Good day dear friends. Let us be in a spirit of worship and praise today as we thank God for all God has shared with us and as we acknowledge that He is God!
A special prayer request from our daughter Sarai Cortez, whose boss, Mrs. Jackson, suffered a major heart attack on Sunday morning in Galveston. She remains in ICU with a poor prognosis. Pray for her and her daughter and grandchildren during this time.
Also, the funeral for Mrs. Joan Spraigins will be Saturday at 1:30 at Pennington Funeral Home. Those of you who can attend are invited.
We continue our Lenten journey with our study of the meaning of worship. Here is our study guide for today:
Tuesday: Read Exodus 20:8. This is one of the Big Ten! What do you suppose God intended for us when God says, “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy”? Do you keep a “sabbath” for yourself, a day when your entire focus is on God and God’s word for your life? Is it Sunday or another day? In other words, when do you and God have a day set aside to meet and be blessed?
That passage says: Exodus 20:8 "Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy."
The sabbath for the Jews is Saturday. The Spanish word for Saturday is sabado. We don't argue that. As Christians, we're Resurrection People, who celebrate our Lord's day on Sunday, the day of Jesus' resurrection. We won't argue which day is truly a "sabbath." The question is, when is YOUR sabbath? When is it that you put aside an entire day to spend with God?
Most of you reading this are old enough to remember Texas' blue law. Its intent was to limit commercial sales on Sundays. Yes, boys and girls, there was a time the mall was closed the whole day of Sunday! Shock! I remember going to the grocery store and seeing flags draped across entire aisles of merchandise signifying that those products were not available for purchase. (I also remember when H.E.B. (Helping Every Baptist) didn't sell beer or wine or any liquor on any day). If you want to read something interesting about the term "blue law" go http://www.answers.com/topic/blue-law and read there about the history of such laws.
The point is having a sabbath for our lives is about rest and renewal with God. God rested on the seventh day as Genesis tells us. Jesus modeled a life where He rested as often as possible, seeking time alone with God and with the disciples. His ministry could not have been physically possible had He not made time to spend with God in prayer and in quiet time with the twelve.
A good sabbath for me involves worship. I've shared with you that those Sundays that I cannot be in worship my week is not the same. Being in worship adds a blessing that is not possible if I'm not with fellow believers singing, praying, and praising God. And after worship I try, as often as possible, to spend quiet time with the family. Those days when it is possible to do those things makes for a better person physically to do what God directs.
Luke 4:16 shares that Jesus' custom was to be in worship every sabbath. The Son desiring to stay connected with His father. Why should we be exempt from that ourselves?
PRAYER: God of life and fullness of life, help me to realize all that is mine through worship and through a careful observation of a sabbath. Let me make time to spend as much time as I can with You. Let those moments be a time of renewal and rest and a refreshing of my spirit so I can best serve You. I can't do it alone, so help me. I pray in Christ Jesus' name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
