"If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honorable; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it." Isaiah 58:13-14
God gave the Sabbath to the nation Israel. God said, "It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever . . ." (Exodus 31:17). For something interesting, read the entire passage of Exodus 31:12-18. Now God turns to this specific thing that He commanded them as a people.
For us today it is a little different. We are told: "Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it" (Hebrew 4:1). The word for rest is Sabbath ~ we should not come short of entering into His rest. "For he that is entered into his rest (that is, the Sabbath), he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his" (Hebrew 4:10).
Now have you entered into His Sabbath, which is the rest of redemption? Have you come to the place where you completely, fully trust Christ~ that He has done everything necessary for your salvation and you are resting in His finished work? Or do you feel compelled to do something in order to earn or not lose your salvation? Folks, He wants us to fully trust Christ. To enter into His rest will mean not only great blessings for us, but it will open up an avenue of service for us. The thing that brought the apostle Paul to a life of missionary activity was to enter into the rest of redemption.
". . . and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth . . ." The horizon here is extended, and the vista of the future opens before us. God's plan cannot be destroyed for the coming manifestation of His glory!
The day of rest should also be honored not only because Sabbath keeping is a commandment but also because it is best for us and it honors God. Keeping the Sabbath honors God, our Creator, who rested on the seventh day. It also unifies our family and sets priorities for them. Our day of rest refreshes us spiritually and physically ~ providing time when we can gather together for worship and reflect on God without the stress of our everyday lives.
May God bless you this wonderful SONday as you rest in Him.
Love in Christ Jesus, Sandy
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