Good Morning!

All rested up? Or, did your weekend get away from you? Did you have to force yourself out of bed this morning? Ever think to yourself, “I wish I could have a day off once in a while”? Guess what? You already have that. God has already given that to you. Yet, almost everyone gives it up and works for free on that day. What would you think of a staff that came in and worked for free? Not only that, but did so regularly?

Folks, we do that all the time. God has given us a day off – not just once in a while, but once EVERY week! Yup. He sure did. Still, he knew that we would squander this gift, just as a foolish child may do with birthday money. That’s why he made it a Commandment. See for yourself if he isn’t intentional about all this.

Deuteronomy 5:12-15 ‘Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord God commanded you. 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, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and female servant may rest as well as you. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

I write about this often. Why? Because I need to remind myself. I have come to really enjoy Sabbath but still find myself crowding “my week” into Sunday. Today’s post is directed at me, first. If you benefit, all the better.

Why did God give us this command? So that everyone may rest. Rest. God also reminds us of our condition by example of the Hebrew’s exodus from slavery. Is this applicable to us? Certainly, it is. Let’s look at this:

Romans 6:17-23 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? The end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

There is meat on those bones, my friends. Think of these things.

Father, I ask you to let these things sink deep into the minds and spirits of all who read this. Let them start to really appreciate this astounding gift you have given us. Please, don’t let us squander it. Amen

Copyright © 2018 Scott Powers