Hebrews 4:9-10 (CEV)
But God has promised us a Sabbath when we will rest, even though it has not yet come. On that day God’s people will rest from their work, just as God rested from his work.
The earthly Sabbath is a foreshadow of our celestial future. Heaven will be radiant and exhilarating. Thus our Sabbath days mustn’t be drab and tedious.
Oh joy!
Not so long ago, God and I had quite a talk about the Sabbath Day.
God: What about “Remember the Sabbath” don’t you understand?
Me: I’ve just got too much to do. There’s never enough time.
God: There’s always enough time.
Me: I need more hours in the day.
God: You have enough hours. What you need is more rest. As in every seventh day.
I stopped arguing and started embracing the Sabbath. Cleaning and shopping undone by supper on Saturday wait till after supper on Sunday. Truth be told, my house is no dirtier and my cupboards no emptier.
Exodus 20:9-11 (CEV)
You have six days when you can do your work, but the seventh day of each week belongs to me, your God. No one is to work on that day.
Some of our ancestors were strict about Sabbath work. Stock was fed, but fields weren’t plowed. Meals were prepared Saturday night and slow-cooked in the wood stove. No sewing. No gardening. Church and rest were the order of their Sundays.
Perhaps they went overboard with their rules. Might we be drowning in disobedience?
What’s your usual Sunday morning attitude?
Exodus 20:8 (NIV)
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
It is tempting to think that my week will go better if I use my Sabbath day to catch up on my to-do list. This 4th Commandment, as spelled out in God’s Word, sets the day apart for rest. Hallowed and blessed by God.
No work. With no work-arounds.
Can we follow the directions?
This doll from my childhood . . .
. . . wearing clothes sewn by my aunt,
sitting in a chair crafted by my son,
with the doll quilt Grandma stitched as a child.
Treasures! Made made by people I love.
Father God, I treasure our world because it was made by you.
I love you, Lord. Amen.
In the late 1800’s, Maltbie Davenport Babcock would head out to enjoy the beauty surrounding his upstate New York home. As the story goes, he’d tell his wife he was “going out to see the Father’s world.”
Our hymnbooks include his memorable words of praise:
“This is my Father’s world, why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King—let the heavens ring.
God reigns—let the earth be glad.”
Maltbie had the right idea. This isn’t our world. It is God’s world. Rejoice and be glad.
Genesis 1:27-28 (ESV)
So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
And God blessed them.
And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it.”
We build homes and have children. We dig wells and arrange plumbing. We plant the seeds of our favorite produce. We eat our veggies and search out cures for illness. With God’s blessing.
But we are always stewards, never owners.
Spring, summer, fall and winter—the seasons of our lives. What delights your heart?
Think of the cycles God provides: oxygen, water, sowing and reaping, birth and death, seasons. The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, our very lives follow a familiar pattern.
The pattern is never exactly the same, never perfectly predictable. But there is order. In that we find security and comfort. It is a good pattern. A very good pattern.
Nehemiah 1:6-7
Hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you.
Per Nehemiah’s example, what’s wrong with America starts with . . .
. . . me.
I confess the sins I have committed against you, Lord.
