This study was originally written and published on GracefullyTruthful.com. For further studies like this, check out their website! Read His Words Before Ours!
Exodus 20:8-11 Mark 2:23-28 Matthew 12:9-14 I curled up in my chair with my coffee steaming beside me and opened my book. The title beckoned, calling to my weary soul . . . The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry. My breathing slows and deepens; I need this. “Just before sunset on Friday, we finish up all our to-do lists and homework and grocery shopping and responsibilities, power down all our devices (we literally put them all in a box and stow it in a closet), and gather around the table as a family. We open a bottle of wine, light some candles, read a psalm, pray. Then we feast, and we basically don’t stop feasting for the next twenty-four hours. It’s the Comer way! And, I might add, the Jesus way. We sleep in Saturday morning. Drink coffee. Read our Bibles. Pray more. Spend time together. Talk. Laugh. In summer, we walk to the park. In winter, make a fire. Get lost in good novels on the couch. Cuddle. Nap.” As I read this paragraph in John Mark Comer’s book, I recalled some of the sweetest moments in my life … A quiet afternoon reading and drinking hot cocoa in a ski lodge … Napping on my couch as I listen to rain falling outside … Slow, meandering walks with my girls … Card games and family dinners around my uncle’s kitchen table … Sunday drives in the middle of nowhere … But for me, these times typically only happen during vacation or holidays; John Mark Comer’s family shares peace-filled days weekly! I wanted that. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” (Exodus 20:8) But that’s ancient history, isn’t it? Or maybe it kinda-sorta applies to us, but we keep it holy by going to church… right? To find our answer, let’s look back to Scripture. There’s a second component to this commandment: “You are to labor six days and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You must not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female servant, your livestock, or the resident alien who is within your city gates. For the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything in them in six days; then he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and declared it holy.” (Exodus 20:9-11, emphasis mine) First part: Keep the day holy. Remember God. Second part: Don’t work. Rest. The Pharisees of Jesus’ human-days took the second part of this commandment to the extreme. In fact, even today, Orthodox Jews strictly prohibit 39 categories of activities on the Sabbath (or Shabbat); these include the size food can be cut into, the texture of dough that can be made, and much more. In Mark 2, Jesus abolished this legalistic mindset, reminding them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27), meaning the Sabbath was created to help people, not burden them. Contrastingly, we have the majority of the Church today, gathering on Sunday (our Sabbath) to worship, then catching up or getting a head start on the busyness coming at us in the week ahead: last minute projects and homework, cleaning the house, meal prepping, laundry. We don’t actually rest. The Sabbath was never meant to be a catching-up day. John Mark Comer, and other pivotal leaders in the evangelical church are on a quest to practice the Sabbath in all its intended goodness and beauty. When planning an activity on their Sabbath (sidenote: often not a Sunday, as many are involved in full-time ministry), they ask:
I’ve been delving into the world of practicing Sabbath because the calm and stillness and remembrance of this gift are so inviting. While I could write heaps, I want to share a few points to consider, then encourage you to read, research, and practice on your own … God knew we couldn’t do it. But God loves us more than we can understand, so He gives us these commandments to lead us to His best for us. Yet we, in our rebellious sin, fight against His words, treating them as a burden, rather than a gift . . . and He knew we would. Into this tension stepped Jesus and His death and resurrection. Even THIS commandment to honor the Sabbath points to Jesus, our sinful nature, and our great need for a Redeemer. -- “Girls! It’s almost Sabbath! Help me get the dishes put away!” I call, and my three little loves rush into the kitchen to sort silverware and stack their bowls and plates. It is 5pm and almost time for our Sabbath. I’ve already deleted the social media apps from my phone, and spent the day preparing by wrapping up work. As we settle onto my bed with our nontraditional, but weekly, Shabbat meal of chicken nuggets, french fries, and broccoli, I remind the girls why we take the time to remember God and what He has done. “How have you seen God this week?” I ask my girls. One of my twins says she saw Him in the beautiful flowers she smelled. The other shares how she saw Him when she jumped in the pool and her entire head went under water. My three-year old tells me she saw Him “everywhere.” We’re still learning. We’re still practicing. But we’re taking time to breathe in deeply and worship the Lord while completely resting our weary souls. -- For further Sabbath study, check out these resources: “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” by John Mark Comer “The Sabbath” by Abraham Joshua Heschel Annie F Downs’ highlight on Sabbath
