Gospel.com Blog

God’s law, revealed in the Ten Commandments and throughout the Bible, is often caricatured as a giant list of “thou shalt not’s”. Unfortunately, throughout church history, Christians have often contributed to this impression by focusing their energies too much what believers aren’t supposed to be doing.

But as this devotional by Chuck Swindoll points out, one amazing thing about God’s law as summarized by Jesus is how active and positive it is:

“Therefore, however you want people to treat you, so treat them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matt. 7:2). That single sentence is perhaps the most famous statement Jesus ever made. It is the “Everest of Ethics,” as one man put it. In some ways it is the cornerstone of true Christianity, certainly the capstone of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.

I appreciate the positive emphasis. Instead of saying, “Don’t do this,” He says, “Do this.”

You want to impact your family, your church, your community, your place of employment? You want to make a difference in the life of your mate, a family member, a friend (Christian or not), some person in the workplace? Demonstrate the characteristics of Christ.

There are certainly activities God doesn’t want His children to participate in. But a truly Christlike life isn’t obsessed with “thou shalt not’s”—it’s obsessed with actively living out Christian values in our life and relationships.

A sabbatical is an extended time of rest—modeled on the Sabbath day—in which you take a long block of time to focus on something other than your career. Many university professors take sabbaticals in order to write books or to focus on research, and some professionals take them in order to hone a new skill or simply do something else for a while. I’ve even heard of people taking them in order to invest time with their family.

The concept of a sabbatical is rooted in scripture. Starting in Genesis, God illustrates the natural rhythm of six days working, one day off. Later, in Leviticus the Israelites are told to let the land rest one year out of every seven. During the seventh year, they’re allowed to eat what the land produces, but they must let it grow wild.

Have you ever taken a sabbatical? Would you ever want to?

Share your thoughts!