The Daily CHEW™
Chew on God’s Love. Live Transformed. Multiply Hope.
Sundays always stir a strange mix of satisfaction and restlessness for me. I usually wake up early, do the last minute preps for the Adult Sunday School I teach. My wife and I drive in. She loves to drive so she almost always drives us in while I double check the Sunday School class and have a comfortable conversation with her. After class, I love the worship at our church. Our pastor, Aaron Messner, is a tremendous preacher. He reminds me of what it was like listening to Tim Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church when there were only 50 of us attending back in 1989. We were mesmerized, and with Aaron, I find myself taking tons of notes, posting the notes on YouVersion and the notes get a bunch of likes from YouVersion friends. After the buzz of worship and reconnecting with friends at church, I often catch myself, New York City striver, itching to write another blog, think through an idea for how CHEW can get better, and, if I’m honest, I want to rush to get to lunch with my wife and kids. I want rest, but so often, I perform my way through even the slow afternoons.
Maybe you feel this, too. Maybe after church, as the gravity of the week lifts, your first instinct is to fill the gap with to-do lists, a side project, a scroll through email, or even more “productive” service. Sundays hold out rest, but it’s so easy, especially for business founders and high performers, to miss the very gift Sabbath is meant to be. Perhaps you wonder: What does God actually want from me on Sabbath? If it’s not a checklist, is it just aimless leisure, or is there a richer way to frame the whole day?
Here’s the mystery: Sabbath was never engineered to be a restrictive rulebook nor a badge of spirituality. It’s God’s weekly invitation to return to Him and breathe deeply as beloved children—anchors thrown into a world obsessed with output. Sabbath is not a break from significance; it’s a reset to remember that our significance is rooted in God’s love, not our accomplishments. As Tim Keller once wrote, “Sabbath is a declaration of freedom: I am not what I do. I am not my work.” It’s an act of faith to trust that God is enough, and so am I, in Christ, when I stop.
Best-Practice Sabbath Principles for Christian Business Founders, Leaders, High Performers:
1. Savor Worship, Even After Church Ends
Sabbath doesn’t end with the benediction. Carry the music, prayer, and Word with you. Discuss the sermon’s impact over brunch or on the drive home. Share a favorite insight with your spouse or kids, or jot down a note of what God stirred in you without turning it into a Monday action plan.
2. Receive First, Act Second
Shift from “What could I achieve this afternoon?” to “What gifts is God offering me here and now?” Ask: “How can I receive today?” Be open to joy, quiet, beauty, or connection—deliberately non-productive “fruit” that signals grace.
3. Enjoy Your People, Not Your Projects
Invest the slow hours after church with the people God’s given you. Linger at lunch. Listen more than you speak. Take a walk, play a game, or just sit in each other’s company. Resist the urge to multitask. Remember: meaningful relationships are themselves a form of worship.
4. Practice Play and Delight
What might it look like to do something simply because it refreshes your soul? Read for pleasure, nap in the sun, listen to music, dance in the living room, share stories from the week, take in God’s creation. Sabbath is a protest against joyless duty and endless grind.
5. Unplug from “Shoulds”
Set healthy boundaries with technology and productivity. Try a window without screens, emails, or news. Let the day’s schedule be shaped by what brings your soul home to God, not what piles up in your notifications.
6. Make Room for Quiet
Don’t fear stillness. Sabbath is a rare gateway for spacious reflection—unhurried prayer, gentle confession, or simply “being” before God. If you’re new to quiet, start with five minutes outdoors, a Psalm, or listening to favorite worship music.
7. Honor God’s Goodness in Simple Feasts
Good food is biblical. Enjoy a meal that doesn’t rush. Savor flavors and give thanks. Invite others to join you, if you can. Mealtime is a reminder of God’s abundant love and creativity.
8. Bless Others Out of Overflow
If service or hospitality feels life-giving, share it—from a heart that’s already full, not one running on obligation. Sabbath generosity might mean a phone call to a lonely friend, blessing your family with laughter, or writing a note of encouragement.
9. Release the Week’s Outcome
Sabbath is a weekly declaration that you are not in control—and that’s good news. Whisper a prayer releasing outcomes, successes, and failures to your Father. Remember, He neither slumbers nor sleeps.
10. Practice “Holy Forgetting”
Don’t dwell on your flaws, worries, or the Monday awaiting. Give yourself permission to turn the conversation (even in your mind) from self-improvement to gratitude: “Father, thank You for Your love and faithfulness this week.”
CHEW Sabbath Reset (3-5 Minutes):
Take three deep breaths—God’s love is present now.
Adore:
Father, You love me right now, before anything is accomplished.
Confess:
What longings or anxieties am I bringing into this afternoon? What’s truly beneath my restlessness?
Hear:
What word from Scripture meets me here today?
- “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (Exodus 33:14)
- “The Lord is my shepherd…he makes me lie down in green pastures.” (Psalm 23:1-2)
- “Come to me… and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
Exchange:
If I really believed God’s love is generous and unhurried, how would that change my struggle with rushing, performing, or fearing wasted time?
Walk:
What simple step will I take right now—put the phone away, join a family game, rest my body, say “yes” to laughter?
Thanksgiving & Worship:
Thank You, God, for designing Sabbath not as burden, but as love—a gift that rewires my heart.
Remember This:
Sabbath is God’s delight, not a test or performance. Every moment you pause to receive, enjoy, or worship is a “win.” You don’t have to “get Sabbath right”—you’re invited to come home to God’s rest, again and again.
CHEW On This™:
If I really believed God’s love is abundant and never rushed, how would that change how I approach my Sundays—especially when I’m tempted to perform instead of receive?
Repeat, adapt, and share these rhythms in your home, with your group, team, or church. Sabbath rest is made richer in honest community.
Select Resources:
- Tim Keller on Wisdom and Sabbath Rest
- Sabbath for High Performers—Permission to Rest Without Guilt
- SALVES: Discovering and Redeeming the Core Drivers of Every Heart
- Scripture for Soul Fatigue—Finding Rest in God
- God’s Love: The Source of Living Rhythm and Real Rest
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