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This study was written for and published by Gracefully Truthful. For more studies like this one, visit their website! Ephesians 1:15-23
1 Corinthians 12:12-27 John 14:25-26 My Papa was a letter-writer. In his lifetime, he wrote thousands of letters to people around the world, including many to his own family members. Papa claimed a corner of their kitchen counter as his letter-writing and Bible-studying station. His worn Bible sat on top of the yellow, lined notebook paper Gamma bought in bulk for him, and his highlighters and favorite pens were within reach at all times. I was scolded many-a-time for taking his pen from his station and not bringing it back. When I left the home our family shared and headed to college, the letters started and they didn’t stop. Papa went Home to Heaven almost four years ago, yet the letters keep coming, because every once in a while, I happen across an unopened letter. Recently, as I was going through keepsake boxes at my parents’ house, I found such a letter. With a jump in my heart, I clutched it and imagined Papa writing it, his sprawling cursive shaky from Parkinson's and with the occasional German word mix-up. But I didn’t open it. Instead, I tucked it away for another day. I couldn’t bring myself to open what could be my last message from Papa, despite the words of love and wisdom most likely filling the inside. I imagine that same joy and excitement circulated when an early church received a letter from Paul. Paul did a lot of writing while imprisoned; this Journey Theme focuses on his letter to the church in Ephesus. I also imagine, unlike me, they didn’t save their letter for another time. They delved right in, unaware this personal letter was inspired by the Holy Spirit and would become part of the Bible we read today. Let’s dissect this prison prayer; for such a short prayer, it’s crammed with goodness! Paul begins by explaining how thankful he is for the Ephesians’ faith in Jesus and love for all of the saints (ie, Christians), because it evidences their participation in God’s great work in the world. He shares how he has been praying for them with thankfulness both for them and their growth. Paul prays with four main points:
Furthermore, Paul is praying for the whole, global Church (including us!) to know Him in all of the facets of His character. For example, we may know Him as Savior, but not as Father, Friend, Guide, and Sustainer. Since we are made in His image, the more intimately we know Him, the more we will understand ourselves in light of Him. How do we know God better? Through enlightenment and revelation from the Holy Spirit as He opens the eyes of our “hearts” (again, meaning spirits or souls). Second, Paul prays we’ll know the hope of God’s calling. In Greek, “church” is a combination of two words: “ek,” meaning out of, and “kaleo,” meaning to call. Church literally meant “called out.” We. Are. Called. We’ve been called out of darkness and into His marvelous light! (1 Peter 2:9) Paul is reminding the church in Ephesus, and the global Church, we have great hope because of by Whom we are called, what we are called to do, and because this world is not our final resting place. Third, Paul fervently prays we’ll know God’s riches, but get this, he’s talking about US! WE are God’s riches! Just as man’s wealth lies with his treasure, God’s wealth is found in us, His treasures. God deals with us on the basis of our future. We see throughout Scripture how He calls people what they will become, not what they are at the time (as when he called Gideon a valiant warrior while he was still cowering in fear). God’s riches lie in who we will be when we are glorified with God. Paul is reminding the Church we have great value in God’s eyes and much to bring to the Kingdom! Lastly, Paul prays we will know the great power found in God; this power was fully displayed when Jesus was resurrected from the grave. With that same power, God saved us from the grave and has breathed new life into us. Immeasurable Greatness Of His Power Toward us who believe, according to the Mighty working Of His Strength. (Ephesians 1:19) Those are some big, descriptive words right there! God is mighty! He has all power! And we have access to that power because we know Him! Paul ends this prayer by reminding us Jesus Christ, KING Jesus, has ALL power and all authority. He is the head; we are His body. So, Church (that’s us, sisters), grab onto our love-letter from God (the Bible), and flip to the letter Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus (and ultimately, the Church as a whole). Allow his prayer to wash over you, understanding Paul was praying we would know the Almighty intimately, we would be filled with the hope of our calling, we would remember our value in the Kingdom, and we would grasp His great power, which we also possess through Jesus Christ! |
Kendra LeeAnneFrom Bible studies to blogs, articles to musings of the heart, Kendra's writings are unbarred and raw - exactly how she speaks. Categories
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