I know that rest is waiting for me and I know that the Lord will give me rest. Besides the fact that my body just needs rest sometimes and I need to break away from my routine sometimes, God commands us to rest. After He created, well everything, He rested on the seventh day and admired all that He created. He set apart this day and made it holy. Then, He commanded us to remember and observe this day. “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy." Exodus 20:8-11 In the Old Testament, while the Israelites were journeying to Canaan, they came to a point in their travels where food was scarce and they started complaining to Moses. The Lord heard their grumbling and said that in the evening they would eat quail and in the morning they would be filled with bread. The people were only to collect enough for that day and no more. Each day the Lord was going to provide just what they needed. If they collected too much or kept some for the next day, it would ruin. On the sixth day, they were to gather twice as much, because on the seventh day, the Sabbath, they were to rest. They couldn't even cook! Not a finger was to be lifted, only rest was to be observed. The footnote in my Bible says: "The Israelites were not to work on the Sabbath -- not even to cook food. Why? God knew that the busy routine of daily living could distract people from worshiping Him. It is so easy to let work, family responsibilities, and recreation crowd our schedules so tightly that we don't take time to worship. Carefully guard your time with God." This is so true! If I am not intentional in taking time to rest, if I allow my schedule to get so busy or fill all my hours with meaningless tasks, my heart and mind get so far away from thoughts of rest. I love routines, but I have to remember to take a break from them sometimes. Whether it be on a Sunday or a Friday, I need rest. I need rest to slow down. I need rest to catch up. I need rest to worship. The Lord God worked hard creating the world in six days and He took joy in what He created on the seventh. He allows me to work hard six days, so that I can praise Him for that (and all His many other blessings) on the seventh. The Sabbath may look different for all of us, it may even be on different days, regardless of when it falls we are to observe it. We are to rest, so that we can worship the God who provides for us daily.
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