I Abstain

 “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, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 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.' Exodus 20:8-11 (


 This is to be a day about remembering to take a day off and so much more. This is a special day, one that is set apart as time to be given to the Lord. It shall be one day out of every seven. I shall not find ways to rebel or try to get around the commandment. God can't honor my tricks and is serious when He tells me that I am not to work on that sacred day nor am I to have anyone or anything working for me. This command is based on Him and He even set the example; He created the heavens and the earth in six days and then He rested. I should be able to get everything that I need done in six days and rest one day a week as well. Then God blessed it and made it holy.

 God blessed the Sabbath day. One day a week is to be blessed and a blessing to me. I am to find riches and blessings in my life on that day and not from anything that my hands have created. No, those blessings come straight from Him. That day which He made is holy. Anything that God makes holy He sanctifies. This day is to be a blessing to me when I focus my attention on Him. Just as God took time to look upon His creation and see that it was good I should do the same. I am thankful and I show Him my gratitude when I take the day to stop and look and spend time reflecting on what He has done for me. He is the fountain of all of my blessings. I delight in Him. My blessings come from His grace and not my labor.

The Sabbath is to be the day in the week to find delight in Jesus. His gracious gifts are a reminder to me that I should not work so much. Define work. I find joy in work and it is good to know when to shut that down and rest. When it becomes work to find joy then I must repent and come back to Jesus, laying down my heavy burdens and lifting and finding rest in Him. The day of rest is the ultimate gift from Him. This is the day that the Lord has made, I shall rejoice and be glad in it. For me, it is not a day of can't dos but instead He has made it a day of bliss. A day where I can work on strengthening my love for Him. I delight in knowing that.  What would Jesus have me do on a day of rest? Abstain from work. I choose to hold back. Love my neighbor. Advance His kingdom. The idea of one day a week devoted entirely to Him sounds heavenly. The possibilities are endless. And, oh the joy that fills my soul when I am obedient to His Word! Amen. 

Source: 'Drummingthemessagehome', July 28, 2019.

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