Scripture Reading: Genesis 2:1-3, Exodus 20:8-11, Psalm 92:1-15, Isaiah 58:13-14, Mark 2:23-28, Hebrews 4:1-11
In my early twenties, I cooked at several restaurants on St. Simons Island, Georgia. I would sometimes work double shifts in order to make ends meet. On one occasion, I worked three weeks of double shifts without a day off. Resilient though I thought myself to be at that age, I almost put myself in the hospital.
Most will admit, there is something built into the fabric of our being to remind us of our need for rest. We are image-bearers of God, called to emulate the pattern He established for us at creation: to live within a rhythm of work and rest. He set aside the Sabbath day for our bodies to be refreshed and renewed. The rest our bodies require reminds us that we need spiritual rest as well. And so the Sabbath is a time to remember our limits.
The Sabbath teaches us that we need God and the rest He freely provides in Jesus. It almost seems as though Jesus reserved many of His healing miracles for the Sabbath. And by healing physical maladies on the holy day of rest, He was showing that He had the power to heal the deeper malady of a sinful soul.
Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28). He ushered in a new creation, saying, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest…for your souls” (Matthew 11:28–29). And to those who attempted to pervert the meaning of the Sabbath day with legalistic rules and regulations, Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27).
Coming expectantly into the first day of the week, I often wake my sons up and ask them, “What day is it today?” One of them inevitably shouts from under his covers, “The best day of the week!” Our family worships at church and sets the whole day aside to rest. Together, we read Scripture, devotionals, or other spiritually edifying books, and allow time and space in our home for Christian fellowship. We may even take a much-needed nap.
These are a few of the ways our family has learned to keep the Sabbath, setting aside a day to focus on worship, the Word, prayer, and fellowship. Whatever practices you can build into the rhythms of work and rest in your life, for the physical and spiritual refreshment of your body and soul, make them staples of your devotion to God on a weekly basis. He knows the benefit and blessing of rest, and that is why He asks us to keep the Sabbath.
Written by Nick Batzig
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44 thoughts on "Sabbath"
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I want to find a way to really incorporate rest into our family traditions on Sundays. We definitely go to church on Sundays, and do a devotional, but we also use it as a time to get ready for the week. I don’t want to be legalistic about the sabbath, but I want to follow Jesus. He knows what is best for me.
I struggle on Sundays with that too Jennifer. After church, I go to the gym and prep meals for the week for myself. I am still working full time outside the home so it’s a different season than your situation. I usually get my housework done on Saturdays. I try to listen to Christian podcasts while I am prepping food on Sundays. God knows our hearts and I think preparing keeps us organized and peaceful with life and our relationship with Him. Praying for your decisions about school for your girls.
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“The ruthless elimination of hurry” by John Mark Comer. Highly recommended reading for understanding and incorporating and embracing the Sabbath.
Great recommendation. Very good book :)
I am in my 70’s and I have several friends my age who struggle to get to church because of the “getting ready” issue. I still work as a Functional Medicine Health coach and I know keeping a regular routine for that as well as going to bed at the same time and getting up at the same time everyday is a key factor for good health. I think the enemy uses our routines to defeat us. I know he will use that to keep us from church and it seems to be so easy for him to do that. You did great by getting yourself there in spite of the difficulties. Keep doing that!
Is this for me?! Yes, I totally agree! And determining that it IS what you do, not what you THINK about doing the morning of! We always watch online, both service, but of course that is not the same.
Observing the sabbath is not something I have never been good at. I think it is a legalism thing… the sabbath should really be observed on Saturday, I thought. I just recently read Charlie Kirk’s latest… “Stop. In the name of God”. That helped me some. I need to take time to rest. I’m better about it, but I still need to work on it!
Oh I forgot about his book, I want to get that, thanks for the reminder!
On Sundays I sleep in as much as I can, unless I have to serve at church. It’s the only “real” day I rest. At least physically. There have been times when I’ve been tempted to go on a run, BUT I remind myself it’s important to “rest” not only my body, but my mind, heart and soul. Thankful that here at SRT on Sundays we focus on the “key” verse allowing us time to focus on that key verse and at the same time “rest.”
Happy Thursday sweet She’s!! Thank you for your faithful prayers and encouragement. I went back to read your comments yesterday, I feel so loved!
May God give you rest / an ending to your dealing with court (and I that it brings up in you) soon.❤️ Please my Jesus ✝️
“…The Sabbath is a time to remember our limits.”
I think sometimes we forget that we have limits. It’s so easy to get caught up in the race of life that we forget to slow down, we forget to rest, we forget our limits. But everything God does is for a reason, and He after all knows best. God didn’t rest on the 7th day because He was tired from creating everything, He did so as an example for us, leaving us a pattern to follow. We then must acquiesce to the God given Sabbath – we’ll be the better for it!
I kept looking at the repeated…”all his work he had done!” And I thought what you stated…Is he tired..lol! Knowing he wasn’t but that it was repeated 3x’s in that 3 verses suggest it’s importance!
RHONDA J, I had planned to share this this morning, but got de-railed! ☺ I knew He was setting a precedent for His creation, but I like this note from The New English Translation. It’s a great source for clarity on the original Hebrew word usage. ❤
I’m an RN. Working full time shift work makes sabbathing challenging. I only get 4 in 6 Sundays off. I feel desperately tired a lot of the time. This is a good reminder to me to make time to sabbath, even if it’s not on a Sunday.
