The Sabbath is not about the day, but about our Great God!

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8, KJ21).

The Commandment regarding the Sabbath is clear and concise in its tone, content and purpose, yet it yields numerous debates as to its application and its day of relevance in the present time.  The Sabbath is first mentioned in the creation of the world as the Creator completed His creation as He rested in His delight in its goodness.  The Creator God did not need to rest from His labors as He does not tire or become faint (Isaiah 40:28) but rather He delighted in all that He gave in creation. Later the Creator would have to become the Savior to redeem the fallen previously created from their intentional sinning.

His intention in giving the commandment regarding the Sabbath involved both the stopping of human toiling and working routines to be thankful to the Creator and Savior of those that would follow Him. This is evidenced in the two distinct versions of the Sabbath Commandment found in Exodus and Deuteronomy.

As Jesus came to complete the Law: we see Him doing good, healing and eating on the Sabbath as He desperately tried to reclaim the purpose of delighting in the goodness of the Creator, the blessing in life and the peace found in the salvation giving God.  His words often failed to penetrate the hearts hardened by tradition which failed to be thankful or delighted in the God they claimed to know. Eventually He offered Himself as the completed redemption for all time as the rest and peace for all souls from the toil and strain of work and days as the Lord of the Sabbath.

The point of the Sabbath was never about the Sabbath Day and what work should or shouldn’t be done on the day.  The point and purpose of the Sabbath was about the stopping of the normal and being abundantly thankful in our delight of knowing the Creator God, the Savior of all people and in the sanctifying Holy Spirit.  Remembering the Sabbath is to let the “Lord of the Sabbath” be the Lord of all things and of all the days of our life.

“Therefore the Son of Man is Lord also of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:28, KJ21).

Honor

Honor your father and mother, as the Lord your God commanded you. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you (Deuteronomy 5:16, NLT).

What is honor and why in its holding others in esteem and respect will blessing be found?  Something transfers in all relationship when in the exchange of seeing others as worthy and valued and in the actions that follow, which give honor; both parties are blessed.  Honor God and His blessings come into your life by His grace and love. Honor your parents and blessings flow from your relationship with them. Honor others by giving and serving them and relationships on many levels are supported, strengthened, secured and even guaranteed.   

It is a strange thing really that something so beneficial to every one of us as honor is something that is lacking in most relationships. The true honoring of others is rare in many ways but it something that marks God as God and something that will mark us as real followers of Him. Honoring involves both the decision to honor and the resolve to give honor through our actions. God values us and He honors us with His love.  Thus we must see the value of others in all of our relationships and honor them with our love, service and action to really be His children.

Eventually honoring others as an action comes around to honor being bestowed on the one who does the honoring. Thus the verb of honoring in and through our living becomes the noun of honor found in the truth of our character and the respect given to us.

The greatest honor is given to those who from their heart and values honored others in their giving and doing. It is from their character and in their actions that specific deeds, times or even a lifetime of dedicated service is given real honor by others.  It is in out of their humility that they are honored. Those that would seek honors from doing a deed, or being in position of leadership that they may be honored, may fool some people by their actions but their inflated pride will give little joy or satisfaction. The truth is quite simple … choose to honor others as God desires us to do and you will be blessed.

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.  Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other (Romans 12:9-10, NLT).

Life Prayer