3 Adar, 5769
SHALOM! This evening at sunset is Shabbat. I am amazed at how fast it seems to come. It seems like it was just last evening we lit our candles and said the blessings. Wow! Shabbat is to be looked forward to. It is the Queen of the week. It is as though all the days of the week are lined up and one thru six bow down before the seventh. This is how precious we should see Sabbath.

Almost everyday, my granddaughter, Arrin, will ask me if it's Shabbat. This is how it should be...the anticipation of His rest. The celebration of His giving us something so wonderful!

Before I became Shabbat observant, I had no idea..I did not comprehend what this day meant. And, it can be so many things. If one is very observant, as in Hasidic Jews and some Messianics, you would not cook, or drive or do many other things on Sabbath. For some, this is a day of rest, complete rest. Taking a walk, napping for some, for some it is a day, even more than others, to study His Word, and for some it is a family day..having a wonderful family meal and doing things together.

For us, we are kind of in middle ground. When the lighting time is very early, we light a candle and then around six or sometimes a little later, we use its flame to light our Shabbat candles. Sometimes we have challah and then other times we use matza during the blessings. We sometimes order food or we prepare something. Some evenings we study and then others we may have a TV show we watch or maybe a movie to go to.

On Seventh day or Saturday, I try and make sure Arrin watches all the kids shows on TBN or the other Christian channels. I have a service I watch and participate in over the internet, from Texas, that is Messianic. We have a Messianic Congregation near us, Or HaOlam, but I don't have a car so we are waiting upon the LORD about it. Do I think its ok to drive? I will drive on Sabbath to go worship the LORD or drive if there is an emergency. I will ride in a car if I am with someone and they desire me to be with them.

I do cook on Sabbath and will clean up some....this is a blessing to others when food is prepared and they are filled. I make sure the dishes are out of the dishwasher on Friday afternoon, though, and then we just fill it up. We don't turn it on till after Shabbat is over. If I had a lot of company come and I needed the dishes, yes, we would get them done. It is just a matter of priorities.

Now, I am not saying I won't change my attitude about these things if the LORD convicts me but it is all relative to what is going on and the need at the time. Did Jesus heal on the Sabbath? YES! Did David and his men travel and do things on the Sabbath? YES!

You might be someone who has to work on the Sabbath. If you do, at least make sure you recognise the importance of the day and totally give it to the LORD as an offering...He sees your heart and when your heart is right He sees that your obedience is there and that you are one who fulfills your duties.

We all need to come under the truth...the understanding of the Way of God because Yeshua is coming soon and when He has established Himself upon the throne, Shabbat will be very important.

He is the same yeasterday, today and forever!

Below is the link to a Parashah study from Or HaOlam......I hope you enjoy it and the Word becomes a part of you..that it sustains you and brings life to you.

http://orhaolam.com/uploads/Ex_25_T_rumah_09.pdf