Lord, help me to embrace in humility my need for physical rest and may that remind me that my greater need for spiritual rest is fulfilled fully in you! Amen
Amen!
I definitely fail in keeping the Sabbath a “special” day of rest. When you don’t work and have chronic back pain, most of my days now are “resting.” I literally need to lay down often and for long periods to ease the pain. And I spend most of my days with Jesus always my focus. For me, the Sabbath is going to church to WORSHIP and Praise our King with other believers. That makes it special and different, “set apart” for me. But lately, I have been downright lazy to do that. It’s hard to be motivated early in the morning and to “get ready” with makeup and hair. This past Sunday, I decided to skip the hair and makeup and “GASP” I wore a hat to church. Not a nice hat but a baseball hat. (It did feel weird) but I think it does show that it’s not about how I look, it’s about going regardless of how I look.
But..that’s a whole nother subject. I’m not sure how to intergrade rest, when I rest all week except to put my REST in him as far as whatever is taking rent in my head over Jesus. Anxiety, sorrow, fear, anger, unforgiveness, worry, self-focus, negativity, pride… I need to give anything that is not surrendering over to him each Sunday! I need to repent for any sins knowing or unknowing to be found clean in him. I need to put away the flesh and re-align, re-calibrate.
The songs that comes to mind is
“Center” by Bethel Music
and
“Rest for Your Soul” by Austin French
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Good morning! The reminders to rest are coming to me from you ladies this morning and through the scripture today. I can include myself in the group of women who overbook. I know that I do it and that it is not healthy and scripture does show us how wise and biblical rest is ❤️ I pray that I listen to Him more about this because I know that it is for our best and it is what God wants for us ❤️ Hannah
The practice of Sabbath rest is really important. I don’t think I always get it right, but for the most part, after church its a low key, quieter day with less on the go. Today’s devotional is a good reminder to hold tight to this practice and to honor the Lord with rest.
Thank you for your encouragement and prayers yesterday. More praise and the CT shows that the tumors are stable. I am so grateful for a good news week. I would appreciate your contined prayers for my body to respond well to the meds and to tolerate the side effects for both the Cushings Disease as well as for the hormone injection treatment every 28 days for the tumors. Everything I’m on is very strong and so there is always concern how it affects the body. Please pray that my health will improve, that healing will cone, strength & energy return. All praise to the Lord for His abundant faithfulness in these days.
Have a great day sisters.
Praying for your health, healing, strength, and energy, Wendy B. Blessings for a good day in Him❤️
Praying!
Continuing to pray for you Wendy. ❤️
Wendy, so thankful to hear this report on the tumors and praying the next scan shows reduction or disappearance due to these strong meds so this is all worth the discomfort and so God is glorified. May God strengthen your body and protect you from severe side effects through these treatments. ❤
yes, amen!
Praying for you, Wendy. Praying to thank God for good news, and to ask for healing and protection from severe side effects from strong medications. ❤️
Wow Nick, good for you! When I read things like this, it makes me feel like I am falling short. We go to church on Sundays and then have family dinner. I would not call it a Sabbath, although maybe I can find ways to incorporate resting with the Lord into the day. I’m going to pray and ask the Lord what this could look like for us.
Whether in my exercise class or commands about sabbath, anytime I am told to rest I am all in! I need to be honest with myself and guard against my very real need for rest becoming self-centered laziness.
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Truly trying to honor God by resting on the Sabbath lately! Normally, I would do a Sunday reset or prep for the work week, but lately I’ve just been needing rest. I know true rest & peace can only be found in Him. Praise be to God!
Sometimes my best times of rest are just spending time away from everything else in The Word. It might only be a half hour, but it is refreshing.
We will be going away fishing in a couple of weeks, and though it is a bit of work to get the boat around and all, it is quite restful out on the water and taking it all in.
I will confess, resting does not come easy and I really have to make an effort. Thank you for the reminder as to how important it is. Just like fasting, and all the other disciplines, God knows what we need and that is why He has directed us to enjoy rest. I’m reminding myself that now.
I read in the NLT commentary that we should take heart, because when we work for the Lord we can have faith and hope knowing that we will at last have real rest some day.
Have a blessed Thursday dear Sisters.
Amen
As a people pleaser (which I’m working on), it’s so easy for me to overbook myself between a full time job, spending time with friends and/or family, working out, volunteering, etc. It’s been one of those weeks where I’ve “overbooked” myself if you will and, yesterday morning, I was overwhelmed by the rest of the week ahead of me. I absolutely needed this reminder today, that Sabbath isn’t just an evidence, but everything the Lord calls us to is intentional for our good and His glory!
yes! ♥
Lord, thank you for reminding us we need rest to allow our souls, mind and body to renew and heal. Amen
I’ve been working a month of Sundays, both at work and home. Lord I pray for rest in your Sabboth. Amen.
It is so easy to fall into a ditch on either side of observing a rhythm of work and rest. No matter what 24-hours within a 7-day period we take to Sabbath, we really should make it a regular habit. It may look different in each life stage but still important.
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We really try to keep our Sabbath as low-key as possible and it is refreshing when we can truly rest.
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Have a blessed day
Amen.
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Happy Thursday covered in much love, hugs and prayers..♥️
Amen!
Amen
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