rest in Him... Exodus 31:12-17...

And the Lord said to Moses, "You are to speak to the people of Israel and say,

'Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you

throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you.

You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you.

Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does any work on it,

that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days shall work be done,

but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord.

Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death.

Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath

throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. It is a sign

forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord

made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.'"

Exodus 31:12-17 ESV

Early on in His relationship with His people...

God made a law... He commanded them to rest...

it was His idea... His way... for His people to rest in Him...

Rest was serious business for the Israelites...

it was a capital offense... to work on the day of rest...

working seven days a week could get you killed...

Their Sabbath... their day of rest...

was a sign between God and the people of Israel...

a sign of God's perfect provision...

He Himself... worked six days... 

created everything to complete the world...

then... He rested...

He called His people to do the same...

Work six days...

rest in Me on the seventh...

make it a holy day...

set apart for Me...

In this rest...

He's telling His people...

He's the One who provides all we need...

without Him... we have nothing...

In this rest...

He's telling His people...

Recognize all I do for you...

trust Me to provide completely...

even while you rest...

He sanctifies... He provides...

for us this is true too...

we cannot work our way into anything...

only by His grace do we have what we have...

Only by His grace... can we rest in Him...

We no longer practice Sabbath like the Israelites...

we no longer face the sentence of death if we don't...

solely because... He has made the Way...

of perfect rest... in Christ Jesus...

Jesus died... for every broken Sabbath...

every broken law...

and for those who rest in Him...

we find life... peace... freedom from condemnation...

and freedom from being found out...

Rest...

Rest in Him...

live your whole life...

as a holy day toward Him...

set apart your life...

and rest in the work He's doing...

in and through you...

sabbaths... sabbaticals... and expectations...

Sabbaths...
After four consecutive weeks of practicing a Sabbath day...
I finally felt surrendered to the rest...

This week I even rested from leading Sunday School...
as a couple training missionaries in South America shared their testimony...

It was a breath of fresh air...
Spirit-inspired...
an unexpected blessing...


Sabbaticals...
A friend... she challenged me with the call to a sabbatical...
seven weeks... at the end of the year...

At the time it felt like one more thing to do...
my flesh cringed...

In the praying for guidance...
seeking what sabbatical looks like for me...
I feel led to lead a prayer group into seven weeks of rest...

A time to seek... pray...
ask for direction and fresh passion...
for a ministry 12-plus years old...

As I surrender to the call...
(feeling a little guilty... I might add...)
He reveals He's called others to pray...
for an extended period...
an unexpected covering... of the ministry taking a break...


Expectations...
As I learn to set aside a day of rest...
I find a need to learn to put aside expectations...
at least my expectations...

The end of another day...
feeling I didn't get all I expected accomplished...

A day surrendered to Him...
listening... following...

Trusting if it didn't get done...
it wasn't His plan for today...

And I see how He unexpectedly blessed...
in Sabbath... and sabbatical...
therefore... willing to rest... in what's been done...
and left undone... however unexpected...

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;

my hope comes from him.

Psalm 62:5

learning to live shabbat shalom...

Three weekends in a row...
a day has been dedicated to sabbath rest...
a day holy to the Lord...

So far... I've learned...
it is not a day for self-indulgence...
it is a day for private worship... and prayer...
it should include a time of corporate worship... (even if it's with a cat...)
it is a day to be other-centered... compassionate...
a day to trust Him with the work He calls you to do...
a day to roll your burdens on Him... and trust Him to fill the gaps...

Shabbat shalom...
rest... peace...
should be an attitude we bear every day...
in Christ Jesus...

So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God,

for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested 

from his works as God did from his.

Hebrews 4:9-10 ESV

Believers are to rest from their own salvation...

that work has been done by Him...

Believers should not work for themselves 24/7...

we should trust Him to provide...

Believers should not fret... or take on... the work He alone can do...

we need to recognize our finitude... our dependence on Him...

In this season of practicing a day of sabbath...

I'm learning to live shabbat shalom...

every... day...

Lord... teach me to rest in the work You've done...

the work You are doing... and the work You will do...

