Stop the merry-go-round! I want to get off! Has
your life ever felt like that? Do you feel enslaved by the never
ending "To-Do" list? Guess what? Relief is available!
God, our
creator foreknew we would be overwhelmed with stressors and
commitments so He implemented an escape plan for us! He even
demonstrated it for us - way back during creation.
"In six days God finished the work He had been doing; so
on the seventh day He rested from all His work. And God blessed
the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He rested from
all the work of creating that He had done." Genesis 2:1-3
Do you suppose God really needed a rest? Of course not! He
established that for our benefit!
Jump ahead to when He freed the Israelites from 400+ years of
slavery. He led them to the promised land and gave them a new
set of rules to live by. Guess what one of them was? A day off!
In all their years of slavery they had never enjoyed a day off
work! Now God blessed them with one every week!
He said, "Observe
the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has
commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
but the seventh is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you
shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter,
nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox, your donkey or
any of your animals, nor the alien within your gates, so that
your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you do. Remember
that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought
your out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.
Therefore the LORD your god has commanded you to observe the
Sabbath day." Deut 5:12-15.
"But that was Old
Testament Law and doesn’t apply to us today," you say. Really?
It’s smack dab in the middle of nine other laws applicable to us
today, such as "You shall not murder, you shall not commit
adultery, you shall not steal, etc. When did God give us the
right to pick and choose which of His commands we follow? Jesus
said,
"I
have not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. I tell you
truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest
letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means
disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone
who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches
others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of
heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be
called great in the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:17-19
So, if God established a Sabbath day
- a day to stop work and to focus on Him - and then commanded we
observe it why do we choose to ignore it? If one day off per
week can rest our bodies, refresh our minds and restore our
spirits - if He intended it for our benefit - why wouldn’t we
take advantage of it?
Consider it a perk of being a Christian! I dare you:
Remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy!
About the Author: Sandra Jensen is a speaker, teacher and internet radio show
host of Women By Grace Radio.
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