via TJC
Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” ~Mark 2:27 NIV
This week, TJC asks and answers questions about specific areas of our lives, focusing on whether Jesus is first in those areas.
I’ll make this quick since I know y’all are busy. The constant refrain for Kingdom Men is, “I’m busy.” When someone asks how you are, “busy” will almost certainly work its way into the conversation. We try to lean into words like “white-space” and “work/life balance,” but that’s often easier said than done because, well, we’re busy.
Oftentimes, we arrange our time the same way as our finances: pay everyone else, save for ourselves and family, then give to God. As Christians, we know that’s the opposite of what the King desires and how the Kingdom is wired, but it’s what we do. Our time is the same way, except that time is a resource more important than money. No matter what you do, you can never get more time. God asks us to reserve 1/7 of our time; He only asks us to dedicate 1/10 of our money.
Just like living with a budget, stewarding our time requires prayer and intentionality. Protecting the Sabbath for your family is a good place to start. (Last week, we talked about our role as Protectors.) So what does that look like? In my family, we observe the Sabbath from sundown Saturday until sundown Sunday. We use this time to relax, refresh, and do things that are enjoyable for us. I don't do anything for my job or TJC during that time. I share that I observe the Sabbath with my friends, family, co-workers, and even my boss. Like any boundary, once people know about it, most try to respect it.
It was a process getting here. We had fits and starts; we began small, with half days. We tried different days of the week to find what we could consistently do with our lifestyle and schedule. Then the funniest thing happened: my schedule and time management began to bend to the Sabbath instead of me trying to fit a Sabbath around my schedule. Like with our finances, we flipped the script with our time. Now it's: give to God, save for ourselves, pay others. After about a year of consistency, I don’t even think about it anymore; observing the Sabbath is natural. Honestly, what feels weird is when it’s infringed on by an external circumstance.
Daily Battle Order:
How do you model that Jesus is first in your schedule? What boundaries do you have in place to steward your time? Can you teach them to your kids and/or other men? If you don’t know, pray with your family and work through it.
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