Sunday’s here. Hurrah! Let’s go to church in the morning and then catch up on all those things that we couldn’t do during the week. Is that how you view the Lord’s Day? Personal confession: that’s often the way I feel after a busy work week. But is that wrong?
Of the Ten Commandments given by God, only the fourth commandment about observing the Sabbath isn’t repeated in the New Testament. Many have concluded that since we’re no longer under the restrictions of the Sabbath, we’re also under no obligation to respect the Lord’s Day. This simply isn’t so. There are timeless principles found in the fourth commandment that are still relevant today.
The commandment tells us that while we should be involved in productive labor, we should also take time to rest (Exodus 20:9-10). The principle is simple: Work for 6 days and rest for 1.
A Bible commentator states, “The reason why men do not wish to stop what they are doing is most often that they have not finished. The fourth commandment deals with this problem by instructing the Israelites to plan to be finished by the end of the sixth day, and to see to it that they do finish.”
Also, it takes time to be holy. Ancient Israel’s cessation of normal work was to facilitate her worship. We’re not simply to “take a day off”—we’re to “[keep] it holy” (Exodus 20:8). So what activities are appropriate on the Lord’s Day? Christians will come to differing conclusions about what this means in practice, but our submission to Jesus Christ’s lordship is primary (Romans 14:5-9).
The general principle: The Lord’s Day should be set aside to worship God with His people and to rest your mind and body.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: 2 Samuel 12:1-25
More:
Read Colossians 2:16-17 and note what Paul says about the Sabbath. The ultimate Sabbath rest is when we come to rest in the finished work of Jesus on our behalf.
Next:
Are there attitudes or activities that you need to change so that you can better honor God on the Lord’s Day? Why is rest so important?
gillian on April 6, 2014 at 3:39 am
This is a great reminder to really analyse and prioritise what I do today ( the Sabbath day) and recognise and appreciate that it is a day to be set aside to be different from the other days of the week. Also, to understand that it is acceptable and scriptural to actually have a rest! Many thanks.
ifke on April 6, 2014 at 7:29 am
The Lords day is the Seventh day-Sabbath. The Lord’s day has never been changed by God himself. If you plan to worship Him, do it on his day and rest as He ordered, not on a day man chooses. God Blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, not Sunday, the first day.
kram4mark on April 6, 2014 at 8:16 am
At Pentecost in the upper room it was changed to the first day of the week so it is now Sunday.
ifke on April 6, 2014 at 7:31 am
Gillian, it is good to have a day of rest, but is even better to keep the day God intended, not man. Sunday is not what God set aside, but the seventh day Sabbath. Sunday doesn’t have a blessing in it, but the seventh day, so why not get your blessing as God intended?
gillian on April 6, 2014 at 11:46 am
I think what is most significant is not whether a Saturday or a Sunday is the Sabbath but that there is one day of the week which is recognisably different to all other days. What resonated with me when I read this devotion this morning was how in recent years, Sunday has become like all the other days, with shopping malls open for business, online shopping / business links always available, sporting events / fixtures taking place and so on. Being a Christian, attending Church is a priority but I speak to a number of non-believers who long for a day which is different to the others.
ifke regarding not receiving the blessing God intends for me on the seventh day, I believe that God blesses me every moment of each day and He is not limited by days of the week to pour out His blessings and gifts on those He has chosen!
daisymarygoldr on April 6, 2014 at 8:37 pm
“The principle is simple: Work for 6 days and rest for 1.”
God worked for 6 days and rested on the seventh day. You too must do the same. Enjoy football, TV, movie, shopping, swimming, partying and every form of leisure that will help you relax. Rest by all means—on the seventh day.
The Lord’s Day is not the seventh day but the first day of the week.
So what activities are appropriate on the Lord’s Day?
On the first day of the week, we gather as the body of Christ for corporate worship through songs of praise, teaching of God’s Word (sometimes until midnight), taking part in the Lord’s Table and also collecting money for the Lord’s work. This is how we honor God on the Lord’s Day.
There is no command in the Bible to rest your mind on body on the first day of the week or to keep the day holy. The first day of the week is to celebrate the Lord of the Sabbath. Remember, it is always about Him.
Mike Wittmer on April 11, 2014 at 9:38 am
I love the idea of needing to finish. I hadn’t thought of it like that before, but it makes sense. And what a nice feeling, to begin the Lord’s Day with a clean slate!