Time with Jesus - Saturday, 02 March 2013
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| Jim & Phyllida Strickland |
Hi all,
One of the Old Testament commandments which very few of us observe is the
fourth one. Namely: 8 "Remember to
observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 You have
six days each week for your ordinary work, 10 but the seventh day
is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the LORD your God. On that day no one in
your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters,
your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among
you. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens, the earth, the
sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day He rested. That is why the
LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy. Exodus 20:8-11 NLT
Most Christians have their weekly break on Sunday; the first day of the
week. Not all of us are able to take a Sabbath rest anyway. Shops are open 7
days a week. Our Seventh Day Adventist brothers and sister insist on meeting on
the seventh day, the Sabbath. Does it matter to the Lord? We assume it doesn’t.
We could be wrong. For most of us it’s difficult to know how to change back to
meeting on the Sabbath! In the meantime, we continue to meet on the first day
of the week, which is called the Lord’s Day. But are we right in making this
change? You tell me!
Shalom,
Jim
& Phyllida Strickland
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Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
Time with Jesus – Saturday, 02 March 2013
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Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
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©
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These
devotionals are the intellectual property of Jim Strickland and copyright
protected. You are welcome to copy and distribute them to anyone provided it
is for non-commercial Christian purposes
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©
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INTRODUCTION
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DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES
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The Sabbath ResT
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Do you know any Seventh
Day Adventists? The ones I’ve met are God fearing and deeply committed
Christians. They do have one or two emphases that we aren’t too keen on. But
I’m sure we could have great fellowship with them discussing and laughing at
our differences. They are passionately interested in the prophetic, the
second coming of Jesus and have an approach to the book of Revelation, that
we would do well to seriously consider. In these days where there seems to be
umpteen different interpretations, I find theirs fascinating and interesting.
In some respects, it’s the best understanding I’ve come across.
They differ from us in
their doctrine of hell, life after death, eating healthily, the second coming
and of course their observation of the Sabbath Day. I’ve got no real problem
with any of these views. If you would like to meet on Saturday to worship
God, I’m not about to try and stop you! I’ve no doubt in my mind that many
conventional Christians would thrive on their healthy eating lifestyle.
What disturbs me about
the strict observance of the Sabbath, is the fact that we are no longer an
agrarian society. Essential services take place 7/24! In my younger days I
worked for ESKOM. When pastors of big churches with all sorts of electric and
electronic “stuff” were pedantic about observing the Sabbath, it appealed to
my sense of humour. It was fun asking them, if they would like me to arrange
to “switch them off” every Sunday, They were not impressed. Then I mentioned
the Sunday roast in the electric stove. People were not quite so eager to
enforce a complete shutdown. Hospitals and other essential services didn’t
stop from sunset on Friday until sunset on Saturday. Also, nature has no
Sabbath. Cows need milking seven days a week and crops continue to grow. So
what is God’s command about the Sabbath? Exodus states: 8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9
Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10
But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD
thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy
daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy
stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the
sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and
hallowed it. Exodus 20:8-11 KJV
Please note that I have
no authority to overrule the Lord. So although we are required to obey His
commandments, we must do it as best we can, where we live. I know this is
“Christian pragmatism”. But there are times we think that God doesn’t
understand. Thank God, He does.
Jim
& Phyllida
Strickland
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8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not
have spoken of another day later on. 9 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God,
10 for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his
works as God did from his.
Heb. 4:8-10 ESV
16 Or why was I not as a hidden stillborn child, as
infants who never see the light? 17 There
the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary are at rest. 18 There the prisoners are at ease together; they hear
not the voice of the taskmaster. 19 The small and the great
are there, and the slave is free from his master.
Job 3:16-19 ESV
13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Write
this down: Blessed are those who die in the Lord
from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they
will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them!"
Rev 14:13 NLT
11 Then He said, "Our
friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him
up." 12 The disciples said, "Lord, if he is sleeping, he
will soon get better!" 13 They
thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant
Lazarus had died. 14 So He told them plainly, "Lazarus is
dead.
John 11:11-14 NLT
4 While we are in this
tent, we sigh. We feel distressed because we don't want to take off
the tent, but we do want to put on the eternal house. Then eternal life will
put an end to our mortal existence.
2 Cor. 5:4 GW
23 And that's not all. We
have the Holy Spirit as the promise of future blessing. But we also groan inside
ourselves as we look forward to the time when God will adopt us as full
members of his family. Then he will give us everything he has for us.
He will raise our bodies and give glory to them. 24 That's the hope we had when we were saved. But hope
that can be seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has?
25 We hope for what we don't have yet.
So we are patient as we wait for it.
Rom. 8:23-25 NIrV
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We talk about a Sabbath rest and wonder what it means?
We know it’s on the seventh day; the day it’s always been.
We cannot really change it. It is the day God gave.
It’s always been on Saturday. So how should we behave,
From sunset on a Friday, to when the sun has set,
On Saturday, because the Lord God hasn’t changed that yet?
Jesus Christ observed it! The Pharisees made sure,
That anything the people did, was what they thought was pure.
And then the Master pointed out, that God made it for man.
This sort of pricked their bubble; and their religious plan!
Now we can be pedantic; and say it must take place,
On Saturday, regardless of what men have to face.
But Jesus rose on Sunday; the first day of the week.
I’m sure this was significant; the day when Christians seek,
To worship Him in Spirit, integrity and truth.
And that is how it’s always been, since I was but a youth.
The early church suggested it and Christians went along.
Perhaps they chose improperly and what they chose was wrong?
But what is His opinion? I wonder if He cares,
What day we come and worship Him and offer up our prayers?
Today we have a problem with everyone’s life-style.
There’s many things we cannot stop, not even for a trial.
There’s life support and water and the electric power.
We cannot put these things aside. for even half an hour.
And so we keep them running each hour, every day.
I can’t think in His endless love the Lord would ever say,
“Turn off the electric power and let
the people die.
It’s really not My problem. Oh no! You must comply.
With all of My commandments. I’ve written them all in stone.
So you must go along with them, the way My Word has shown!”
This makes me sort of wonder how to serve Jesus the best?
Is it in the minutiae that we will pass the test?
Perhaps when it is finished and all our work is done,
Is when to take a Sabbath and worship Christ, God’s Son?
Of course, I cannot prove this. But God is not a fool.
He knows our situation! This isn’t Sunday School!
So let us serve the Master when circumstance demands.
One day out of seven, complies with His commands.
That’s when we’ll have our day off and take a Sabbath rest.
For that would surely follow Him and pass His Sabbath test!
Then while we are relaxing, refreshing from our work,
I’m sure this is the best day we should gather as His Kirk.
Jim Strickland
Written
2nd March 2012
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