Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy (Exodus 20:8).      Last week, I ended with the question, "What kind of rest do we mean?" When the Bible invites us into rest, what does it mean? What did God intend when he commanded Israel to observe the Sabbath? Let's begin this series on rest by exploring that question. A fruitful place to begin is by noting the word that often describes Sabbath, the word 'holy'. This word does not always come with helpful connotations today. We think of those who have been declared saints or those who live by high moral standards, often with a "holier than you attitude." That is not the place to begin. In the Bible, holy means "set apart," "separated," or "dedicated for a special purpose". Thus, the Sabbath was a day set apart for God. On it, Israel was to remember that God is both creator (Exodus 20) and redeemer (Deuteronomy 5). This was not intended to be a burden to Israel. Jesus said, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27). In Sabbath keeping, we are invited to rest from all our activities we engage in to succeed in this world. We are given time to remember and know that we belong to God, and he cares for us. Through the psalmist, God says, "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). It takes time and some effort to still our souls long enough to hear the voice of the Spirit reminding us that we are holy, we belong to God. It is difficult to believe that we do not need to work every day to survive in this world. The rest we are talking about here, is the rest in which we learn to lean on God, trusting that he will provide our daily bread. In this rest, God re-orients our lives so that we live for him, not for ourselves. How has the drive to succeed taken control of your life? How is it impacting what your children and grandchildren are learning from you? What else might be interfering with this rest? Sometimes, it's our need to be entertained. Sometimes, it's our need to be busy all the time. Sometimes, its that we are living for ourselves. These are things that drive us ever onward without giving us rest or joy. God invites us into a different way of living. Go with this blessing: Go to Jesus and he will give you rest (Matthew 11:30). May the presence of God go with you and give you rest (Exodus 33:14).

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