Worthy Words

This week we consider the third fact about putting together a correct understanding of the meaning of Sabbath. Here, once again, is the text before us, Genesis 2:1-3 from the English Standard Version: Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. FACT #3: The area of focus today is the specific action from which God rested was creation. The text says, “So God…rested from all his work that he had done in creation” (v. 3b). There is no further record of any creative activity. God created man then He rested. Nothing has been made by God since. Man is the last physical effort of God in the creation story. It can therefore be concluded that the Sabbath (rest) in which God entered continues to this day. God is c...

This week let’s take a look at the second fact about putting together a correct understanding of the meaning of Sabbath. Let us reread again Genesis 2:1-3 from the English Standard Version:  Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. FACT #2: It seems obvious from this passage that the spot-on meaning of Sabbath is rest. Actually, the word “seven,” the word “sabbath,” and the word “rest,” are all the same basic root word in Hebrew, Shabat meaning seven, and the word sabbath meaning rest. Therefore, the significance in its meaning is rest. Let us be clear here. Rest as it is used in the text does not mean rest in the way we think of it. After working hard all day we come home tired and weary and ne...

Twelve years ago my wife and I attended a Bar Mitzvah service for the son of her long time Jewish friend. It was on the seventh day of the week where the young 13 year old conducts the service much as a rabbi would. He read, for the first time, from the scrolls of the Torah, the first five books of Moses. It was impressive to see the rabbi unlock the ark in which the Torah is kept, bring out the scrolls, unroll them on the table, as Jews have done for centuries, and hear the teenager read in Hebrew from the scrolls. At the end he gave thanks for two things which have been the treasure of Israel for centuries, the Law and the Sabbath. The Sabbath is one of the oldest institutions in the world dating back to the very earliest appearance of man upon the earth when, in Genesis 2:1-3, God blessed and proclaimed the Sabbath holy. Then, later in the biblical record it became part of the Law given to Moses for Israel (Ex. 20:8-11; 31:12-17). There are a number of Christians today who are conce...

No one ever said that living the Christian life would be easy. The following words help put this thought in the proper perspective. IT IS NOT EASY To apologize To start over To take advice To be unselfish To admit error To face a sneer To be charitable To keep trying To be considerate To avoid mistakes To endure success To profit by mistakes To forgive and forget To think and then act To keep out of a rut To make the best of little To subdue an unruly temper To shoulder a deserved blame BUT IT ALWAYS PAYS OFF Love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honor.—Romans 12:10 RSV

Bruce Springsteen is all but retired now, but in the 80's he was one of the hardest working people in the entertainment business. His concerts typically last 4 hours—and whether he is playing to 20,000 people in an outdoor arena, or just a few hundred people in a small room, he gives 100% of himself to every performance. The encore alone lasts 45 minutes. At one point in every performance the band dramatically stops playing and Springsteen shouts into the microphone, "I'm just a prisoner of rock and roll!" All his life he's been obsessed with playing music. He is, indeed, a prisoner of rock and roll. Nothing could stand in his way. Springsteen pursued his career in music with unbridled enthusiasm, and ultimately became the biggest name in rock music. Only then did he decide to settle down, get married, and start a family. Till that moment, he gave his life to rock and roll. In the very same way, the Apostle Paul gave his life to preaching the gospel. In Romans Pau...

In the classic Christmas tale How the Grinch Stole Christmas, written by Dr. Seuss’, the central figure Mr. Grinch suffers from having a small heart. The fundamental issue of his heart problem is his lack of understanding the meaning of Christmas. As the story unfolds, the Grinch attempts to put a stop to Christmas, however, in the end, he comes to understand what Christmas is all about and his heart grows three sizes! The Grinch’s enlarged heart makes a big difference in his life. The Grinch has the feel of a Christian parable. This may not have been Dr. Seuss’ intentions in 1957 when he wrote this children’s book, but it suggests to me a parallel of the change that takes place in a person’s life when they come to understand the true meaning of Christmas which proclaims the birth of Jesus, God’s Son, who was born to save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). When the light of the Gospel according to Christmas dawns upon the heart of a person, God replaces the old heart of st...

You are different from every other person on this planet ... and that's exactly what God had in mind all along. God always knew that you would be you, and that was fine with him. In fact, you were exactly what he wanted. As Rick Warren says in Purpose Driven Life, "Long before you were conceived by your parents, you were conceived in the mind of God." In Psalm 139:16 King David put it this way: All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. The Apostle Paul laid it out like this in Acts 17:26: From one man He has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live.  You may sometimes wonder… "God, why did you put me here? Why this place? Why this family? Why these limitations?" The answer is that God placed you here and now because he has a plan for you — something only you can do.  In Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye asks the Lord, "Would it spo...