Resting in the Lord – The Kingdom Curriculum VIII (7)

Resting in the Lord

“Remember and observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Exodus 20:8; Deuteronomy 5:12

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 to 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.” Exodus 31:12-14

Get ready to rest in the Lord.

Even as you read this, the Lord’s Day is coming around again. Will this be an “above all” day for you? Will you rest in the Lord carefully so as to understand the sign He’s sending with this day? What sign are you planning to send back to Him? Will this be a significant day in the further progress of your sanctification, or just one more opportunity to wade into our secular, materialistic, sports-mad culture and wallow with all the other Lord’s Day breakers? Some of you are saying, “Hey, I ‘rest’ my way, and you ‘rest’ yours. Get off my case!” Fair enough. But it may well be that the “sign” you’re sending to God will need a good deal of interpretation and explanation on the day that He asks for an accounting of how you have used His Day.

Begin getting ready for the Lord’s Day right now. Start by praying, “Lord, this is Your Day, I know. Make me willing to hear what You want for this day. Make me willing to remove and set aside everything that keeps me from remembering and observing Sunday as You want. Make my rationalizations sound foolish in the light of Your sweet invitation to deeper fellowship, richer communion, and a more sanctifying experience of Your Word and prayer. Teach me, Lord, to keep Your Day ‘above all’!” Then make plans for how you will invest this day in the sanctifying presence of the Lord.

The Lord’s Day begins in worship; let us make sure to enter it focused on the Lord and determined to do everything to bring honor and glory and praise to Him. The Lord’s Day is a good day for resting our bodies more than on other days. We can read about the things of the Lord, particularly from His Word and the works of saints from generations gone by. Set aside some time for singing to the Lord. Look for opportunities to talk about the Lord and to reflect on His power and grace with other believers, including members of your family. Take up some spiritual activity that involves you in the arts–poetry, listening to sacred music, studying great works of Christian art from previous generations. Use the Lord’s Day as a time to reflect on His creation, seeking the beauty, wisdom, might, goodness, and blessing of God in the things He has made (Ps. 19:1-4; Prov. 25:2).

The Lord’s Day provides us a unique opportunity, once a week, to immerse ourselves in His presence and grace. We are fools to think we know better than God what should be “above all” in our lives.

Get your copy of The Law of God today, and begin making meditation in God’s Law part of your daily discipline. Go to www.MyParuchia.com, point your browser to “Publications,” then click on the drop-down option, “Waxed Tablet Publications.”

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore.

T.M. Moore is editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001,2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Editor’s note: The use of a translation other than the Authorised Version in an article does not constitute an endorsement in whole or in part by The Christian Observer.