Sabbath…a gift of grace!
This week’s devotions are based on this week’s message: Shadows: A Glimpse of the Sabbath! (WATCH HERE)
Mark 2:27 Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
The car was made for man, not man for the car.
Perhaps when we insert anything that we use that was created or made for our benefit, Jesus’ statement makes more sense. Our history of inventions by in large have made life better and easier for humanity. From the abacus to make math easier to a computer in our phone to make life easier, they were all made for mankind, not the other way around. In fact, when you think about it when other humanity think that people were made for them, it turns that relationship into one that is not very pleasant or enjoyable. Consider the era of slavery or the time when business tycoons took advantage of the workers in their factories. If one tries to GET something out of people, that relationship is often not a blessing. If one tries to GIVE something to another person, the person receiving is the one who is blessed.
So it is with the Sabbath. The Sabbath is not trying to GET anything out of people. People were not made FOR the Sabbath. Rather the Sabbath is trying to GIVE something to people. The Sabbath was made FOR people.
The people of Jesus’ day and before had turned the Sabbath into an entity that was trying to GET something out of people. The religious rabbis and Pharisees were the ones who parsed out the do’s and don’ts of the Sabbath to make sure the Sabbath got all it could from people. It was as if the Sabbath needed to be served by people by the steps they took or didn’t take, the effort they made or didn’t make to eat, the activities they did or didn’t do. The Sabbath had become in many people’s mind a crushing, demanding, obligation that people had to give to.
This couldn’t be farther from the truth of what the Sabbath really was.
God made the Sabbath for mankind. The observation of the Sabbath was to GIVE blessings to the people who observed it. The Sabbath loved to give rest physically so one’s body could recuperate and recharge. The Sabbath loved to give rest mentally and emotionally so one’s mind and heart could relax and reset. The Sabbath especially loved to give to all who would observe it, time in the love and grace of God to give rest to souls. The Sabbath loved to UNBURDEN people by allowing them to place their burdens on the Lord. The Sabbath loved to give peace to unsettled hearts by giving people the promises of the LORD to calm their souls. The Sabbath loved to give goodness to people as people reflected the grace and mercy of God.
How could it do this? The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. The Son of Man…not man… is the one who made the Sabbath for mankind. So like an engineer who designs an implement with a purpose to bless people, so Jesus gives us the blessing of the Sabbath to be a specific blessing of rest to our bodies, minds, and souls.
So when man started being the “owner” of the Sabbath and burdening people with laws that they couldn’t follow, the meaning and blessing of the Sabbath was lost. Jesus came to fulfill the Sabbath by being the one who would give ultimate rest for our souls. So it is he who loves to give us Sabbath rest, not as an obligation of the law, but as a true gift of grace.
Enjoy it as such!
Apply: What gifts does God desire to give you when you practice Sabbath rest?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for making the Sabbath for me. In a way that honors you and blesses my soul, help me to observe Sabbath rest today! AMEN.
Find rest in God!
This week’s devotions are based on this week’s message: Shadows: A Glimpse of the Sabbath! (WATCH HERE)
Psalm 62: 1 Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. 2 Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
It’s hard to sleep when life is in chaos around you. Sleep is elusive when stress is high. Projects at work, relationship strain, financial concerns, worry about your children, medical issues, and more can lead one to spend hours awake at night. Dosing off may close your eyelids, but your mind races in dreams of panic and danger.
We’ve all had nights like this for one reason or another. We wake up in the morning only to find ourselves physically exhausted and we’re just starting the day.
When our soul is not at rest, it is hard for our bodies and mind to rest. Have you found this to be true?
At times the lack of physical rest can be symptomatic of the lack of spiritual rest. Just think through the above examples…Is the project at work that you are losing sleep over really the concern for your reputation and recognition with your coworkers? Could it be that your work project is a struggle for acceptance by people who you think are important to be accepted by? Could the relationship strain be caused by guilt that is lurking in your heart for things that you said, an unwillingness to accept responsibility, or anger at how you have been treated? Could it be that the real issue in your heart is the lack of humility or forgiveness? How about financial concerns. Sure the bills are due and the bank account is lacking, but is the worry about finances connected to a heart that is discontent or a heart that is struggling to trust how the Lord will provide?
We could go on. The examples aren’t to minimize any situation in which you find yourself, but simply to say that the presenting physical or emotional challenge that is burdening you perhaps is manifesting because there is lack of rest in your soul.
King David wrote Psalm 62. He had lots of reason for worry and stress in his life due to sin, relationship strain, wars, leadership and more. But he starts this Psalm which he gives to his worship leader Jeduthun and recognizes that amidst the challenges of life, ones soul must find rest in God. He is my rock and fortress. Nothing can shake him.
