What If You Don't Need to Do More?

What if the solution to feeling overwhelmed isn't doing more?

What if it's doing less?

Many of us live busy, hurried, and distracted lives. Our calendars are packed from morning to night with work, family responsibilities, social gatherings, recreation, fitness, volunteering, meetings, and church activities. The things that fill our schedules are often good things, but too much of a good thing can still leave us exhausted and spiritually distracted.

We can become so busy that we lose ourselves in the rush.

Eventually, we begin to wonder: Is there more to life than this?

Jesus said He came so that we might have life—and have it abundantly. Yet sometimes experiencing that abundant life requires us to stop adding things to our schedules and start making room for rest. That's why God gave us the Sabbath.

The command to "Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy" isn't a burden designed to restrict our freedom. It's a gift from a loving God who knows what we need. God knows our tendency to become overworked, overscheduled, and focused on the wrong things. So He invites us to stop.

The Sabbath creates a rhythm of rest that helps us remember who God is, refocus our lives on Him, and trust that the world will continue turning even when we aren't working.

Remember the Sabbath as a Gift from God

The Sabbath begins with remembering.

God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. He then established a rhythm of work and rest for His people.

For the Israelites, this command would have been especially meaningful. They had been slaves in Egypt, where they were overworked and had no freedom to rest. Now, as God's people, they were given a new way to live.

The Sabbath was a reminder that they were no longer slaves.

They didn't have to work constantly to prove their worth.

They didn't have to earn their freedom.

They could stop.

The same is true for us.

We often live as though everything depends on us. We feel pressure to keep working, producing, achieving, and accomplishing. But Sabbath reminds us that our identity isn't found in our productivity.

We are more than what we accomplish.

Sabbath is God's invitation to remember that He is God—and we are not.

Remember and Refocus Your Life on God

The first Sabbath practice is to remember and refocus.

The Sabbath is not simply a day when we don't work. It is a day set apart for God.  The purpose of our lives is ultimately to worship God, glorify Him, and love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Sabbath helps us return to that purpose.

When we stop our normal routines, we have an opportunity to step away from the distractions of the world and center our lives on Jesus.

We let God's story shape our story. We set our minds on things above and we remember what matters most.

Shift from Consumers to Contributors

The sermon challenges us to think differently about worship.

Instead of approaching Sunday by asking:

• "What am I going to get out of worship?"
• "Will I like the music?"
• "Will the sermon be good?"
• "Will the service be to my taste?"

We can approach worship by asking:

• "What am I going to give to the Lord today?"
• "How will I praise God?"
• "What am I thankful for?"
• "What do I need to surrender to God?"
• "Where do I need to refocus my life on Him?"

Sabbath isn't ultimately about what we receive. It's about giving God the glory He deserves.

Refrain from Work and Create Healthy Boundaries

The second Sabbath practice is to refrain from work.

This can be especially difficult in a world where work follows us everywhere.

Our laptops travel home with us. Our phones bring our emails into our pockets. Our workspaces are often only a few feet away.

We can always check one more email. We can finish one more project. We can tell ourselves, "It will only take a few minutes."

But those few minutes can slowly take over the entire day.

Protect Your Sabbath

If your job requires you to work on Sunday, find another day to establish a Sabbath rhythm.

The specific day may vary, but the need for rest remains. Your goal is to create intentional boundaries that protect time for worship, rest, renewal, and connection with God and others.

This may also mean resisting the temptation to fill the Sabbath with household chores, errands, and endless tasks.

That doesn't mean every task must be avoided at all costs. It just means asking: Can I organize the rest of my week so that I can truly stop?

The goal is not legalism, its freedom.

Rest and Recharge Your Whole Self

The third Sabbath practice is to rest and recharge.

Rest isn't a luxury. It affects every part of our lives.

When we're exhausted, we may experience:

• Difficulty concentrating
• Poor judgment
• Irritability
• Anxiety
• Mood changes
• Reduced creativity
• Decreased productivity
• Physical health problems

And perhaps most importantly, when we're running on empty, we're often less likely to think and act like Jesus toward the people around us. As Pastor Greg puts it: "To give God my best requires rest."

Sabbath gives us permission to simply be. To relax, enjoy the blessings of life, and recharge our souls.

What Rest Looks Like for You

Sabbath rest may look different for everyone.

For one person, it may mean solitude and quiet. For another, it may mean spending time with family and friends.

You might find renewal through:

• Gardening
• Reading
• Walking
• Exercising
• Taking a nap
• Sharing a meal
• Meeting with a small group
• Spending time with friends
• Enjoying a favorite hobby

There is no one-size-fits-all formula for Sabbath rest. The important thing is to be intentional. Receive this time as a gift from God. Enjoy it with gratitude and allow your soul to breathe.

Rely on God by Letting Go of Control

The fourth Sabbath practice may be the most challenging: Rely on the Lord.

At the heart of Sabbath is the willingness to give up control. We often convince ourselves that we can't stop.

Our work needs us. Our family needs us. Our home needs us. Our schedule needs us. Our responsibilities need us.

If we stop, everything might fall apart. But Sabbath asks us to consider another possibility: What if God is still at work while we're resting?

True Sabbath requires us to place our work, worries, and concerns into God's hands.

We trust His power. We trust His goodness. We trust His plan.

We trust that the world can continue without us managing every detail.

Sabbath becomes an act of faith.

When we stop working, we're declaring: "God, I trust You to take care of what I cannot control."

Sabbath Is More Than a Day—It's a Way of Life

The Sabbath rhythm points all the way back to creation and God's original intention for humanity.

We were created to live in relationship with God and to flourish as stewards of His creation.

In the Reformed tradition, Sabbath is understood as more than simply one day each week. It points toward a lifelong posture of devotion to God and anticipation of the eternal rest He has promised.

Sabbath isn't only about what we do one day a week. It's about how we live every day. It's a mindset of resting in the truth that we are created by a loving God, redeemed through Jesus Christ, and sustained by the Holy Spirit. That means we can carry the rest of God with us throughout the week.

We don't have to live every moment in a state of hurry and anxiety. We can enter Monday with the same confidence we experienced on Sunday. We can work without believing our work defines us. We can serve without believing everything depends on us. We can rest without feeling guilty.

We can live with the confidence that God is present, God is faithful, and God is still at work.

Stop, Rest, and Trust

The Sabbath is God's invitation to stop the endless cycle of busyness.

To remember.

To refocus.

To refrain from work.

To rest and recharge.

To rely on God.

The world tells us that we need to do more to have more, achieve more, and become more.

God tells us something different.

Stop.

Remember who you are. Remember who God is. Rest in His presence. Trust His goodness.

And receive the abundant life Jesus came to give you.

The Sabbath is not about missing out on life. It's about making room to truly live.

Because when we learn to rest in God, we discover that we don't have to carry the whole world on our shoulders.

God is still in control. And all will be well.

*summary created with help of ChatGPT