A Day of Rest and Grace

“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the LORD your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days the LORD made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.”

Exodus 20:8–11

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Today’s Verse

A plethora of studies show that the brain requires alternating periods of structured work followed by unstructured rest in order to maximize function. When God made remembering the Sabbath the fourth commandment, he asked us to make the day holy and set apart. And when Jesus came to earth as one of us, he set us free from the law of how Sabbath should look. The commandments are still relevant today because truth never changes; it is always and eternally true. However, Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for our sins changes the rules of Sabbath to a day of grace. He is waiting for us to be with him and to trust that his commandments are good. No matter what day or how much time we choose to give him, Jesus is Sabbath. When we make the day different on his behalf, holiness inhabits our intentions.

Shelly Miller is a veteran ministry leader, blogger, and the author of Rhythms of Rest. She leads the Sabbath Society, an online community. Excerpts are from Rhythms of Rest: Finding the Spirit of Sabbath in a Busy World by Shelly Miller. Used by permission of Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2016.