SET ONE DAY APART

Good Evening to All!

Today's Seed: "Remember the Sabbath day BY keeping it holy." Exodus 20:8 (NIV)

The KJV states it this way: Remember the Sabbath day TO keep it Holy.

Just a few thoughts on the subject of these verses. This goes back to what I have always said about the NIV. It is not completely accurate. Let's look at the NIV verse. It is saying for us to remember the Sabbath day BY keeping it holy. I understand it as we must do "holy" things to remind ourselves that this is the "LORD's Day.

Now, the KJV's way of stating is tells me to remember that the Sabbath day is the LORD'S Day and should be set apart for His purpose.

Now, to some this may be "splitting hairs", but I would rather do that than be caught unaware. After all, that is what the serpent did to Eve. He just changed God's wording around a bit and caused her to sin, because she wasn't observant or astute enough to realize what he had done. There are many versions of the Bible out there, and we must be careful about how they word things. This is why I may use different versions for study and reference purposes, but I ALWAYS go back to the King James Version for accuracy. Now, on with the lesson.

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The lawn needs to be mowed. the pantry shelves are bare, the kitchen floor needs to be mopped, and the dog needs to have a bath. but it's Sunday. What do we do?

Keeping the Sabbath as a day of rest is difficult. Despite all the "time-saving conveniences" we live with, there never seems to be enough time. With full-time jobs, part-time work, volunteer activities, church events, kids, family, and just "stuff" there's not enough time to do all we think we have to do.

"To reclaim (the Sabbath), you have to think, you have to plan. Your4're going to have to take God into your calculations," says Rev. Rusty Hedges, a United Methodist minister who challenged his congregation to make the Sabbath a day of rest. do no chores, he told them. But it's not a day to do nothing.

Jesus emphasized that God's purpose for the Sabbath was to provide spiritual rest and mental refreshment. Jesus didn't care about all the rules the religious leaders had made. He said, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27).

When we give the Sabbath back to God, we should be prepared for a renewal in our spiritual life, a peace that allows us to think and plan. We'll have time not just to react to what's happening around us, but time to make God a part of our day. And once we use the Sabbath as it was intended, who knows what will happen. Only God knows.

Dig Deeper: The Hebrew word for "Sabbath" is shabbath, which means to celebrate, to rest, to keep an intermission. Celebrating the Sabbath provides a much-needed intermission in our lives.


Background Bulb: God spoke the words of today's seed to Moses in the Ten Commandments, Israel's divine law. Of all the wonderful things God created, only the Sabbath was hallowed, made sacred, and set apart for God. God rested on the seventh day following creation and expects us to rest every seventh day too. After Jesus' time on earth, the early Christians met for fellowship on Sundays--the day Jesus rose from the dead. Most Christians now think of Sunday as their Sabbath.


Sprout & Scatter: This Sunday give the entire day over to God and to free-dome from work. Gather friends and family into God's plan of rest one day a week. You don't have to lie around all day and be bored. Attend a worship service, and then plan an enjoyable gathering. Play board games inside if it's cold or raining, croquet (remember that family games?) or badminton on the lawn if it's nice. Just make sure you share your day of rest with those you love.

Think about it: What makes your Sabbath holy? What might God want you to give up in order to keep the Sabbath holy? How can you keep your mind from running through your list of things to do?



Prayer Pot: Lord, Help me accept the gift of a day of rest from . . .



Take-Away Idea: Reclaim the Sabbath for God--and rest for yourself.


Good Night to All and May God Bless!