By Mike Caton

Exodus 20:8-11, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

There is a lot of information here in these verses about the Sabbath. From the very beginning of creation, God rested on the seventh day. God sanctified that day, set it apart. God didn’t rest because he was tired, but he knew that the people he created would be. So God set apart one day a week for rest, relaxation and, most importantly, for worship. And as the Law that God gives through Moses becomes more complete, it is not just man that is to rest, but also the animals, and even the land every seven years.

As much as we might like to think differently, we are not designed to go full speed all the time. We must slow down, take a break, rest, recharge, refresh, reset and enjoy ourselves once in a while. It does not mean you are lazy or soft, it means you are human and, more importantly, that you are in tune with yourself and with the Lord. He made you this way. And this is not just about taking time off, it is about worship, honoring the God who made you.

We will talk more about this over the next few mornings, but for now get this. We are to honor one day a week as a day of rest and worship. God has given us the ability to move and work and get things done, but we are prone to overdoing it. We need to slow down, to even stop on occasion. Our physical bodies are not designed like that. If we run a car engine wide open, it is not going to last long. So it is with our bodies. But we are also spiritual beings, and we need to reconnect and recharge there as well. There is to be one day out of the seven that we stop and focus on the Lord. There is to be one day we worship and honor him, sacrifice our everyday routine to recognize him.

Father, help me keep the Sabbath holy. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Mike Caton is the preacher at Mount Olive Church of Christ in Belhaven. He volunteers at the Ponzer Fire Department and works as a full time AEMT with Hyde County EMS. If you would like to receive daily devotions in your inbox, email mikecaton@centurylink.net.

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