Seeking Sabbath Rest

Recently, I posted about my personal search for simplicity, and mentioned that I was reading a book entitled Breathe - Creating Space for God in a Hectic Life. This is the kind of book that you read slowly, and deliberately. It has "Breathing Excercises" within it that cause you to really take the time to ponder and access what you've read.

So, today I was reading about Sabbath rest, and I wanted to share with you all some wonderful quotes from this book. We've recently had some friends who've taken to the "Law", attempting to follow all of the 600+ of the Levitical laws. My husband and I are in total disagreement with this type of belief system. Christ came to fulfill the law and to free us from the burden of keeping the law, besides that - we're Gentiles anyway! But, that is for another post...

Over the years, we've spent our Sundays in many different ways. We've had seasons where they were spent working, trying to build our business in it's early years. We've had seasons where we spent ALL DAY at church doing every "spiritual" activity they had to offer. We've had seasons when we spent the morning in worship, the afternoons in rest, and the evenings in family reading or wholesome family movie watching. The later are my favorite times. We are there again now, because we have a little one that naps, forcing the rest of us to be home and be quiet!!! Praise the Lord, I'm loving these quiet days.

Ponder this scripture - from Deuteronomy 5:15, "And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. "

(Now from Breathe...)
"God is reminding His people: You have choices. You are free. You are not slaves anymore... Remember and celebrate the fact that you have been set free.
Sabbath is about freedom.
Some people in Jesus day and our day (and in the days in between) have turned Sabbath-keeping into bondage rather than freedom. We miss the gift if we get too legalistic, but we also miss it if we ignore Sabbath-keeping altogether."

And, from the book Receiving the Day, by Dorothy Bass...
"Slaves cannot skip a day of work, but free people can. Not all free people choose to do so, however; some of us remain glued to our computers and washing machines every day of the week. To keep Sabbath is to excercise one's freedom, to declare oneself to be neither a tool to be employed - an employee - nor a beast to be burdened. To keep Sabbath is also to remember one's freedom and to recall the One from whom that freedom came, and the One from whom it still comes."

WOW!!! Hallelulajah! We are F*R*E*E!!! I would encourage you to take the time to read the short book of Galatians. This power packed book of just 6 chapters is a book that will encourage you in your faith, strengthen your resolve to be sons of the Most High God, and help you to understand our true freedom in Christ.

Abiding in His grace, and freedom!
Lori