Temptation is a great discourager of God’s people as well. Satan loves to tempt us and then to tempt us to feel guilty that we are being tempted. The opposite is actually the case: the more fervently you serve the Lord, the greater a threat you are to his enemy. If he would tempt Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-10), he will certainly tempt his followers.
According to a new study from Barna Research Group, stress, loneliness and politics are the top reasons for burnout among pastors and why many pastors are leaving ministry.
The Presbyterian Church (USA) Research Services’ fifth release of its “Minister Wellbeing Report” reveals that nearly half of surveyed ministers report regularly feeling fatigued.
If you doubt the importance of Sabbath, just run a quick Google search for terms like “exhaustion” or “burnout” or the various mental disorders that accompany the habits of our society. This is what crashing back down to earth looks like for a society. It’s a recurring blight on our culture. We must gain an appreciation for God’s gift of the Sabbath. We need to consider the possibility that maybe, just maybe, God has written down what we need for genuine human flourishing and built it into the actual fabric of the created order.
