thoughts on the Sabbath

the past two weeks in church, we have been talking about the Sabbath: what it is, what it is not, what it looks like, why God commands us to do it. i have learned a lot, things i needed to learn (things i think we all need to learn), and i have tried putting those in practice lately. i still have a lot to learn, and a long way to go, but we made some headway, and i'm excited about that.

here's the passage in exodus 20 where God gives the commandment regarding the Sabbath:

"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy."

we discussed the idea of 'remembering' at church yesterday. i never caught this before, but i'm thankful God saw fit to illuminate it to me. you see, one of the reasons for the Sabbath was so that God's people could remember what He had done for them. for the israelites, this was nothing small -- the plagues in egypt, the parting of the red sea, the provision in the desert -- this was huge. and God wanted them to remember so that they would not doubt Him or turn from Him. i think that's partly done to encourage us to 'press on toward the goal', as paul speaks of in philippians 3. i think it is also done to keep us form becoming exceedingly arrogant or prideful, b/c we will remember that it was God who delivered us, not ourselves.

so this got me thinking, as i try to remember God's story in my life. i started thinking about where i came from, and the change i have seen. it can become so easy to forget after awhile, and for me it has been almost a decade since my conversion. so really, for me, it truly has been a transformed heart and mind, which has led to a transformed life.

i grew up with two amazing parents (still are -- thanks mom and dad!!). they are still together after almost 30 years (someone remind me next may that it's their 30th anniversary...wow). they raised me super-well, taught me a lot of great things, and modeled a lot for me as well. they taught me a lot of 'churchy' things, but we never went to church. so, i knew a lot of right things, how to live a good life, be a good person, and things like that. and i was a good kid, i don't think many will argue. heck, i was in detention like once i think. but there was still something missing.

when Jesus stepped into my life my freshman year of high school, i still looked like i used to. it wasn't until He really grabbed a hold of my heart that i became His. what i have noticed the most is the joy in my life. i have seen this as a heart and attitude change. whereas before, my confidence was in my abilities (being a 4.0 student lent to pride pretty easily), now it is in who i am in Christ. i am not the smartest guy in the world; no problem. i am not the best athlete; that's ok. i'm not that great of a musician; that's alright as well. b/c i know who i am in Christ -- a child of God, forgiven of all things unclean (and there are plenty of them), no longer condemned, blessed with the Holy Spirit, just to name a few. and the Holy Spirit brings about all types of change -- just look at galatians 5, where you see that the fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. and that's not gonna happen apart from Jesus.

and there's so much more. we can all think back to the things we have struggled with that God has delivered us from. i may even share some of these sometime. but for now, i have a double-header in soccer to finish our season. sad to see it end, it's been fun. hopefully we'll go again in the spring.

off to the game in a sec, grace and peace be with you all...