Treva Rosseau and Mark Gulden

Remember the Sabbath

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.  Exodus 20:8-10.

Of all the commandments, ordinances, and strong suggestions for holy living that are contained in the scriptures, I find the Fourth Commandment the hardest to keep. Perhaps it is my hard-driving American culture that bars me, insisting that I must do better, go farther, and acquire more to be a happy, productive individual.

Or perhaps it is because my line of work is in the Church, and therefore, I skirt the Sabbath issue by justifying the seven-day-a-week work schedule (it’s service for God, right?) It could be that my pride requires me to prove that my chronic illness does not have the better of me, and so I must press on with tireless energy. The psychological possibilities are endless.

Yet all are only excuses, because no matter how I explain my refusal to rest, I cannot deny that I am blatantly ignoring God’s command. He says, “Six days you shall do your work, but the seventh day you shall rest and keep the Sabbath...that you may be refreshed.” (Ex 23:12) The point of the command is not the legalistic observation of a certain day of the week, but rather the interruption of one’s life in order to be refreshed.

God wants us to step back, re-prioritize, and recharge our hearts and bodies with His energy. The Fourth Commandment is a gift He is extending to us, not a rule. Are you accepting that gift?

Pray with me: Lord, help me to accept the gift of rest. Clear away all excuses from my mind, and give me the strength to turn my face away from the world and toward You. I thank you for restoring my body, my mind, and my spirit with the love You are always extending to me. May I remember to pause and seek Your face. In Jesus’ Name I pray, amen.