When Sunday rolls around, do you take the day off to play, rest, dwell on God, and interact with family and friends?Or do you see Sunday as another day to clean the house, catch up on work, weed the garden, and wash the car?

While under attack by many today, the Sabbath is a blessing, not a curse. When God created the earth, He createdthe Sabbath as part of the weekly cycle of life. It is a day of rest—something sorely needed these days. Incommanding us to observe the Sabbath, God has given us a greater life—time to rejoice and laugh and praise Him. Weneed to set aside this time to be with our families, to study the Bible in depth, to serve, to rest.

In 1618, Great Britain’s King James I wrote a book on sports in which he encouraged all Englishmen to playsports on the Sabbath afternoon. This idea upset many Christians and pastors, becoming one of the reasons the Puritansleft England within the next couple of decades. In fact, the Pilgrims and Puritans sacrificially dedicated themselves toobedience of this command. The Pilgrims’ voyage to America on the Mayflower took many months. A storm finallyblew them into Plymouth on a Sunday morning and landed them on Clark’s Island across from the rock where they finallycame ashore. Despite their long containment on the boat, they didn’t rush off it on that Sunday morning. Instead, theyhonored the Sabbath, attending worship services and praising God. The next morning they landed on Plymouth Rock.

Eric Liddell, the hero of Chariots of Fire, also observed the Sabbath and received tremendous blessing forit. Though the Olympic committee had planned his race for a Sunday, he refused to run. He gave up his spot that day, andfor all he knew, he had given up his chance for an Olympic medal. But the committee allowed him to run the 400-meterrace (which he had never before run), and despite his inexperience, Liddell won the gold medal.

If you don’t already observe the Sabbath, I encourage you to give it a try this week. Set aside Sunday toworship, rest, and rejuvenate. As you do, I’m certain you’ll discover the Sabbath is a blessing of renewaland rest, for God’s glory and your good.