our worldly things and come into rest. Just like someone who is eating lots of junk, you come along and tell them to take a break from that junk, and eat something healthier for you.

KEN: I have a friend who told me once that he was going to deliver me from that law centered approach, and I looked at him and said, why I would want to do that.

CLIFF: People just don’t understand, and it’s the idea of legalism and you know… But it’s not legalism. You just have to believe that you are saved by grace. My salvation is between God and me, not between me I and the legalistic laws.

KEN: God gave us this break to spend with him and our families. How practical is the Sabbath?

CLIFF: It’s a mind frame, and you just tell yourself to forget the things out side of the general principles of the Lord.

“As the Deer”, La Sierra University Vocal Octet, from Witness CD.

CONNIE: Amen! That was the La Sierra University Vocal Octet.

LONNIE: Connie, to me that song just really epitomizes what the Sabbath is all about. It’s not a commandment. It’s not a requirement to test my loyalty to God. It’s not something I can do or not do to gain favor with heaven. It’s about that longing that God has placed in my heart to have His presence in my life.
CONNIE: In other words, it’s about that hollow God-shaped space in your heart, and finding a way to fill it.

Exactly. It’s a God-shaped space in my life. A place that God fits perfectly into, as long as I reserve it for Him. Which isn’t to say that God isn’t present in every aspect of my life, but it’s just a special spot in time for Him. And He’s created with a longing for Him that can only be fulfilled if we make time for Him.

CONNIE: It’s something you have to consciously do, isn’t it? To reserve that time for God. It won’t just happen without some conscious effort on our part.
It certainly won’t in the hectic world that we live in today where everything seems to run 24/7. So we’d like to help our listeners find ways to make that special time for God. That’s why we have free copies of Clifford Goldstein’s book A Pause for Peace for all who ask for it today.

CONNIE: Give us a call at 1-800-872-0055, and we’ll get your copy in the mail to you right away. We’ll give that number again, along with our mailing address in a few minutes, but right now it’s time for Pastor Lonnie’s message, “Take a Break!”

Take a Break!

It had been a busy week for God! But it was one of those weeks when, through dint of good planning and hard work, everything comes together in the end, and the results of your work look good and make you feel good!

God was on a roll. In just six days He’d managed to call light and life into existence on our little planet. He’d gotten everything organized—all his ducks in a row, all His chimps in their trees, and all His horses in their pastures.

And then He’d brought the whole plan to fulfillment by bringing into existence the crowning work of all that furious flurry of activity. Here’s how it’s described in Genesis 1:26-28 in the New Revised Standard Version:

“Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’

So God created humankind in his image,

In the image of God he created them;

Male and female he created them.

God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.’ ”

Now that accounting, found in Genesis 1, of the creation of our first parents, sums it up rather succinctly. But Genesis 2 draws the story out a little more, adds a little drama, fills in some details of just exactly how our first father and mother came into being.

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to till it and keep it. . . . Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.’ The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper as his partner. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said,

‘This at last is bone of my bones

And flesh of my flesh;

This one shall be called Woman,

For out of Man this one was taken’ ”

(Genesis 2:15, 18, 20-23 NRSV).

When you read the story in all its glorious and actually humorous details in Genesis 2, you get a fascinating picture of God, don’t you? I can almost see Him bringing an elephant by for Adam to name, and asking “Don’t you think this animal would make an appropriate partner for you?” and then slipping off into the bushes to chuckle at Adam’s repeated disappointment with the suitability of each of the created beings as a “helpmeet” (as the KJV puts it) for him.

But if God was off in the bushes chuckling, it was only because He knew what a glorious plan He had for Adam. Because you see, God planned to bring His crowning work of creation to ultimate fulfillment only after man had begun to sense his need of “something more.”

Anticipation. It’s a wonderful thing, isn’t it? Especially when you know something good is about to happen because you know you’re going to be the one who pulls it off. When you’re one who’s going to throw the wonderful surprise party for someone who really deserves it.

So, God waited in eager anticipation for Adam to discover for himself that there wasn’t yet someone made just special for him. For Adam to look around the garden and see the other beings all with their mates and to wish God had thought of something similar for him. And that’s when God pulled off His wonderful surprise. “Just take a little nap, here, Adam,” He said. “And when you wake up, I’ll have a surprise for you.”

And obediently Adam lay down and went to sleep, and God performed surgery. He didn’t need to do it that way. He could have created Eve in exactly the same way He had created Adam. But He wanted there to be a special bond. Something that would hold this couple together in love for all eternity. And so He first allowed the anticipation to build. He made sure that Adam sensed a need.

And then He fulfilled that need in the most wonderful way possible.

You can’t help but like a God like that, can you?

And now, follow the story just a little bit further.

It’s been a very busy week for God. And it’s been a very busy day for Adam. And as that sixth day of Creation Week came to an end, God looked around, checked everything over for the hundredth time and saw that He hadn’t forgotten anything. Everything was in place and . . . well . . . just perfect!

