God created a day of rest. Therefore, you and I need rest. Sometimes, we are like Henry Martin, a 19th-century missionary to the Muslims, whose motto was, “Let me burn out for God.” Tragically, he “burned out” at a ripe old age of 31 in 1812. Let me be clear. Rest is not a sin. To deny yourself of rest is a sin! I have seen marriages struggle, families broken, ministries falter, and health shattered because leaders didn’t take time for themselves and their families. Here are eight suggestions for you (and me) concerning rest:
 
1. Schedule: Make sure you schedule time each day to unplug from work and rest.
 
2. Stop: Take a day off each week and do NO work on this day.
 
3. Guard: Guard time for your spouse and family. Place this family time on your calendar to ensure this “date” is a priority.
 
4. Develop: Develop and maintain friends. Work on a hobby to get your mind off work and get you outside the house.
 
5. Vacation: We have mentioned this before: take your vacations! You need time away from your church, and your church is blessed to have a new perspective in a guest preacher.
 
6. Sabbatical: I have never had one. However, everyone I know who has taken a sabbatical has returned refreshed, renewed, and reenergized. Pray that God will give you a sabbatical rest.
 
7. Accountability: Have an accountability partner. One of the things you can hold each other accountable for is rest and keeping the family a priority.
 
8. Gospel: It is the Gospel of Jesus Christ that brings ultimate rest. Rest in this Gospel!
 
We have talked about the importance of rest before. However, many of us are like leaky buckets. We should remind ourselves periodically of the importance of setting aside time to rest. What are your thoughts on this subject? How do you take time to relax?

This article was written by state missionary Rob Jackson.