"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath to our Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor the stranger who is within your gates."
- Exodus 20:8-10 (NKJV)
It seems pretty clear doesn't it? When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone it was clear that the seventh day was to be a day of rest. And even though we have moved the Sabbath in Christianity from Saturday to Sunday (largely attributed to Constantine, the first Christian Emperor of Rome), the day of rest is something we give lip service to but today in many ways don't honor it. And, of course, so many of us who call ourselves Christians but never darken the door of a church use the concept of rest as an excuse for not attending church on Sunday, yet we have no problem exerting ourselves with fun and games on that day.
But here's the thing, folks. Life in a world under satan's dominion is tough to navigate sometimes. And God knows that we are mere mortal sinners, so the idea of the Sabbath as a day of rest meant for it to be a time to recharge our batteries so that we could properly navigate the work week ahead. And one of the things about us that needs recharging is our relationship with God in the form of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We need the Holy Spirit to connect us with our Savior who in turn links us to the Father. It's just that simple.
When we open our hearts to Him through prayer, Bible reading and, yes, Sunday worship, the Holy Spirit is the mechanism to give us the guidance we need to do what is good and right all week long. Remember, Jesus sent Him to the Apostles following His Ascension so that they would have the support that they needed in the difficult missionary work they were charged with performing. Recharging of the Spirit is rest just like sleep or relaxation; it's an integral requirement of every Christian in maintaining the proper course to Salvation.
So pay attention to that Fourth Commandment and give it the old college try. You'll find you are better for it and clearly it will have a most positive impact on you, your life and your relationship with others. It's Sunday: Praise His Holy Name.
i
- Exodus 20:8-10 (NKJV)
It seems pretty clear doesn't it? When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone it was clear that the seventh day was to be a day of rest. And even though we have moved the Sabbath in Christianity from Saturday to Sunday (largely attributed to Constantine, the first Christian Emperor of Rome), the day of rest is something we give lip service to but today in many ways don't honor it. And, of course, so many of us who call ourselves Christians but never darken the door of a church use the concept of rest as an excuse for not attending church on Sunday, yet we have no problem exerting ourselves with fun and games on that day.
But here's the thing, folks. Life in a world under satan's dominion is tough to navigate sometimes. And God knows that we are mere mortal sinners, so the idea of the Sabbath as a day of rest meant for it to be a time to recharge our batteries so that we could properly navigate the work week ahead. And one of the things about us that needs recharging is our relationship with God in the form of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We need the Holy Spirit to connect us with our Savior who in turn links us to the Father. It's just that simple.
When we open our hearts to Him through prayer, Bible reading and, yes, Sunday worship, the Holy Spirit is the mechanism to give us the guidance we need to do what is good and right all week long. Remember, Jesus sent Him to the Apostles following His Ascension so that they would have the support that they needed in the difficult missionary work they were charged with performing. Recharging of the Spirit is rest just like sleep or relaxation; it's an integral requirement of every Christian in maintaining the proper course to Salvation.
So pay attention to that Fourth Commandment and give it the old college try. You'll find you are better for it and clearly it will have a most positive impact on you, your life and your relationship with others. It's Sunday: Praise His Holy Name.
i
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