PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: Matthew 12:9-14
What do you sense the Lord saying to you in this passage?
“So he stretched it out and it was completely restored.” (Matthew 12:13)
God reveals the Law of Love to Moses, and sabbath rest is a part of that love.
The gift of resting in the goodness of God to experience his healing touch.
The sabbath was not designed to stop doing good, but to experience good.
In a stressed world of restlessness and trouble, resting in God calms the soul.
It us like stretching out our hands to God, so that he can heal us.
Sadly the recipients of that rest did not understand sabbath as goodness.
They saw it as religious duty, as a rule to be followed to be saved.
They honoured the sabbath as a rule, but did not experience it as a gift.
More than that, they turned it into a burden for others.
I do not observe a specific sabbath day, but I try to experience sabbath goodness.
I build moments of rest into my days, where I stretch out my heart to him for healing.
As God strengthens me in his goodness, he uses me to help others rest and heal too.
Don’t impose sabbath duty or burden people with rules; let them know God loves them.
As they experience God’s goodness and rest in his love, they will find sabbath too!
PRAYER
Lord, it is not just lawful to do good on the sabbath, it is the whole point of sabbath. Restore me with your healing rest, so that I can share it with others.
Helping an animal in distress? Yes. Helping a neighbour – loving my neighbour – is a big part of loving God. Jesus/God loves mankind – HE wants to save us! We are of value to Him – and He treasures a relationship with us. We need not make any excuse to serve – even if we can make it a religious one. That kind of hypocrisy turned Jesus off and so it should us too! WE don’t do acts of worship to win favour with God – rather we love God and man as God himself desires. We can do no better than follow our shepherd and love as He loves! It should be natural – something that we want to do always!
The Sabbath was a day set aside to rest – rest in His presence. Man has made the Sabbath a day of man made rules, a list of does and do nots. Self serving. That was true then and still is today. We need the Sabbath rest since working 7 days makes one weak. As God knows what is good for His people we need to heed His Word and do what is right. Every day is the Lord’s day and each day I need to serve Him and serving Him means also serving my neighbour. Love is the summary of the law and that love must also be shared with my neighbour everyday.
Have thine own way, Lord!
Have thine own way!
Hold o’er my being
absolute sway.
Fill with thy Spirit
till all shall see
Christ only, always,
living in me!