Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
May 22, 2024
Exodus 20:8-11
8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Good Morning! Keep the Sabbath day holy!
I sadly must admit that finding a Sabbath day each week is difficult in the life of a pastor.
Sundays are not a day of rest for pastors and many others, so it is necessary to find another day. The problem with that is how many distractions and duties creep in and before I realize it, I am working on something.
Now, let me clarify by first saying that serving as a pastor does not seem like work to me. However, I understand the need to step away, rest, and recharge our souls as Jesus taught us by his example.
Earlier this month, I set a new goal for myself to observe the Sabbath more faithfully than I have done so far in my ministry. The problem comes when you pick a day and someone needs pastoral care, or a last-minute meeting gets scheduled. You can’t say no to some situations, but in not finding time to observe Sabbath, am I saying no to God?
To this I turn to God for guidance. I appreciate Jesus’ example where Sabbath might be a part of a day like when he would go off to pray. The problem is that this can create a slippery slope. I have a planned time that gets eaten away by my attempts to do, “just one more thing.”
As with everything we are called to do, we are works in progress. Observing Sabbath is a blessing to which I wish to attain.
Affirming God, Thank you for this beautiful gift of life. Help us to joyfully serve you! Remind us that all good work requires a time to rest and refresh. We thank you! In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: Use your work and your rest to worship God.
Rest and Renew in the joy of God! Pastor Liz
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