Exodus 20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
When God set apart the Seventh Day it was after He Himself had worked for six, and then rested. Shabbat is therefore, “primordial” in a real sense, something established from the beginning of time. This makes the pattern of working six days and resting on the seventh something fundamental to human existence, and something exceedingly blessed.
Resting on Shabbat serves multiple purposes. First, it acknowledges and honors the rhythm of creation itself. By mirroring God’s pattern of work and rest, we align ourselves with the order He established. Second, it’s a weekly reminder that we do not have endless sources of energy in our mortal frame, but need time to recharge physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Some have wondered why we don’t send out a Worthy Brief on Saturday or Sunday. We decided this because we all need a break from the cares of this world, and from the bad or sad news our briefs inevitably report week after week. The weekend pulls our focus out of worldly affairs and allows for a different emphasis, one of relationship, refreshment and renewal of body, soul and spirit, for us and our families.
We also believe and have experienced that resting one day a week enables us to actually accomplish more in six days of work than if we go nonstop for seven days. This pattern not only boosts productivity but also enhances the quality of our work and life.
When we observe the principle of a Shabbat rest, we demonstrate our trust in God’s provision, tangibly expressing faith that God will take care of our needs even when we are not working. Our faith and reliance on Him are built up reinforcing the truth that our primary source of strength and sustenance is not our own effort but God’s goodness.
In a world that often glorifies constant busyness and productivity, Shabbat stands as a counter-cultural practice that emphasizes the importance of rest and reliance on God. It’s a sacred time that refreshes our bodies, renews our spirits, and realigns our focus on what truly matters — so enjoy God’s stress management program instituted from the beginning .. until Monday, Shabbat Shalom!
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]F.B. Meyer once said, “The education of our faith is incomplete [till] we learn that God’s providence works through loss…that there’s a ministry to us through the failure and fading of things. The dwindling brook where Elijah sat is a picture of our lives.
Most people reading this passage tend to focus in on the fruit that is produced. Okay…But a closer look will reveal that the Lord is really focusing on the tree. The fruit merely demonstrates the quality of the tree. We have all encountered this: there are trees whose fruit is healthy and delicious, and there are trees whose fruit is scarcely edible, or even useless.
One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on in every person. He said, “My son, the battle is between two ‘wolves’. One is evil — it is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is good…
There’s an interesting story about the great English actor, Macready. A respected preacher once asked him, “I wish you would explain something to me.”
We live in a day and age that everywhere we turn, there’s a “self-help” theory. Books, videos and dvds, websites, world-renown speakers, you name it — all dedicated to helping us “feel good about ourselves”. Yet somehow, still many of us struggle with self-consciousness, even as Christians!
Early in the last century, sculptor Gutzon Borglum gazed at the cliffs of South Dakota’s Black Hills. As any great artist would, He saw what no one else could the sculpted faces of US presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. After 14 years, he finally completed his project — Mount Rushmore.
Counselors, encouragers, and people who offer care to others often encounter those whose past failures threaten to define them and hinder their development, healing, and sanctification. Our enemy capitalizes on our failures and regrets, pressing home the current influence of what we could have, would have, or should have done, if only we were wiser, more courageous, honest, or godly.