The Gift of the Sabbath
If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath . . . , if you call the Sabbath a delight and . . . honorable, and . . . not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, . . . I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob. Isa. 58:13, 14, NIV.
The Sabbath is a special day—a time to put aside work, schedules, and daily commitments. It's a time to rest, relax, refocus and remember that God created you, and to recount all His blessings. The Sabbath offers us opportunity for re-creation for our battle-weary bodies, our muddled minds, and our starved souls. It provides fellowship with our Creator and with each other. Each Sabbath is a 24-hour celebration of life.
To really get the health benefits God created this day for, you've got to make it different, special, and stress-free. That's why it's important to avoid such things as newspapers, radio, TV, video games, or any business involvement. When you put aside secular pursuits, the pressures and job tensions decrease or even disappear. Sabbath is a moral battery-charging time—a time to gain spiritual insights and inspiration.
If you want to live a healthier lifestyle, you can't afford to overlook or ignore what the Sabbath can do for you. On this day you can seek solitude in the outdoors and avoid stress-producing noise. It's a day to avoid jammed freeways, shopping malls, packed stadiums, competitive sports. By doing this you'll be able to maintain healthier blood pressure levels. Worshiping God, instead of your work, frees you from the pressure to perform, produce, and compete. Taking a weekly vacation from stress can rejuvenate your entire system.
The Sabbath is a day to cease from work, but it's far more than that. It's also a time to cease from accomplishment, from worry and tension, and to stop trying to control your own life. For six days you have been in the driver's seat and have tried to shape the world by your wit, creativity, brains, and brawn. But on Sabbath you receive permission to slide over and let the God of the universe take the driver's seat while you enjoy a chauffeured, no-hassle trip. A 24-hour free ride with the One who created it all. Wow! So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the trip.
The Sabbath is a weekly gift with incredible blessings attached. Don't forget to open it each week and experience God's promises in Isaiah 58:13, 14.
The Sabbath is a special day—a time to put aside work, schedules, and daily commitments. It's a time to rest, relax, refocus and remember that God created you, and to recount all His blessings. The Sabbath offers us opportunity for re-creation for our battle-weary bodies, our muddled minds, and our starved souls. It provides fellowship with our Creator and with each other. Each Sabbath is a 24-hour celebration of life.
To really get the health benefits God created this day for, you've got to make it different, special, and stress-free. That's why it's important to avoid such things as newspapers, radio, TV, video games, or any business involvement. When you put aside secular pursuits, the pressures and job tensions decrease or even disappear. Sabbath is a moral battery-charging time—a time to gain spiritual insights and inspiration.
If you want to live a healthier lifestyle, you can't afford to overlook or ignore what the Sabbath can do for you. On this day you can seek solitude in the outdoors and avoid stress-producing noise. It's a day to avoid jammed freeways, shopping malls, packed stadiums, competitive sports. By doing this you'll be able to maintain healthier blood pressure levels. Worshiping God, instead of your work, frees you from the pressure to perform, produce, and compete. Taking a weekly vacation from stress can rejuvenate your entire system.
The Sabbath is a day to cease from work, but it's far more than that. It's also a time to cease from accomplishment, from worry and tension, and to stop trying to control your own life. For six days you have been in the driver's seat and have tried to shape the world by your wit, creativity, brains, and brawn. But on Sabbath you receive permission to slide over and let the God of the universe take the driver's seat while you enjoy a chauffeured, no-hassle trip. A 24-hour free ride with the One who created it all. Wow! So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the trip.
The Sabbath is a weekly gift with incredible blessings attached. Don't forget to open it each week and experience God's promises in Isaiah 58:13, 14.
Used by permission of Health Ministries, North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists.
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