Reflecting His Image

On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather (manna), but they found none. And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws? See! The Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Remain each of you in his place; let no one go out of his place on the seventh day.” So the people rested on the seventh day. (Exodus 16:27–30)

God's Word is clear that God created people in His image. That signifies that we reflect that image or echo or display it. Of course sin mars it and doing our own thing replaces it. 

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)

By the gift of redemption through the death of His Son, and by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, it is possible to be like Him.

. . . .  let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:43–48)

How is that possible? Only because God knows our hearts and needs. He knows how to make life a classroom. Our challenge is to listen and obey as He works: 

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:28–29)

As for the Sabbath, think of this as imitating God. He wasn’t tired and needed a nap every seventh day, but to be like Him, I am to stop the regular activities of life and totally trust Him for my needs that one day — which is another classroom. In keeping this command, He teaches me to trust Him for other things, even all things, even all day. Far too often, it is this inner nagging that says “I must get this done” that keeps me from doing the will of God, the inner nagging that comes from sin that rises up and is full of ideas that reflect my desires rather than the will of God.

Yes, Sabbath is a physical rest, but as the NT brings out, it points to resting in Christ, trusting Him in every area of life. The Gospel declares it and the Sabbath is the place to start learning it.

For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. 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, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. (Hebrews 4:8–11)

Jesus, most teaching on Sabbath rest can be the extreme of doing nothing that involves physical effort, or even fun, or just doing something different, or napping, or other visible activities. I can see now that it is a classroom where You want to teach me to fully trust You for everything rather than having this DIY mentality. It is a learning curve to stop my efforts to be like You and instead trust You with the transformation. I could say more but can only think how badly I want to be a more faithful student who cares deeply that I reflect You to this dark world.

 

Holy all the time?

 

Our church is focusing on what it means to keep the Sabbath. The emphasis is restoration from the stresses of life by making one day in seven special. The Bible terms it “holy” which means ‘consecrated to God’ plus synonyms such as blessed, chaste, dedicated, devoted, devout, faultless, glorified, god-fearing, godlike, godly, humble, immaculate, just, messianic, pietistic, pious, prayerful, pure, reverent, righeous, sacrosanct, sainted, saintlike, saintly, sanctified, seraphic, spotless, uncorrupt, undefiled, untainted, unworldly, venerable. An online thesaurus lists 353 synonyms and antonyms for this word.

What comes out just from these words is that the Sabbath is not a list of do’s and don’ts like no fun games, have a nap, no shopping, etc. but an attitude and focus that is not like any of the activities that cause me stress, fatigue, or to forget God, or live as if I can handle life without Him. It seems that Sabbath is more about an attitude and focus, one that the goal is to be at rest in Christ all the time, not just one day. I’m to always be talking with Him and doing what He says.

Not only that, Jesus is the model. He healed people on the Sabbath. Some might call that ‘work’ but helping a beast that has fallen into a ditch is not work either. Jesus said:

Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.(Matthew 12:11–12)

Jesus also said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27) We live in a day when stress is killing us. God intended that we take time from whatever is wearing us out and rest. . . .

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28–30)

The first burden is a heavy crate; the light “burden” is a word about the invoice on the crate. This illustrates what that load of trying to do life in my own strength is not God's idea. Eventually, it fails. I’m a capable person, but not God. Life teaches that without His grace, my mind runs out of focus and ideas, my emotions rob my energy, and my choices add to the pile. I need the mind of Christ, the peace and joy of the Holy Spirit, and the ‘invoice’ of God to give me direction so I don’t fall into the same pit. His grace grants all that and more.
The problem comes when I foolishly revert back to those habits of doing life without God.

Eventually those activities are “labor and heavy laden” and I need to return to resting in Christ. This is not about restraining from work, but about pursuing meaningful, soul-renewing rest—a shift in my habits toward something good, not just away from something bad.

Sabbath and rest does give me an opportunity to relax my physical body, but it is also about keeping that day holy. One author calls it “repopulate the time” or replacing it with worship and giving attention to more than simple inactivity. When I am not doing my work, I have to remember His work.

For some, the emphasis falls on rules or the do’s and don’ts taught in previous years, but these put us in slavery by taking over our mind-set. God wants His rest to be a gift to our souls not a mere change of pace or stoppage of all that stresses us.

PRAY: Jesus, this is talked about in terms of one day in seven, yet I’m thinking it is also a life-style, a way of thinking and a transformation into being more like You. You did good all the time, yet often went alone to pray to the Father. Sometimes You shed tears. Sometimes You served needs. Sometimes You sweat blood, but always Your focus and strength depended on Your yielded attitude and Your delight in serving whenever You saw the need. You are what it means to be holy.

Surprising Sabbath Rest

 

Yesterday’s message from the pulpit was incredibly refreshing. Our pastors started a four-week service on Sabbath rest with a delightful departure from legalism or rules about what we are to do or not do on our day of rest.