For this reason Jesus himself invites us:
Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Jesus doesn’t promise that all the things that can cause us sleepless nights will disappear, but when our soul is at rest in Jesus, our soul can be at rest. When our soul is at rest in Jesus, the challenges and worries of life become lighter and easier to carry…and we might just be able to sleep better.
Finding rest in Jesus isn’t just a “once a week” thing, but it is at the heart of the Sabbath rhythm. God wanted his people to set aside the normal routine and business of life and pause for a day not just to rest physically, but to find rest in him and him alone. The Sabbath was not the only place and time for the soul to recharge, but it was a set and regular time where one’s soul could intentionally plug into one’s Savior. It was a day to let go of the worries of life and rest in the confidence that the Lord is your fortress and nothing could shake him and therefore you.
So next time you find yourself not able to sleep, perhaps the question is, “How can my soul find rest in Jesus?” What promise will he bring to mind? When your soul is at rest and your burden is light…I bet your eyelids get a lot heavier.
Apply: What rhythms can you begin to form, including weekly time in worship, to give your soul an opportunity to find rest in God, your Savior, your fortress, your rest?
Prayer: Lord God, thank you for a secure place for my soul to rest. Forgive me when I forget and remind me and direct me to find regular rhythms of rest for my soul in you and you alone. AMEN.
It’s hard to stop!
This week’s devotions are based on this week’s message: Shadows: A Glimpse of the Sabbath! (WATCH HERE)
It’s hard to stop.
Maybe it’s just me. But maybe you can relate.
Most days it feels like I didn’t get enough done. A lot of days it feels like what I did get done wasn’t nearly enough to make a dent in a list of items that is longer than the day. The thought truly goes through my mind, “How do people have time to watch TV?”
Sure, there are a few times where I sit down for a few minutes and don’t do a whole lot. There are times our family takes vacation and chooses to not have a big agenda. But to take a whole day and rest? I don’t remember the last time I did that on a regular basis.
When was the last time you did that?
As we looked at yesterday, God created the seventh day, just like he did days one through six. Day Seven was set apart, made holy and blessed by God. For what reason? He had stopped all the work of creating he had done. His to do list for the week was complete.
So why would he create a pattern of working for six days and resting on the seventh?
He knew the body he had just created needed time to rest. Our bodies need rest. Our mind needs rest.
An article from January 5, 2023 from the Newport Beach Christian Counselor states this:
A study of a small group of people at Liberty University investigated how an eight-week Sabbath routine impacted anxiety, worry, and stress. Most participants, upon completion of the study, showed a decrease in anxiety, worry, and stress in their lives. When you consider the benefits specifically connected to rest, there are a variety of things that help improve mental health.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness describes benefits such as increased energy, which allows you to do more of the things you enjoy. Similarly, people who take time to rest can experience more energy to devote to the people they love and the work that is important to them. These things all work together to improve mental well-being.
Remember that God “blessed the seventh day.” One would expect to experience blessings from that which God blessed! God knows what is best for our souls AND our bodies!
Exodus 34:21 “Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.
This is a great reminder that the Lord directed people, even in the busiest of the times of the year, rest on the seventh day.
To be clear, I am not advocating for the return of the Saturday Sabbath or making the Sabbath a legal requirement for Christians. The Sabbath was just a glimpse of the complete rest we have in Jesus and ultimately in heaven.
But as with all things good, might there be a benefit to incorporating some regular patterns of rest into the business of life.
I’m going to work at it…I suspect that when my body and mind get a regular rest, I will be more positive and more productive. Why? Because God knows the body he created would need to rest as well as the mind he knit together.
So let’s try to incorporate a bit of the Sabbath rhythms into our lives…and see how God chooses to bless it!
Apply: What would it look like if you started with an hour or two Sabbath rest? A full day?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for giving the Sabbath to me and all your people. Help me to always find rest in you for my body, mind and soul. AMEN.
Just another day?
This week’s devotions are based on this week’s message: Shadows: A Glimpse of the Sabbath! (WATCH HERE)
First, a happy 16th birthday to our daughter Mikenna! She is a gift of God and blessing to us and many others! Excited for her and the plan God has for her!
Ok…now to week three of our series, “Shadows” Glimpses of Jesus in the Old Testament…the Sabbath.
When Stephen Langton, an Archbishop of Canterbury divided the Bible books into chapters and verses in 1227, he started a new chapter after day six of creation and so chapter 2 of Genesis starts with the seventh day. I wonder if we would have more awareness of day seven of creation if it were included in chapter one? I ask the question, because it’s easy to focus on what God did in creating the world by the power of his word on days one through six and then stop and simply say, “Oh and God rested on day seven.”
