A Day Of Rest

Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.  You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God.  On that day no one in your household may do any work.  This includes you, your sons and daughters, you male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you.  For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested.  That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.

Exodus 20:8-11 NLT

I know the 10 commandments.  I learned them at a very young age and as my children have gone through Bible school and Sunday school classes I have had many chances to be reminded of those 10 commands that God gave to the Israelites so so long ago.  The laws that God laid out for His people are still regarded today as being the 10 great commands that we Christians should follow.  In fact most of them are morally engrained in us.  We use them as a standard when making decisions in choosing right from wrong.  As I look at them closely I see a pattern in the ones we tend to follow and those we set aside.  Obviously the big ones that have legal consequences we tend to stay away from easily, such as stealing and killing.  But what about the commandments that no one even knows we disobey?  Those little white lies, having other God's, disrespecting our parents, jealousy or even adultery, these seem to be grey areas in people's lives these days.  As I read Exodus 20 slowly the other day I realized that I am not following all of God's commands.  I have often overlooked number 4 that says to: Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.  I haven't taken this one seriously, but by reading the many times God expected His people to rest throughout the bible, I am now conviced, more than ever, that this command is no less important than refraining from murder and theft.  What's even more scary is how serious God was about his people obeying Him and following His directions.  Just in the chapter preceeding the 10 comandments God announced He would kill anyone who came close to the mountain or touched its boundaries (Exodus 19:12).  I know a lot has happened since then and Jesus came to offer mercy and grace, but still, there is a something God has told me to do and I am not doing it well.

Sabbath means a day of rest or abstinece from work.  We know that God took a day of rest after He created the world.  He acknowledged, early on, the importance of taking a break and resting our bodies.  He passed that on to us and demands that we take breaks too!  Most Christians refer to the Sabbath as Sunday but Jews celebrate the sabbath on Saturday.  I don't know which day is the right day, or if God even cares, but I do know that He wants us to choose a day each week and offer it up to rest and worship.  He may not even mind if the day changes from week to week just as long as we are slowing down to choose a day that we devote to Him and His request for refreshing our spirits.  Life is busy!  The world is fast paced!  It is hard to slow down and choose a whole day of rest, but God calls us to it!  And not just take a day off, but to keep that day holy, to honor God and devote our time to Him.  On our day of rest we should be thinking of God and spending quiet time with Him.  We should have nothing to hurry us or take our thoughts off of God, but be thinking on things that please Him.

Dear God, help me to slow down and take my rest seriously.  You were the first to show me the importance of refreshing my soul and you have asked me to keep one day a week holy for you.  Show me how to rearrange my schedule and choose a day that is devoted to You and my love and worship of You.  Take away my desire to keep up with the world and give me peace in resting in You.  

In Jesus' Name   Amen