REFLECT (OPTIONAL)
Sabbath in Global Cities
In global cities, many people are stingy with their money yet
by Tim Keller
freely give their bodies away. By contrast, we Christians are
stingy with our bodies and generous with our money. Likewise,
many people are willing to mortgage their souls to work, but
at a certain point Christians have to say, “I’m willing to set
fewer goals, not go up the ladder as fast, and even risk not
accomplishing as much, because I have to take Sabbath time
off. And ultimately, I don’t need to be incredibly successful. I
can choose this path of freedom because of the inner rest I’ve
received from Jesus Christ through what he has done for me.”
You have to actually inject this Sabbath rest into your
thinking and into your work life. Some of our work worlds
are institutionally structured toward overwork. Sometimes
you have to “pay your dues” in the early stages of your
career when you’re in a season of hard work (as I mentioned
previously) or are trying to gain some credibility in your field.
When you’re more established in your field, you may be able
to moderate your workload. However, at some point, even
if that doesn’t happen, you will have to trust God and honor
Jesus— who is Lord of the Sabbath—by practicing Sabbath
and risk “falling behind” in your career.
It may happen that you will fall behind, and yet retain your
sanity. Or it may be that God will allow you to keep moving
ahead in your career despite your practice of Sabbath and the
“gleaning” principle. It is up to him.
The purpose of Sabbath is not simply to rejuvenate yourself in
order to do more production, nor is it the pursuit of pleasure.
The purpose of Sabbath is to enjoy your God, life in general,
what you have accomplished in the world through his help,
and the freedom you have in the gospel—the freedom from
slavery to any material object or human expectation.
The Sabbath is a sign of the hope that we have in the world
to come.
What resonated with you in Keller’s article?