Monday, February 13, 2012

The Ultimate Sabbath

Our pastors have been preaching a series titled "The Story Behind the Morals;" basically walking us through the Ten Commandments and talking about how they reveal Jesus and the gospel of grace and are not simply a list of things we ought not do.

"Honor the sabbath day to keep it holy" seems like a straightforward command. And yet, how do we show honor and how to we keep a day holy? I, like the Pharisees, would like to have a list of things that are permissible and inexcusable on the Sabbath. Can I make dinner? How about raking the lawn? What if raking the lawn is fun for me? What if I'm praying while I'm raking? Can I read books besides the Bible? What if they talk about the Bible? What if they are written by Christians?

I'm a moralist, I admit. If I could just know all the right things to do... and then be able to DO them... somehow I persuade myself that I would be okay. It's funny, almost. Because I can NEVER do all the right things. I can't even do just TEN right things (as in the Ten Commandments). Therefore, I can never make myself right. So my salvation is not about my doing at all but only about believing and receiving.

Andrew Conrad shared a quote,"The thought of an activity that does not accomplish something tangible terrifies us." It sometimes seems terrible to have a to-do list with nothing crossed out at the end of the day.

Sabbath rest seems like it would accomplish nothing, but that is because we think too highly of ourselves and often look only to what we can "accomplish" instead of trusting what He wants to accomplish in us if we rest and receive.

Our weekly sabbath rest points to our ultimate sabbath- God's eternal rest in heaven. As we rest from our daily work on Sunday we are reminded of our final, coming rest.

Sabbath is a taste of our salvation, an opportunity for us to taste the goodness, mercy, and grace of God. It's not about what we can do but all about what He has already done. Oh, marvelous grace!

921. nighttime coughs quieted with R.C.
922. boy still little enough to ride on my hip
923. oldest boy filling in a goal ladder for his dream log cabin
924. a movie in bed with The Lawyer
925. five loads of laundry (or was it six?) in one day
926. words of encouragement from a friend who reads these spilled out thoughts
927. amazing, crazy abundant gift of food- and we had asked to see crazy provision this week.
928. the boys remind me of other provisions, too: the milk, the door prizes at the RV show
929. music on speakers flowing calm notes through the house
930. girl's excitement over Valentine's day; so many treats and notes and signs through the house!

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