“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.”

Exodus 20:8-10

Webster’s dictionary defines Sabbath in this way: “1a: the seventh day of the week observed from Friday evening to Saturday evening as a day of rest and worship by Jews and some Christians 1b: Sunday observed among Christians as a day of rest and worship 2: a time of rest.”

I can recall when some states had Blue Laws – laws protecting Sunday as a day when only essential stores could be open. We read in Hebrews 4:9, “There remains, then, a Sabbath rest for the people of God.” Yet in the busy world in which we live, Sunday has become just another day of work or play. Catching up on my sleep on Sunday is a top priority rather than going to worship.

Our Sabbath rest each day, not just on Sunday, blesses us with the opportunity to read and hear God’s Word, pray for ourselves and others, and seek God’s will. That Sabbath rest strengthens our faith. The Holy Spirit can empower us to be “Jesus in the flesh” in our workplaces, where we are called in our vocations to serve the Lord.

We then do experience “God’s Sabbath Rest” every day because of the joy, peace, and rest which faith in Jesus gives to us.

Prayer

Lord, may our hearts be filled with Your Sabbath rest each day to Your glory and honor alone.

Daily Reading: Proverbs 16

– Contributed by Ron Merritt