“Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a Sabbath to the LORD in all your dwelling places.” – Leviticus 23:3
What would you do if the Bible, because of the Sabbath, forbid the watching of the NFL, NBA, MLB, PGA? Better yet, how would you feel? Many of us would do the right thing, but begrudgingly while we wait until 12:01 am Monday morning to watch the DVR. I’m guessing then that the purpose of the Sabbath rest would then have been wasted in anxiety. Legalism, alive and well.
What if we realized that the Sabbath wasn’t about us? What if we didn’t treat the Sabbath as if it was our entitled day of vegging, and saw it as God’s way of refueling and refocusing our lives as we pursue going after Him on into eternity?
These things are not necessarily mutually exclusive, however we should examine ourselves in this matter. Obedience and joy in God are at stake. Perhaps some of us need to fast from the things that rob our attention from God on any given Sunday.
- Mike Lumpkin
Reminds me of a pastor I know, who said to the congregation, “When do I take my Sabbath; with all of the service I do, I need rest as well…” To which I noted afterwards that those who know Christ intimately, receive rest in His Word, at least I do. Perhaps I am an “anomaly,” but the more I ingest the Word, the more rest I receive. Hence, being in Christ is a continual rest for the Christian, a giving of soul and flesh to the Creator, “refuels” my soul.
Good Word today. May the peace of Christ rule in our hearts always.
There’d be open revolt. A man wrote that, not God! That belongs to the OLD Testament, not to New Testament Christians.
Man, talk about Laodicea.
Perhaps, more simply need to ponder and apply 2 Timothy 2:4 “No one serving as a soldier entangles himself with the affairs of this life, so that he might please the one having enlisted him.”
The moment I was saved I was enlisted into service for my King and His kingdom. From the best I can tell from scripture, the practice of the early church, sports and other such things are “affairs of this life” and to indulge myself in them instead of my service for Christ is committing spiritual adultery.