Edward Rowell quotes one of his cowboy friends as saying
that it is not the bulls that wear you down, it is seeing too many sunrises
through the windshield of a pick-up truck!
It is not the sermons that wear you down; it is the failure
to allow the body and soul to recover from the trauma of preaching. As
preachers of the Word of God we are too unrealistic, too demanding, and too
driven. Archibald Hart’s book, “Adrenaline
and Stress,” should cause us all to stop. Could it be that preachers
are living to long in an adrenaline saturated state? Rowell suggests that
preachers should prepare for Monday adrenaline hang-over’s!
These thoughts challenge preachers with the question; “Am I
taking the Biblical Sabbath seriously?” If we fill our personal Sabbath with
grass cutting, chore-running, shopping, and our endless list of things to do we
are not honoring the meaning of Sabbath rest. The term translated “rest in
Hebrews 4:1 basically means to cease from labor or the act of resting (The Complete Word Study Dictionary of the
New Testament). Perhaps the challenge question is “How can I cut my work by 20% effective immediately?” Your
answer depends upon the voice of God in your heart challenging you to
re-evaluate your pace and schedule.
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