“Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 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 manservant or maidservant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor the alien within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you do. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.”
Deuteronomy 5:12-15
The Lord Gives Us Rest
Devotion based on Deuteronomy 5:12-15
See series: Devotions
Last month was a busy one for our family. With two birthdays, two graduations, Mother’s Day, and a wedding, we had plenty of happy occasions to celebrate. By the end of the month we were exhausted, running from one big event to the next. However, we often reminded ourselves how blessed we were that these were happy events that kept us so busy. Life could just as easily throw an equally large number of challenges and tragedies at us in a short period of time.
Whether we are overwhelmed with the good things of this world or with disasters, we can quickly forget that this world is not the only one. We get so caught up in the daily chores, weekly specials, monthly bills, and annual events that it seems that time will always just keep marching forward. We lose sight of Jesus’ promise to return one day soon and end the world as we know it. So in the Third Commandment, the Lord commanded his people to take a regular rest from their earthly routines.
When we gather for worship on a weekly basis, the Lord not only gives us momentary relief from the daily grind, he gives us true, eternal rest for our souls. Just as God had rescued his Old Testament people from slavery in Egypt, he rescued us from slavery to sin, death, and the devil by the work of his Son Jesus Christ. In our worship services, the Lord reminds us through his Word about everything that Christ has done for us. Confidently in Christ, we know that the sad times of life now will soon be a bygone experience, while the happy events of this world are a foretaste of unending heavenly joy we will have through Jesus.
Prayer:
Lord God, break through my focus on the busyness of this world to remind me of the blessedness of the world to come. Amen.
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