The Sabbath

"Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy." Exodus 20:8. What does this mean? If you read the rest of the commandment, it's mostly about rest. It talks about the Lord creating the Earth in 6 days and resting on the 7th. There are other scriptures talking about why you should take a Sabbath (Hebrews 4:9-11). All of the scriptures talking about the Sabbath talk about not working. It's really a day in which you shouldn't work, but rest.

During the gold rush, everyone wanted to get to California. There were two famous wagon trains that headed that way. One was led by a Christian who felt that it was important to stop every week and rest with a Sabbath day. The other leader just wanted to get there quicker than the others so that he could find all of the gold. Guess which one made it there first? The one who honored the Sabbath day and rested.

The Lord knows us. He created us. He knows that we need rest. I realized that quite often, we are working on Sunday. Therefore, it's not a Sabbath day for me. Recently, I've made a conscious effort to create one every week. Sometimes, I cut out something such as internet or phone just to be a little more still. Sometimes, I stay at home all day instead of getting into the hustle and bustle of the city. Other times, I hang out with friends part of the day. I also pray more. This simply comes naturally by the way. I've even been a little bored at times on these days. Maybe that's a good thing. We need to get bored sometimes. Then, it makes us appreciate going to work the next day. Even if you are able to go to church every Sunday, are you really taking a Sabbath? If you aren't, let me encourage you to be a little more intentional about it. I'm taking mine today.