A Daily Devotion for Wednesday November 29
- ontrakk
- Nov 29, 2023
- 1 min read
Genesis 2:2-3
By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
This is the first scriptural reference to a sabbath day. Because God rested on the seventh day, we rest as well. We set the day aside as different and dedicated to God. My mom grew up in the Dutch Reform church, and they had a number of things they were not allowed to do on Sunday, like dance, play cards, or go to the movies. I remember as a child that Sundays were kind of boring, because after church and a big meal, there was "nothing to do." No stores were open, no regular TV shows, etc. This passage from Genesis does not give us any rules, it only tells us that God set aside the Sabbath and rested. Sundays are special and they belong to God in a different way than the other six days of the week. How do I live that out?
Holy Lord, I look forward to learning more from you about what the Sabbath day is and should be in my life. For now, I will try to keep Sunday more holy, more focused on you and your never-ending grace.
Amen
Becky, transforming
My growing up Sundays were always “family day.” First church, then visiting, enjoying donuts and coffee with one family or another, then a terrific meal, playing with cousins, and just relaxing. I think this is what the Sabbath rest means to me. Of course, that was before the “blue laws” were relaxed and suddenly people could do so much more than relax. And do they did. Suddenly it seemed relaxing was a waste of precious time. Now, few if any, have the kind of Sunday I had.
Prayer: Gracious God, My prayer is for the “so busy” people. May they realize the importance of Sabbath rest in their lives. Amen
Sabbath
Wednesday, November 29th, 2022
Genesis 2:2-3
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. 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.
One of the best ways to keep the Sabbath day holy is to devote time to worshipping God. During the other six days of the week, it's easy to get caught up in all of our responsibilities. On Sunday, we can take time to turn our thoughts and hearts to God. We can attend church services. Without some planning, Sunda…
Genesis 2:2-3 Keeping Sabbath has varied greatly over the course of my life. As a child, Sunday meant church, followed by lunch out and our weekly visit with my paternal grandparents. As a young (wannabe) adult it meant recovering from Saturday and worship was not always a part of that. As a medical student and physician it was not infrequently just another work day. Late in my career as my faith matured, I tried to hold Sunday cases over to Monday in order to attend worship, but sometimes still had to go in for cases after church. I now have the freedom to treat Sabbath with the respect it is due as described in Scripture. I know I cannot “make up”…