Regarding the idea of a “Sabbath Rest” day:
…In the biblical Sabbath of the Old Testament, God afforded the poor the same amount of rest as the wealthy – which is certainly not the case of today’s society. …One key measure of whether you are experiencing a true Sabbath is to ask, “Can someone in poverty experience this?” The Sabbath won’t come up and embrace you; you have to embrace the Sabbath.
–David Goetz
Too many times I do not experience a true Sabbath on Sunday (the day of rest and worship for most Christians). Even though I am planning to go to church on that day, I do not come to the day with a proper thought about resting and meeting God. Instead, I come to the day with the idea that I will carve a portion of it out for God (a few hours at Sunday school and worship services), and I’ll keep the rest to do what I want to do. I need to have a change of mind and heart to give the day back to God. I’ve just spent six previous days on my plans, and God has ordained one day to be His in a different way. I pray that in 2015, I will embrace the Sabbath in a more intentional way. I hope you’ll join me in the attempt.