Monday, November 9, 2009

Sabbath

It seems that every week I am learning more and more that I have so much room to grow in my walk with the Lord. Not that this comes as any big surprise, but certainly gives me things to work on. In the past few months God has seriously been changing my heart and I think growing it to me more like His. I am so very thankful for it! However, I'm not sure I'm doing such a great job ...but thank goodness for Jesus-it's not about me anyways!

So..here is what I learned this week.

1. God created sabbath. He created it and He commanded it, and this seems to be one commandment I choose to ignore.
Exodus 20:8-11 "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, or your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Mark 2:27 Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."

God didn't need to rest on the Sabbath, I mean, He is GOD. He blessed that day and in that blessed us.
It will renew and restore us physically.
It was will renew and restore us spiritually.

That's not where it stops though.
Deuteronomy 5:12-15 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 day 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 YOU OUT OF THERE WITH A MIGHTY HAND AND AN OUTSTRETCHED ARM. THEREFORE THE LORD YOUR GOD HAS COMMANDED YOU TO OBSERVE THE SABBATH DAY.

I need to let my sabbath be a reminder to me that NO victory or success that comes my way is from my work but from my God's mighty hand. If I am trying to achieve or striving towards my own success on sabbath, I am choosing to say I don't trust God. I am saying I am unable to take even one day of my week to let go of those things in my life to remember that God is completely in control of my life. I say I surrender to him, I say I give Him control, yet do I spend one day of my week completely resting in Him? No.

Lord forgive my weak, selfish, wavering heart.

We sang this song this week...it always gets me.

Prone to wander
Lord I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart Lord
Take and seal it
Seal it for thy courts above.

1 comment:

Grandma and Grandpa said...

Hi,Rach - you have hit on one of my pet peeves of all time!!! When we were growing we usually had dinner (lunch to you) at Grandma and Grandpa Thayers. Then the grownups would play cards or sit and talk or whatever. Since they lived across from Elston Church, we were not even allowed to swing on the porch swing, because it squeaked. We could sit on it - but if Grandpa Thayer heard 1 squeak - we were scolded and made to come inside. No stores were open. People were together on the Sabbath Day as God asked us to be! I think that disturbs me more than anything - people running here and there on Sunday - the day of rest! The car dealers can't be open on Sundays, why are all of the OTHER stores allowed to be. Sorry, hun, once I get started on this, I just go balistic. You are a nurse, you are allowed to work because you are serving God by serving His needy. With VERY few exceptions, Dr.s, Ministers, and I really can't think of any more that NEED to work or stores that NEED to open on Sunday. That's all - well not really, but I will stop now. Love to you and your Huggable Hubby!!!