Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath
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Foreword
With this devotional, we want to invite you to focus on Jesus, who is Lord of all… including Sabbath! Mark 2:27-28 said, “And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore, the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.” Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. God Himself took a Sabbath after He finished creating the world. He wants… Read more..
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Day 1 – Introduction
Before looking at the purpose of Sabbath in our lives as we journey with Christ, let us first look at the context of usage of the word “Sabbath” in the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew origin of the word Sabbath is ‘shabbat’ meaning to cease, desist or rest. The first usage of the word is in Exodus 16:23, where the Lord commanded the Israelites… Read more..
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Day 2 – Rest
Today and in the upcoming days of this plan, we will look at the fruit of Sabbath. Jesus says in the Gospel that every branch that does not bear fruit should be cut away, and the one that bears fruit ought to be pruned, so it can bear more (John 15:1-2). Keeping the Sabbath is supposed to bear fruit in our lives, otherwise it is just a dead branch… Read more..
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Day 3 – Reconciliation
Yesterday, we saw how rest, both physical and spiritual, was God’s will for us. By stepping out of our daily routine and deciding to intentionally redirect our time and attention away from our daily work towards our Creator and Father, we experience the rest and peace that Jesus promised to give to all those who labor and are heavy laden. A small precision worth pointing out here is that… Read more..
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Day 4 – Reset
Yesterday, we left off enjoying the fruit of reconciliation with our Father. We repented from the poor stewardship of our time, resources, and life, and decided to turn away from all distractions. But repentance is not just turning away from evil, it is also actively moving towards the God. This is the only way that we are sure we will not circle back to what we are trying to… Read more..
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Day 5 – Renewal
A wise man once said: The only prayer that God desires from an unbeliever is the prayer of repentance, for no matter which other blessing he asks for, none of them will matter if in the end he misses out on eternal life in God’s presence. This is why the first facets of the fruit of sabbath are about silencing the noise and busyness around us, returning to God,… Read more..
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Day 6 – Relationship
“It is not good for man to be alone”. You might have heard this verse (Genesis 2:18) being quoted at weddings, but it holds true for any kind of relationship, not only those between a husband and his wife. God did not design us to be individualistic beings, relationship and community are what He wants for us and though there are moments where He leads us into the wilderness… Read more..
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Day 7 – Rejoice
Congratulations! You made it to the last day! We hope that you have been blessed by this devotional and that the fruit of Sabbath is growing and will continue to grow in your life, as you learn to keep the Sabbath following Jesus’ example. Today we will talk about the last, but certainly not the least facet of the fruit of Sabbath: rejoicing. This is the day the Lord… Read more..