Honor the Sabbath
“Also I gave them my Sabbaths as a sign
between us, so they would know that I the LORD made them holy.” – Ezekiel 20:12
“because they rejected my laws and did
not follow my decrees and desecrated my Sabbaths. For their hearts were devoted
to their idols.” – Ezekiel 20:16
“You have despised my holy things and
desecrated my Sabbaths.” – Ezekiel 22:8
“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.” – Exodus 20:8-10
How do you spend your Sabbath day? For most
Christians, we have set apart Sunday for that day. But do you set it apart for God?
I know. There’s lots of reasons that doesn’t happen in
your life. Some people work to feed their families and pay bills. Some people
work to provide for the rest of us. These include doctors and hospital staff,
police officers and fire fighters. But what about the rest of us?
In the area in which I live, baseball is huge. There
are night games during the week. Saturdays are filled with ball games. And,
increasingly, Sunday too is occupied with baseball.
Now, I love baseball. I do. But when it comes to kids
and families I sometimes wonder if we’ve misplaced our priorities.
We talk a lot about putting God back into our schools
and government. We’re adamant about our beliefs when it comes to what the Bible
says about controversial subjects. But it’s difficult not to see the hypocrisy
when it comes to how we view the Sabbath.
One parent explained that he always led a devotional for
the players and coaches before the Sunday games. Besides, he continued, the
kids enjoy playing so it’s not really work. My question was this: When do they
rest? The hard truth he couldn’t deny is that they don’t rest.
We have become a land of busy people seeking God in
all the wrong places. We make excuses when it’s something we want to do and we
condemn others for doing what we think they shouldn’t do. We ignore God’s clear
laws in order to chase after idols.
Please don’t try and tell me that baseball isn’t an
idol. Anything – baseball, money, job, fishing, yard work – that comes before
God is an idol. When you choose to ignore the Sabbath, you choose to ignore God.
Everyone needs a day of rest, whether that day is
Sunday or another day of the week. We need a chance to recharge and to remember
God and all that He does for us. We need time to refocus our priorities back on
our Creator. It is from Him that we draw our strength, gain our wisdom, and
live according to His calling on our lives.
So, what are you doing on Sunday? If the answer doesn’t
involve worshipping God, you need to rethink your faith.
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