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Jesus is our Sabbath


Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath (Mk 2:28) and indeed, is our Sabbath, for it is in Him that we find rest (Mt 11:28). Not only does He bear our burdens with us (and fully understand those burdens because He took on humanity), He gives us peace and hope of a secure future with Him (Jn 3:16-17). Originally, we were given the Sabbath to rest from physical labors. If you look to Exodus 16, you see that it requires trust in God to rest. We must trust that taking a break from our labors won’t end up getting us behind and that God will continue to provide during that time of rest (Ex 16:5; 22-30). Now, we can rest assured knowing that through Him we accomplish more than apart from Him (Phil 4:13), that He works through us for good (Rom 8:27-29), and that through the name of Jesus, our requests will be filled according to His will (Jn 14:13-14; 15:16; 16:23-26). However, our delight must be in Yahweh, and thus we must humble ourselves, submit to Him, trust Him, rest in Him, and desire His will and not our own (Ps 37:4-5; Mt 6:10). Jesus’ own submission to the will of the Father is evidence of how we must humble ourselves to His will (Mt 26:39; Lk 22:42).  

We see repeatedly throughout Scripture that through God we will get more done, we will do great things, and we will behold our desires, so long as these things are the will of Yahweh. Taking a Sabbath to rest and commune with Yahweh was part of how those things were accomplished, now we get to rest in Christ Jesus, and through Him and the Spirit He has given to us for guidance and strengthening, we can accomplish more for His glory. Take up His yoke, for with His yoke, you are now able to rest because Jesus shares your burdens with you, thus they are lighter (Mt 11:29-30). All He asks for is the hardest thing of all, Your life. So like Martin Luther who would spend an extra hour of his morning in prayer when he had much to accomplish, so should we spend more time with God as our days and lives get busier. Therefore, it is in Christ that we find rest.

Enjoy your Sabbath, the Lord Jesus, every day of the week. It is in Jesus that you shall find peace, joy, and everlasting life. Don’t be a Sunday Christian, because that isn’t any way to live.

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