“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” Exodus 20:8–11
The commandment to keep the Sabbath as a holy day of rest looks very different today than it might have to the ancient Israelites who first received it. Yet the principle of resting from work was established by God at creation and is to be continued by God’s people as an act of worship. It is a time to be refreshed and renewed as we reflect on the God who brought us out of our own individual slaveries through the saving, redeeming work of Jesus. This leads us to thankful worship!
Questions
- How have you struggled with “resting?” What does “rest” mean to you?
- What are some ways you’d like to try to incorporate more Sabbath time into your schedule?
- For Christians, the finished work of Jesus is what provides ultimate rest. In what practical ways can you lay down your efforts, striving, and work in order to rest in the perfect, finished work of Christ?
Pray
God, we want to worship you rightly with our time. We repent of the ways we have allowed our busy schedules to dictate our lives at times. We ask that you would help us to worship you first by giving you the best of ourselves and our time. Help us to be obedient when we are called to rest in you. Thank you that Jesus has paid it all so we can truly rest in his finished work. Amen.
This devotion is adapted from the Ten Commandments Study Guide.