Perhaps the image that conjures up in our minds is that God was exhausted and then he had to take a nap on a heavenly pillow. But this image is far from reality and we are missing out if we simply give day seven a nod and wink and move on.
Perhaps another reason that we read over the beginning of Genesis 2, is because later in the chapter is the creation of man and woman in more detail and that gets our attention.
But today we are not going to rush past it, but rather reflect on it. Why? Because what God created on day seven is part of his creation just as much as days one through six. But what did he create? I thought he rested? Let’s look:
Genesis 2:2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 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.
God created the end to a busy week. Day seven God rested. The root idea is that God “stopped” from all the work of creating he had done. The stoppage of work for the Lord was because he was done with putting the world in place. But instead of having a six day week, he added a seventh day to finish the week with a stoppage of work, a pause, a rest.
God created a special day. Days one through six were “work days.” While each one was unique in its content of creation, the seventh day was made holy, set apart for special designation. It was not a day of work, but a day of rest.
God created a blessed day. Unless I missed it, none of the first six days were blessed in a special way…as a day. The first six were unique in content of creation, but common as to days of work. But the seventh day was different. God blessed the seventh day. When God blesses something, good comes from it for a person or for people. In this case, the blessing of the seventh day was to be for all who would enjoy the seven day week…working on six…resting on the seventh.
So like every other aspect of creation was given to mankind, the seventh day of the week was given to mankind as a blessing. Jesus himself said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27).”
Generations later, the seventh day wasn’t lost, but rather emphasized in the law the Lord gave to Moses on Mt. Sinai. We know it as the “Third Commandment”:
Exodus 20:8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 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 animals, nor the alien within your gates. 11 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.
The pattern for the Israelites appeals back to the first week of the world’s history. It was a special day…is it still special today? This week we’ll look deeper into the blessing God gives from this day he set apart and called holy!
Apply: How might a rhythm of pause be a blessing to you in your weekly schedule.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for creating all things to be a blessing to me…including the seventh day which you blessed and set apart for special use. AMEN.
Stay focused on heaven!
This week’s devotions are based on this week’s message: Shadows: A Glimpse of a Stairway! (WATCH HERE)
Back to the “Glimpse of a Stairway” (after a diversion yesterday for Leap Day!)
Jacob was on the run. He had ticked off his brother (to put it mildly). His parents wanted him to find a wife from their own people in Haran. He didn’t know when he would be back or if he would be back. It seems he left with some simple provisions and what he could carry. At the end of a long day of travel, he laid down to rest.
Certainly the dream that the Lord showed him was a dream to remind him of God’s presence and his promises. But it wasn’t just to be a one night event. God wanted to change his focus.
Jacob had been focused on doing things his way. A bit of deception and trickery to get what he wanted. Sure it was couched under the “godly” category because he was to be the child of the promise. But there was a lack of trust God would work it out. Jacob saw things from an earthly perspective and figured out earthly solutions to work out what he understood God’s plan to be.
Did Jacob continue to struggle with this throughout his life? Yes, he did. But this dream and this place were to serve a purpose to reorient his focus.
Like a child standing at the base of a stairway looking up, wondering what is up there, is Jacob standing at the base of the stairway God showed him to view his Lord at the top. God didn’t want him to forget this perspective.
He doesn’t want us to forget this perspective.
Every child of God is given a new focus when they are made alive through the working of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God shifts our eyes to look up and see what is in heaven and focus on that rather than simply walking through life with our heads down. The Apostle Paul put it this way (Colossians 3:1-3):
3 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Set your hearts on things above. Set your mind on things above.
Here’s what I picture. A young toddler has never ventured by himself up the stairs. As they are sitting at the bottom of the stairs, their yearning and desire to get up the stairs grow. Finally the fears are overcome by the desire of their heart and they start climbing. If they look back, they get stuck and don’t keep moving, but if they keep their eyes focused up and their mind set on getting to the top, they keep going.
This is the resolve that Christ gives us as he gives us the privilege of living with the reality of the stairway to heaven given to us. While our hearts and minds are tempted to stay focused on this earth, the Lord at the top encourages us to keep our hearts and minds focused on him.
What happens? We go through life enjoying the presence and promises of God, just like Jacob did. We go through life realizing we have the gateway to heaven secured in Jesus. We go through life anticipating the glorious day when we will be with the Lord all because Jesus has done all that is necessary for us to enjoy not just a dream, but the reality that God has given to us his Son, the Stairway to heaven!
Apply: What might you do as a daily reminder to keep your heart and mind focused on Christ?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for all the wonderful pictures you have used to communicate your love and commitment to us. Thank you for sending Jesus to this earth so that he might be our Stairway to spend an eternity with you in heaven! AMEN.