And now it was time to say goodbye to Adam and all his kin And Adam and Eve saw that God was making like He was going to show Himself out the front gate and go back to heaven, and suddenly I can imagine, there was a great big hole developing in their hearts. Every moment, every instant, every microsecond of their existence up to that point had been filled up with the presence of this loving God who had created them and walked them through the wonderful journey of discovery of their garden home, and of each other.

And now He was going to leave—to leave them on their own?

Was there fear in their hearts at the thought of being abandoned by God? Did they run after Him, like little children often do when Daddy is about to go away on a trip, and climb onto His legs and try to hold Him so He couldn’t walk away?

I can picture God, can’t you, making His way to the front gate of Eden, and putting His hand on the latch, and turning it, and starting to turn and go.

And Adam and Eve are there, inside the garden, watching and wondering. When will they see God again? Will He come back to visit with them? Surely He’s a very busy God with a whole universe to tend to, and no doubt more planets and solar systems to create. When will He be back again?

And God turns and starts to go, and Adam and Eve’s hearts start to ache. And just at that instant, God pulls off the next wonderful surprise that He’s been planning all along.

He puts His shoulder to the gate and starts to push it open, and then He turns back and looks at His creation—the two “kids” He’s made and placed in the garden. And the sun is setting in the west, and evening is drawing on, and everything is painted in glorious shades of gold and orange. And then God says the words He’s been holding inside. The most wonderful words His two children could ever hope to hear.

“Ah, what’s the rush? I think I’ll take tomorrow off and spend it with my kids!”

And He pulls the gate shut again, and turns to face His children with His arms open wide, and they run to Him, leap into His arms, and share a group hug like none the universe has ever seen before!

How can you help but love a God like that?

And Adam and Eve get to spend the next wonderful 24 hours with their Creator, listening as He explains how He created the grass and the trees and the fish and the whales and the elephants and the platypuses. Asking questions. And relishing the story, over and over again, of how all of this was done with them in mind. That they were the ultimate part of the plan. The reason He created the whole world—so that they could enjoy it and enjoy fellowshipping with Him.

And then, finally, the sun begins to set again, and God goes to the gate again, and this time He pushes it open and goes out, and Adam calls plaintively to Him: When will we see you again? You said you created us for fellowship—when will you be back?

And it’s then that God makes the promise He’s held in His heart for all eternity, anticipating this moment. Anticipating this question. Longing for this human longing for Him: “Just six more days—like the six days it took me to create the earth. Just six more days, and I’ll be ready for another day off to spend with you guys. Okay?”

“OKAY!” they shout in eager anticipation.

You see, my friend, the Sabbath day was not created as a burden to restrict man’s joy. It was created as a precious opportunity for fellowship with a loving Father.

That’s what Jesus said when the Pharisees challenged Him for using the Sabbath hours differently than their narrow legal system mandated: “‘The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath’ ” (Mark 2:27, NKJV).

By Jesus’ day, the Sabbath had become a tiresome burden rather than an eagerly anticipated time of fellowship with the Father. And Jesus had to remind the religious leaders of what its intended purpose was. He had to remind them that “‘it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath’ ” (Matthew 12:12, NRSV).

Notice He didn’t say, “Ah, just forget the Sabbath.” He didn’t say, “Sabbath is a holiday—just go do your own thing and be happy!” He wanted the day still reserved especially for rest and for doing good. Because He knew that all of us need that special day every week to cement our relationship with our Father—to learn to love and know Him as Adam and Eve did.

Because, you see, when God created us, He created us with a unique ability: The gift of anticipation. The gift of always wanting more. It’s a gift that’s often abused and maligned. But it’s God’s gift to us, because He wants us to seek Him. As the apostle Paul put it to the men of Athens: “ ‘From one ancestor he made all nations to inhabit the whole earth . . . so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him — though indeed he is not far from each one of us’ ” (Acts 17:26-28, NRSV).

Friend, do you look forward with eager anticipation to the end of each work week, to the day that your heavenly Father has set aside to spend with His kids? I do.

And I’m so glad that I have a Father who is not only concerned with what I do, but with what I don’t do! He’s actually given me permission to take a break. Did I say permission? Actually, He knew that if He just gave me permission to take a day off every week, I’d probably rationalize and keep right on running full-steam-ahead right through the 7-day cycle. That’s why He put His permission slip right in the middle of the Ten Commandments. He’s not just granting us permission to rest. He’s ordering us to. Because He knows what’s best for us. Better than we know ourselves.

You know what; I can really appreciate a God like that.

I think I like a God like that.

In fact, I think I’m falling in love all over again. With Him. Because He’s given me a day each week, a day off, to do just exactly that!

“I Thank the Father”, Cynthia Clawson, from The Way I Feel CD…..