Another Sabbath to Keep

As we encounter another Sabbath day, I encourage you once again to keep the Sabbath as a day to set aside the things of this side of the Jordan so that you can more fully interact with family, community, and God. When we do this, we can truly begin to see the other side and more fully partake of the blessings of eternity.

The Perspective of Eternity

It is on the Sabbath day that we are to look at the world from the perspective not of one who is daily battling with the foes and constraints of today, but one whose vision includes an eternal frame that will change us as we pick up the mantle of working upon the first day of the week.

The Sabbath is truly the inbreaking of the Kingdom of God into human existence. All too often the cares of today push out this vision of eternity. The test we have to take, the paper we have to finish, the sermon we have to preach, the sick we have to visit, the meeting we have to attend, and simply the work we have to do, all push out the vision of the Sabbath. We allow all of these pressing concerns to rob us of Sabbath. It is as if we think we are going to miss something. If we are not keeping up, if we are not attending to our Instant Messager, cell phone, television, radio, and/or beeper, we will miss something that we need.

Setting aside Busyness

However, God has given us a 24 hour piece of eternity where we are taught to place our hope and trust in the eternal God. What a blessing God has given to us, and the only requirement to experience that blessing is for us to lay aside our symbols of "busyness" on the 6th day. I praise God for the day, and I pray that this week I will truly keep it.