Thank You for filling in the gaps where I fail...

teach me to live... shabbat shalom...

seeing... shabbat shalom...

I have a friend...
a brother in Christ...
he's dying...
checked into Hospice last week...
nothing more man can do...

I had the privilege of visiting him this weekend...
ended up being part of my Sabbath...

I'd asked God earlier in the day...
What does Shabbat Shalom look like...? 
what's the heart...? the attitude...?
of living... Shabbat Shalom...?

I didn't know what to expect when I visited...
but what I saw...
was... Shabbat Shalom...

In the midst of dying...
this brother stuck in bed...
tubes in... tubes out...
body failing...
was perfectly at rest... shabbat...
and perfect in peace... shalom...

My friend... fully trusting in the Lord of the Sabbath...
the Lord of our Rest...

In Him we are to rest our whole life...
every aspect...
the living...
the dying...

My friend... wholly at peace...
trusting in the Prince of Peace... fully...

In Him we are to let Christ's peace rule in our hearts...
knowing we are at peace with Him...
brings peace to all of life...

Shabbat Shalom...
resting in Christ...
as our source of peace...

So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God,

for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works

as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest...

Hebrews 4:9-11 ESV

Father God... grow me...

to live Shabbat Shalom...

every day...

eve of another sabbath...

I wasn't sure... but Yes... I hear the call to Shabbat Shalom... again...

Preparing my heart... for another sabbath... another opportunity to trust in Him...

92 A Psalm. A  Song For the Sabbath

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,

to sing praises to your name, O Most High;

to declare your steadfast love in the morning,

and your faithfulness by night,

to the music of the lute and the harp,

to the melody of the lyre.

For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;

at the works of your hands I sing for joy.

verses 1-4, ESV

There is a song for the sabbath... Psalm 92...

giving thanks...

singing praise...

to the Lord...

who gladdens my heart... 

by His work...

Seeking that place of rest...

on the eve of another sabbath...

Amen...

Shabbat Shalom...

Feeling the burden of all He calls me to...
plus things I want to do...

In the midst... He calls me to lay it all down...

A call to Sabbath...
24 hours... beginning tomorrow...
sunrise to sunrise...

No Fitbit...
no writing...
no prep for ministry...
no work...

I feel like I'm being sent to time-out...
forced... like a toddler... to take a nap...

The immature Believer in me says...
I don't have time for a Sabbath...
I don't have time to rest...

He says... Trust Me...

Unbelief is tiresome...

I feel like crying...

surrendering to the call...

Shabbat Shalom...

Sabbath Peace...

Hah...!

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Six days you shall labor, and do all your work,

but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.

Exodus 20:8-10 ESV

Lord Jesus... I trust You...

forgive me for toting things that aren't mine to tote...

forgive me for carrying Your responsibility...

and forgetting it is Yours...

Help me to find... Shabbat Shalom...

Amen...

heart of sabbath keeping...

After a discussion in Bible study today... and a passage in the current treadmill read... I more clearly see the heart of Sabbath keeping...

Centuries earlier, God handed down the Law to the Jews (by way of Moses). The fourth commandment stated, "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy" (Exodus 20:8).

---John Eldridge, Free to Live: The Utter Relief of Holiness

Sabbath is about rest... resting in God... recognizing there is nothing we can do to earn His grace or His salvation...

Righteousness... holiness... is seeing ourselves as truly dependent on Him...

Sabbath...
putting down our work for His...
taking a whole day to rest wholly in Him...

He alone makes us holy...

What the Jews did to Sabbath... was make it work... not trusting in Him but in themselves and their ability to keep it holy...

Extra rules... no regard for relationship...

seeing healing as sinful "work" on the Sabbath...

no mercy... for those suffering...

In practicing Sabbath today... how often do we do the same thing...? working hard toward holiness rather than resting in Him for His complete work on the cross...?

Take a Sabbath today... tomorrow... or even a few hours...

rest in Him for all you need...

remember... you can't work hard enough to save yourself...

He's already done it all... 

"You shall be holy, for I am holy."

1Peter 1:16 ESV