Sabbath... Part 1

We are about to hit the month of July. The neighborhood pools are open, the kids are out of school, and vacation plans are in full swing. Summer is typically considered a time to recharge, to take a break (however brief) from our normal rhythms and simply enjoy life. It is a time for our bodies and minds to recover from all the strain and stress we face on a daily basis.

It’s easy for us to think of rest in terms of physical relaxation. It is often difficult for us, however, to think of rest as a form of spiritual discipline. God models the concept of Sabbath rest in Genesis 2, when He rests from His creative labors on the seventh day, and He calls on His people to honor the Sabbath day in Exodus 20. Jesus honors the Sabbath as well, while challenging religious leaders to examine their motivation and their hearts, as He so often does.

For me, the concept of honoring the Sabbath has always been a difficult one to grasp, or at least to implement. When I was in school, Sunday was a day for cramming for tests or finishing up homework. As an adult, Sunday is one the few days to “get stuff done” - chores, yard work, or the dozens of errands that never seem to get completed during the week. The weekend is also filled with parties, events, meetings, sporting events for the kids, and a seemingly endless supply of calendar obligations. So for many of us, Sunday (the Sabbath) simply becomes an opportunity to catch up - there is no rest for the weary!

But Scripture, both Old and New Testament, calls us to honor the Sabbath. Without going down the dangerous road of legalism, and without the unrealistic option of simply dropping all of our earthly commitments, how can we possibly honor the Sabbath within a modern context? Here are a few suggestions that I believe are both biblical and practical.

1. Plan ahead. This may sound overly simplistic, but the Lord calls His people in Exodus to remember the Sabbath. We are quick to defend certain parts of our calendars: sporting events, PTA meetings, doctor’s appointments. If we hold the Sabbath in the reverence God intends, we would do a better job of fencing off that part of our week as well. Christians may not like it, but they’re used to hearing sermons about being good stewards of our finances; the same principles can and should be applied to the Sabbath. Will we always be perfect in this attempt? Of course not. But we should want to make our best effort at the things that please God.

2. Learn what the Bible means by “rest.”  Is the Sabbath a call to laziness? Is rest merely the exhausted pauses we use to catch our breath before diving back into our chaotic schedules? The Bible views rest differently. It is an opportunity for us to acknowledge God’s provision and sufficiency (Isaiah 26:3). When we give God a place of prominence in our lives, the Sabbath becomes not so much a “break in the action,” but rather a celebration of God’s providential hand in our lives. Our work, while important, is nothing compared to the joy of following and serving Jesus. If we can live our lives with this mentality, then we begin to adopt a Sabbath mentality that carries beyond Sunday and into the rest of the week.

3. Don’t do the Sabbath alone. When God gives the Ten Commandments, he calls on not only the Israelites to observe the Sabbath, but their families, servants and even foreign visitors as well. As we observe the Sabbath in a practical and Biblical way, let’s not forget to join in fellowship with our families and our local church. Engage in corporate worship, have family and friends over for a meal, or participate in a family Bible study.

138 Challenge

Where did all the time go? The year 2016 felt like a blur. There was so much that happened in 2016, yet days felt like hours, while hours felt like seconds. It is hard to believe we are now in 2017. The clock will not turn back. We must embrace each moment because they are fleeting. If you are wired like me, then perhaps you use the turn of a new year to evaluate and plan for new opportunities to come in the months ahead.

Did you know that there are 8,760 hours in this calendar year? If you slept 8 hours a day, you would sleep 2,920 hours, which would leave 5,840 waking hours. If you worked 8 hours per day, 6 days a week, with no vacation, that would come to 2,496 hours, still leaving 3,344 waking hours. If you spent 4 hours a day, 6 days per week in traffic, that would come to 1,248 hours still leaving 2,096 waking hours remaining. If you spent 5 hours per day, 7 days per week with family or friends, it would come to 1,820 hours still leaving 276 hours remaining. By now, you either feel excited or overwhelmed by these possibilities. Hopefully, you heard these statistics and came to the realization that you have more free time available than you thought! Perhaps you realized how much time you have available that could be reallocated toward accomplishing something greater.

What if you invested just half of those 276 hours (138 hours) into something eternal? What if you committed that time to the Lord? What if you used time in traffic for communing instead of complaining? What if those 138 hours were given to prayer and meditation on Scripture? Just like spending time around a campfire will make you smell like smoke. If you spend more time with Jesus, you will become more like Him. We position ourselves around Jesus through prayer, meditating on Scripture and gathering with God’s family (local church).

What do you have to lose by trying something different? I am not promising you a better job, which will lead to more money, leading to a newer car or a newer home. These financial status changes may come for some of you, but certainly not all of you. However, I know your relationship status will change: from lonely to loved, from forgotten to forgiven. The Gospel changes us from the inside out. It changes us well before our circumstances. Will you take the challenge to commit 138 hours (or more) to knowing the Lord better this year? I promise you, accepting this challenge will change everything!

I Like Excuses...

JOHN 5:6-7

When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, He said to him, “Do you wish to get well?” 7 The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”

I like excuses. There, I said it! The truth of the matter is, so do you! There is something comforting and safe about them. If we are not careful, they can become our security blanket that keeps us stagnant and from becoming who God calls us to be. 

In John 5, there is a recounting of an interaction that Jesus has with a crippled man. This man gets a bad reputation. To his credit, he had been crippled for 38 years. He did not know who Jesus was. All of his hope hung on a myth or superstition at best. Then, he encounters Jesus. Jesus asked this penetrating question that He often poses to us. “Do you wish to get well?” At surface level that question seems insulting or naïve at best. Yet, we know that Jesus always ask questions that moves beyond the mind and penetrates the heart. We would think this man would give a resounding yes, but instead he gives an excuse. This man is face to face with the creator of heaven and earth. Instead of answering "YES", he explains why "NO" seems more logical. I have come to find that I share more in common with this man than I care to admit.

Here is one truth to be gleamed from this encounter. One Word from the Lord is more potent than several paragraphs of excuses! Let that sink in. As great of an excuse we can conjure up, it is no match for the omnipotent Savior. This does not mean we should ignore reality and walk in foolish faith. However, it is a challenge for us to seek God’s face, and when we encounter Him by His Word, take Him at His Word!