3. The Sabbath provides occasions to perform thoughtful acts of kindness. Has a neighbor been sick during the week when you had no time to visit? When a friend needed a sympathetic ear after her husband’s death, did the pressure of daily living deprive her of your loving attention? Our natural inclination is to keep postponing these things. The Sabbath says, “Just do it.” Or as Jesus advised, “It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:12).

4. The Sabbath is a day to strengthen family ties. When Christ commanded, “On it [the Sabbath] you shall not do any work” (Exodus 20:10), He couldn’t have given a better prescription to workaholic dads and stressed- out moms. The Sabbath is a giant STOP sign for families. Stop rushing past each other; stop letting the most urgent things crowd out the most important things. The Sabbath is one day when we can replace entertainment with interaction, pressure with prayer, labor with laughter, busy schedules with quiet reflection. Sabbath-rest provides the entire family with the time to link up with Christ and tap into His spiritual energy.

5. The Sabbath is a time when Jesus comes especially near. Every relationship needs time, quality time, and our relationship with Christ is no exception. Devoting a whole day to Christ each week is a great way to keep our friendship with Him fresh and exciting. The Sabbath gives us extra time for Bible study and prayer, extra time to simply be alone with Christ in a quiet place and listen. Jesus “blessed the seventh day and made it holy” with the promise of His presence (Genesis 2:3). You can understand why it is important to observe Saturday, the seventh day of the week as the Sabbath, because it is the day Christ set apart at creation to communicate with us in a special way.

When Jesus created the Sabbath it almost seems that He had our generation in mind. It’s exactly what we need in our stress-filled environment: a day that is truly a break—a complete break from everything else. A day to worship God, get in touch with creation again, and concentrate on relationships instead of things. The Sabbath is a breath of fresh air in today’s smoggy, non-stop freeway of life.