Breathe Peace into the New Year


Breathe Peace into the New Year

I had never been able to “keep holy the Sabbath.” It should be a simple thing. Take one day per week and rest. Exodus 20:8 tells us, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” “For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a day of sabbath rest to the Lord” (Exodus 35:2). In fact, this verse is so serious about sabbath rest that it ends with, “Whoever does any work on it is to be put to death.” Yikes!
For years, I'd tried to cram in all of my work in six days, leaving Sunday for church, prayer, and . . . football. Somehow, this never seemed quite right. I tried going for long walks on the beach with the Lord after church, but I couldn't walk ALL DAY, and I wondered, “Is walking work?”
Leviticus 23:3 explains sabbath rest further, “‘There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a sabbath to the Lord.” This passage helped me to see more clearly what is expected of me one day per week. I began to turn OFF the television. I started with one hour per day (in the mornings during football season....I'm human after all) and spent the time studying the Word, and worked up from there. I made a point on Sabbath days of allowing the Lord to direct every interaction, every BREATH, every move. As I began doing this, I realized that submitting to the Lord should be a lifestyle.
Taking time to put the Lord first each day is a great start, but when we get caught up in the stress and hurry of our daily lives and work, we easily allow Him to fade into the background as the world vies for control. We need a heavy-duty booster one day per week. Keeping holy the Sabbath not only does that but it also glorifies the Lord. When we set aside one day to rest in Him, He presses the “reset” button for us. We are ready to face a new day, a new week – one minute at a time.

Be blessed!
https://www.joshua1nine.com/breathe 


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