Tuesday September 18, 2012

Think ahead to next Sonday. What can you cut out of your day so that you enjoy a rest with your fellow Christians.

 

Read Genesis 1:1 - 2:3

 

There’s something special about a baby resting and sleeping isn’t there? It’s so tranquil and soothing to see a baby happily and peacefully asleep. But what has that to do with creation? Read Genesis 2:1-3 again and you’ll see.

 

When God created the world He always intended for mankind to enter into His rest. The plan was always for man and God to spend eternity together in a relationship and an environment more peaceful, more soothing, more pleasing that a sleeping baby.

 

But today, a Sabbath day’s rest is anything but peaceful for most of us. By the time we’ve rushed off to church, raced to lunch, had afternoon tea with friends and finished off everything we didn’t do throughout the week and possibly raced back to night church we are anything but rested. For the last several months I have been at church far too many times (the building that is,) at services and meetings and so on for over 10 hours each Sonday. Rest really hasn’t entered the equation. Even worse, we often make appointments with non-church family, sports teams, work and so on the Sabbath and deprive ourselves of rest. When we are challenged because of our actions we glibly quote Jesus’ Words about mankind not being made for the Sabbath but the Sabbath for man or we accuse those who challenge us with counter accusations of legalism.

 

But God’s Sabbath (let’s leave aside the argument about Sabbath vs Lord’s Day) was designed to bless us and restore us and renew us. That doesn’t mean we absent ourselves from doing anything and laze around like a sloth. It means we change the way we do things. It means we choose to make an appointment with God and spend the day worshipping and praising our Creator. It means we deliberately choose to say ‘No’ to external things and to say ‘Yes’ to the things of God.

 

The Sabbath was created to bless you not for you to do as you please and to run yourself even more ragged. If God blesses you why on earth would you go to great lengths to negate that blessing? Get to it. Make plans to be blessed by the Lord’s Sabbath.

 

Prayer:

Spend time in adoration and confession and thanks. See if you can focus your time on the concept of Sabbath.

 

Adoration:

 

 

Confession:

 

 

Thanks:

 

 

Supplication:

¨ So many people in your congregation are tired. Pray that God would bring the blessing of rest to them through a regular weekly Sabbath. Pray that it will be a blessing rather than a burden to all.

¨ Pray that our brothers and sisters in China would be close to God and that they would have many opportunities to share their faith, to make disciples and to bring many into the kingdom. Pray that the house churches would be united in love and oneness. Pray that there would be cooperation and unity in their mission to reach all of China and to take the gospel further abroad.