Sabbath Rest

Sometimes its hard to enter into Sabbath rest in the LORD, especially when we are accustomed to not following our Father's Seventh Day Sabbath. It's hard sometimes, when those around us are not understanding or even trying to understand that His rest is so important. I have made compromises for family or at least felt they were at the time but now I understand that some things we do, when we do them for the right reasons are ok. When my son got married, I had volunteered to cook a lot of the food. His ceremony was on a Saturday afternoon so it meant I would have to do a lot of cooking on Sabbath. This did bother me but I knew I was doing this for him and Roxie so I felt ok about it.

I read a story about a Rabbi in a Soviet camp, he was brought in to see the comandant who told him he could be released if he would sign a paper. But, it was Sabbath and the Rabbi could not write on Sabbath so he said he would stay...even though he was told he'd be there for eight more years because he refused to write his name. While he was still in the office, another Rabbi was brought in, he was asked the same thing. Sign the paper and you will be released, if you don't you will be in here eight more years. At this the first Rabbi spoke up. "I will sign his name so that he can be released." The commandant fumed, "You will sign his name, write on the Sabbath for him, but not for yourself?" He spoke up, "I am a stronger man and can take eight more years in here, he is not so strong." The Commandant was angry but the LORD was good and a few days later both Rabbis were released.

The Sabbath is made for our rest in the LORD but when we do things that we are not necessarily supposed to do, for the right reasons, we are doing what is right in the sight of the LORD.

Yeshua was criticized for doing good works on the Sabbath...David and his men did things they weren't supposed to do on the Sabbath..but we know our Father was not angry...He sees the heart. And He sees ours and knows why we do the things we do.

Shabbat Shalom.....L'chayim tovem ul'shalom!
Sabbath peace....to a good life and peace!




SABBATH- A DAY TO STOP
From Del Smith at YahSpace

Stopping work and resting are very different things.

~Mattityahu 6:25-33, “Because of this I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you shall eat or drink, or about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than the food and the body more than the clothing? 26“Look at the birds of the heaven, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into storehouses, yet your heavenly Father does feed them. Are you not worth more than they? 27“And which of you by worrying is able to add one cubit to his life’s span? 28“So why do you worry about clothing? Note well the lilies of the field, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin, 29and I say to you that even Shelomoh in all his esteem was not dressed like one of these. 30“But if Elohim so clothes the grass of the field, which exists today, and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more you, O you of little belief? 31“Do not worry then, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 “For all these the gentiles seek for. And your heavenly Father knows that you need all these. 33“But seek first the reign of Elohim, and His righteousness, and all these matters shall be added to you.~

When Yisrael were in the wilderness Yahuah often tested them by them not always having food or water. Yisrael had to learn to trust Yahuah for all things. But once Yisrael reached the Promised Land where there were plenty of supplies the manna from Yahuah stopped and Yisrael had to provide for themselves.

In this, came a temptation that after a while they didn’t need Yahuah because they could do it all themselves. We too may stop working on the Sabbath but we don’t actually rest. We may be thinking, ‘I could make more money if I worked today’, or ‘I am worried I won’t make enough because I don’t work on the Sabbath’ etc…

The Sabbath is meant to be a time when we refresh ourselves and most importantly refresh our relationship with Yahuah. Our whole being should come into a ‘resting’ in Him. This gives us a sense of reassurance that He is in our lives and leading us. This will bring true rest and peace.

Having quite times where it’s just you and Him. Turn off the music, unplug the TV, put the kids in their rooms for a nap etc... Its like ‘me’ time with my Creator. Just Him and me alone, no distractions, closing my eyes and just being quite. When you do this at times He will speak to you in a quite voice. This is your time with Him to get personal. I don’t always get to do this and to be honest I have been getting distracted many times. So with that realization I have to discipline myself to go there. Practice resting. Sounds strange but we are so caught up in this world and the ways of it, we have so many habits that draw us away from Him, that we literally have to force ourselves and organize our lives so that we can have this time. But you know what I have found out? When I make this time, when I get there I find such delightful experience. My whole being becomes relaxed as I enter into His presence. I truly begin to have rest with in and peace begins to flood my very being.

The Sabbath is a day for us to stop. It’s that simple, to stop. Where we put everything aside and spend time with Yahusha.

By doing this we not only benefit from it physically and spiritually but we are also showing our wonderful redeemer that we love by our obedience. Let us continue to follow His leadings in our lives as He takes us onto eternity.

Shabbat shalom