Busy RestingSample

Sunday or Sabbath

When God created the Sabbath, the idea was to provide a regular day of rest each week. “You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. That includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you.” (Exodus 20:9-10, NLT)

God’s instructions were simple - you must rest once a week. Completely.

Do not even light a fire in your house. Otherwise, you get the death penalty. (Exodus 35) Rest or die. Does that sound like your usual Sunday?

Well, let me tell you that my Sundays do not look like that. I set an alarm to go to church. I spend extra time on my outfit because I need to look my best for the Lord. At church, I work hard to be my most friendly self. And sometimes I volunteer to help out with the huge amount of work needed to provide a smooth and enjoyable service. After church, I work against the clock to cook delicious food for whatever family gathering is planned. By the time lunch is served, my feet ache and I’m tired of my own voice. Thank the Lord for Sundays!

I believe that the Lord enjoys being among us and our families on Sundays. He loves how we enjoy the wonderful food and people He provided for us. But I’m not sure that Sundays always hit the mark on what God intended for our rest days. Sundays may sometimes be wonderful worship days, but not always rest days in the way that God wanted them to be. By the way, even the priests of old had to wait until after the Sabbath to bring the people’s sacrifices to the Lord. (Leviticus 23)

Over the next few days, we will look for ways to build a proper rest day into our week. It may turn out not to be a Sunday. Or your Sundays may become beautiful days of rest. But if we end up feeling refreshed once every week, I believe that the Lord will be pleased. “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He stopped working and was refreshed.” (Exodus 31:17, NLT)