Sabbath Day

Mark 2:27-28 “And he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath."

I don’t guess that I have ever considered this idea before. The Sabbath was made for man. I get caught up in the ritual of Sunday and church attendance, all of which is important and beneficial to my maturity and growth in Christ, but I forget that this day was made for me--a day set aside for my renewal.

In God’s divine wisdom, this day was set aside for us. WHY? Well, I think the answer is this. Unless we take time away from the ordinary rigorous events of everyday life, we will lose sight of the things that are really important. I tend to get caught up in the stuff of life and so often this stuff controls me. It affects my sleep, my waking day and even my eating habits. Unless I can get away and allow God to have control of me, I usually will end up in a tragic mess.

All of us cope with stuff everyday; some of us use other stuff to dull the pain; some of us withdraw inwardly; and some of us act out our stress in negative ways. The list could go on, but the point is this. We need a day (time, event, process etc.) to get in touch with that which is really important.

I am a big proponent of weekly attendance at church. It’s a good habit and faithful practice; however, it too can become less than meaningful unless the purpose is clear. The purpose must be this interaction between my human condition and the redeeming restoring power of God in my life. There must be the moment of awe, where God intrudes into my stuff and reveals what is untimely important. This happens when I set aside that day, or journey, or process which connects me with God.

You see, the day is not made for my self-indulgence but for my self-recreation. That’s the problem. I tend to treat these days as fulfilling my wants and needs, when in reality it is about filling my heart and mind with the power of God’s purpose in me. You don’t discover “God-purpose” by happenstance. It grows through diligent practice and constant renewal of our minds. A day for me, God said, is for that purpose.

And who is Lord of this day? Jesus is. So Jesus is giving me this day, and in essence, every day to come to a deeper relationship with Him. What are you doing with this day?

Blessings, Rip