Paul Harvey, in one of his radio broadcasts, “The rest of the story,” told how showing sincere appreciation can change a person’s life. He reported that years ago a teacher in Detroit asked Stevie Morris to help her find a mouse that was lost in the classroom.

You see, she appreciated the fact that nature had given Stevie a remarkable pair of ears to compensate for his blind eyes. But this was really the first time Stevie had been shown appreciation for those talented ears.

Now, years later, he says that this act of appreciation was the beginning of a new life. You see, from that time on he developed his gift of hearing and went on to become, under the stage name of Stevie Wonder, one of the greatest pop singers and songwriters of all time.

“Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you” (Deuteronomy 5:12).

Sabbath. Why does God command us to keep the Sabbath? It’s not a suggestion. It’s not only a good idea. It’s a command.

There are multiple reasons why it’s good to stop and rest. We were not created to just keep going.

A couple of observations. Even for the most ardent keeper of God’s word, the one commandment we seem to have no qualms breaking is this one. What’s crazy about that is that this is one of the ten big ones! We do our best not to lie, steal, covet. We do our best to honor God, not to take his name in vain. But the Sabbath…? Blah, blah, blah.

Why would God command the Sabbath and place it as one of his most important foundational commandments? Perhaps this commandment, more than others, says, “I trust you.”

• I trust that even when I stop, you will keep everything going
• I trust that the production and the building of kingdoms, ministries, churches, families, businesses doesn’t depend on me

In this season of busy-ness, how are you keeping the Sabbath? When do you stop? How do you cease from work?