3 January | EVERYONE

GOD ESTABLISHES THE SABBATH

"And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made." Genesis 2: 2,3

Celebration and joy! God had just concluded the week of Creation! A gentle breath of air fluttered in the newly created paradise. A light breeze of eternal spring bathed by four rivers of living water. God's marvelous deeds deserved a day of remembrance. And the Creator rested on the Sabbath to celebrate that all He had made was "very good" (Genesis 1:31). He did not rest because he was tired. God does not get tired, nor was He weary. Actually, He did it to teach us that the creative and sustaining power comes from Him, and we receive it freely.

How good it is to know that God created the world and rested! For the disease of the 21st century is stress. There is no time for anything. We run back and forth from dawn until dusk. We live in a competitive world, and if someone dozes off, they are relegated. However, God, in that week of Creation, established the principle of a weekly rest. Every time someone keeps the Sabbath, they recognize God’s ineffable power and receive the life force of the Lord of life, and then they begin a new week of activities with renewed energy.

One of the secrets to being productive is rest God knew that without rest, the wonders He had just created would be of no use to humanity. However, the seventh day is not holy simply because of human will, but because in the beginning, God rested, blessed it, and sanctified it. From that moment on, the Sabbath became a blessed and holy day.

On one occasion, Moses saw a burning bush and heard God’s voice saying to him, "Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground" (Exodus 3:5). The creature must be aware of who they are standing before when they are in front of the Creator.

Take Action

As paradoxical as it sounds, the action I propose today is to rest Rest in Jesus, rest in the Creator, and rest in His arms to fill yourself with His love and regain energy. Then, let Him tell you where to be and where to go.

Sing "The Seventh Day" (if possible, with your family).