HE SET UP
In our hurried and hectic culture today, people are looking for ways to ‘unplug’ and get rested and recharged. Ask anyone how they’ve been and odds are you will hear, “I’ve been so busy,” as a part of their reply. We are not designed to live the 24/7 life that so many of us are experiencing. God knew that, so He created the Sabbath. At the very beginning of the bible, God creates the world in six days, then He rests on the seventh. When He gave the Ten Commandments to Israel in Exodus 20, He codifies the Sabbath and tells them to, “remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.” The Sabbath is God’s way of telling us to trust Him with our time. To trust that He can help us to get more done in six days than we can do in seven days on our own (Hey, it’s working for Chic-fil-a). But the people had turned the Sabbath into a rule and a burden. Jesus wanted them to see that the Sabbath was a gift from God, not a duty.
PASSAGE TO READ
Luke 6:1-11 (Page 618 in our house bibles)
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Why do you think the religious leaders were so mad that Jesus healed someone on the Sabbath? Do you think they missed the point?
In the New Testament, Jesus says, “Man was not created for the Sabbath, the Sabbath was created for man.” What do you think He meant by that?
Is it hard for you to Sabbath? To take a day and not work (at your job, on your chores or to do list)? Why do you think that is?
PRAYER IDEA
Thank God that He loves us enough to give us the gift of the Sabbath. If you struggle to actually take a day of Sabbath each week, ask Him to help you trust Him with your time and His provision.