Teach your men how to treat the Sabbath. God has made it "legal" for us to rest one day a week. For some of us twenty-first-century hard chargers, rest really requires an act of discipline. It's not our natural response. We're more comfortable working and involved in activity. Yet God thought it was important enough to make it one of His crucial mandates. I see at least four reasons to practice the discipline of the Sabbath:

• The Sabbath is integral to orthodox Christianity. It is included in the Ten Commandments--arguably the most important piece of legislation ever recorded. They helped form the foundation for Western culture.
• The Sabbath expresses our trust in God's provision. Our obedience communicates that our faith is in God--not in ourselves. By resting we say, "I believe God will take care of me. I don't always have to be scrambling. I can trust Him."
• The Sabbath protects us from ourselves. Many years ago it was said that when Frenchmen in Paris stopped observing the Sabbath, suicide rates increased. During that time, the suicide rate in Paris reportedly became the highest of any city in the Christianized world. Constant work will wear us down, put us on edge, and make us unbalanced.
• The Sabbath is badly misunderstood, often abused, and frequently neglected. Whether it's mowing, shopping, or just doing lots of chores, many men don't relax on the weekends. Many men who do relax leave God out of this day of recreation. They often ignore their families.

If you feel you can't get by without working on the Sabbath, you may want to ask yourself, "Am I trusting God? If not, what am I afraid of?"

For More: Read Patrick Morley's, chapter 5, "A Man and the Sabbath," in A Man's Guide to the Spiritual Disciplines