In fact, it wasn’t about a particular day but about the rhythm of work then rest that God established in Genesis. Six days He worked, then rested on the seventh. The Jews made that Saturday but added a long list of things not to be done, even a rule about how far a person could walk on that day without breaking the Sabbath. We normally think of Sabbath as Sunday but it does not have to be that day.

Instead the message was about the love of God that knows how badly His people need the rhythm of work then rest. We were told many ways to do that, from having a nap, to taking a walk, to relaxing with a hobby, and several other to-do’s rather than a list of do-not items, like playing or shopping. We live in such a fast-paced world and need to slow down and relax.

I appreciated the emphasis to avoid tradition. Today’s devotional reading addresses some  traditions that can lock us into rules and regulations instead of the rest that God intended. Jesus was not big on tradition either, and much more concerned with the state of our hearts:

Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: “ ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ” (Matthew 15:1–9)

I read about traditions this week. Some of them come from assumptions, like three wise men because there were three gifts brought to Jesus, but nowhere are the number of Magi listed. Another is that ceasing from labor means not turning on the stove to cook a meal, or never going to a store because we are out of milk. Jesus did say; “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27–28)

Our pastor pointed out that Jesus did many healings on the Sabbath and was teaching on that day, much to the consternation of the religious establishment. Doing good is not considered “work” and pointed out that “rest” could simply be a change of pace, a focus on the goodness of God instead of stressing or even pampering ourselves. Why not turn off mobile phones, remove some to-do items off calendars, stop watching TV, stop using social media, email, and instead engage with people fact-to-face. The idea is to work from rest, not work for rest. If I say TGIF, I’m not thinking God’s way about rest. Instead, spend time with God, alone or with others, and drawing strength from Him, learning more about Him, and doing life-giving activities.

My hubby and I drove around the neighborhood where we now live, seeing what it is like. Then, since we both like books we spent most of the afternoon in a large, nearby library reading material that did not add to the pressures of life and work. It was lovely.

PRAY: Jesus, these ideas about Sabbath rest make me realize afresh that waiting on You, slowing down to think about You, is life-giving. I come into today with past worries forgotten and a renewed sense of what is important. I’m thankful that You put this series into the hearts of our church leaders and give them truth to share rather than judgment about how to spend time at rest. For me, it was refreshing. Being on life’s fast track 24/7 is not Your will. Thank You for the rhythm of work and rest and for giving us the Sabbath and inviting me to time with You to renew my strength.

God wants me to rest . . .

 

Consider this: September 1^st I fell down some stairs, was bruised and sore for a time, but it didn’t faze me very much. I was aware of God’s care and protection as my slight injuries could have been much worse. However, this week I have a head cold, the first in many years and for a few days have been feeling sorry for myself and wanting to skip devotions, skip prayers, do nothing but snack and sleep and complain. Go figure. Since God carried me through a far more serious incident, what is the matter with me and this ordinary problem?

A couple weeks ago one of our pastors preached on Sabbath rest. It was not about rules for Sunday but about a life pattern. God designed it for our good; six days of work and one day of rest. Rest is not necessarily lolling on the sofa with my feet up, but that is not what hit me in this sermon. It was one line the pastor used to describe what many people do: hurry, hurry, hurry, crash, hurry, hurry, hurry, crash. I see myself as one of those and I am crashing.

The pastor used the story of slavery in Egypt to remind us that we have been delivered from slavery, not to go back there. Then he asked, “What is your Pharaoh?” or my slavedriver? And my immediate thought was my to-do list, part of that hurry, hurry, crash pattern. My hubby will not let me blame the list though. He often says we are busy by choice. Eventually that choice takes a toll, and in my case, hurry, hurry weakened my body enough that it finally gave in to a virus.

Today’s devotional begins with some scolding but designed to get my thinking back on track: “The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart . . .”  (Psalm 19:8) A friend of ours used to call my attitude “stinkin’ thinkin’” — not because it makes a person smell bad but because it results in anything but rejoicing. It is thinking like most of the world thinks —assuming joy can only be found when you are 100% healthy. This idea is part of a false teaching called the prosperity gospel. Instead, the Word of God says:

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. (Psalm 1:1–3)

I need to get my mind off poor me and on to the wonder of God’s ways. He can give joy in trials. He did it when I fell down those stairs and He can do it again. I need to read His Book because it is “a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105) My purpose in being here is not to feel sorry for myself but rejoice because I have been raised with Christ and can, “seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” (Colossians 3:1–4)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:3–12)

PRAY: Lord, forgive my selfish attitude and fill me with Your Spirit. Help me be mindful of the reason I live and to seek Your grace and power, rather than feel sorry for myself.

PONDER: the goodness of God and trust in His will for me. Seek Him in all things, big or small.