 |
Home | Mission Statement | Video Gallery | Audio Gallery | Photo Gallery | Daily Manna | Testimonies | | Links | Contact us |
 |
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go Josh 1:9 |
 |
| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Thursday, October 8, 2026
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :The Fourth Directive (Commandment) Bible Verse :Exodus 20:8-11 "Eternal One: “You and your family are to remember the Sabbath Day; set it apart, and keep it holy. You have six days to do all your work, but the seventh day is to be different; it is the Sabbath of the Eternal your God. Keep it holy by not doing any work — not you, your sons, your daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, or any outsiders living among you. For the Eternal made the heavens above, the earth below, the seas, and all the creatures in them in six days. Then, on the seventh day, He rested. That is why He blessed the Sabbath Day and made it sacred.” " Message:
Since we have had a number of discussions about keeping the Sabbath; we don’t need to cover the same ground here. Suffice it to say, few of us make even a really good-faith effort to follow the spirit of this “directive”. We allow secular society undermine our obedience to God; it is the path of least resistance. Are we out of milk? I’ll just run to the store real quick. Whether or not buying a quart of milk violates the commandment as to our ourselves, we commit the modern-day equivalent of allowing our servant to work: We employ, vicariously, the grocery-store clerks who work in the store.
We have a very different attitude about, say, committing murder. And yet, the commandment to keep the Sabbath came before the commandments not to kill, or steal, or commit adultery; and not just higher up in the Ten Commandments, but actually a long time before Moses received the other commandments on tablets of stone. God imposed the obligation on the Israelites by force, long before they reached Mount Sinai (Exodus 16:22-30.)
We might well conclude that God’s priorities are different than those of the secular society we live in; who knows God’s mind? He might take as much umbrage at a person going into the office on Sunday as He does at a person committing murder. The idea sounds as shocking and unlikely to me as it does to you; but at the very least, we must realize that the commandment is written in clear and unambiguous language, repeatedly, throughout the Bible. God means us to take it seriously.
Moses Ten Commandments
The Hebrews certainly followed the commandment with extreme particularity (and some still do). It is our chance to show God that we sincerely love Him “with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind.” Do we love God more than our lawn? Then why do we mow the grass on Sunday? Do we love God more than our car? Then why do we wash our car on Sunday?
And just to re-emphasize an important point: God tells us, directly, that we cannot cause (or perhaps even allow) others to work. We cannot let the gardener or the boy down the street mow our lawn. We cannot contribute to the employment of others who live among us, whether or not they are Christians.
Right now, while the subject is fresh in our mind, is a good chance to make a resolution on this subject. Am I going to live in faith, or am I going to live in convenience? For when we begin to refuse to do things on Sunday (or the Sabbath, either one will do) that conflict with this very central commandment from God, we cannot help but increase our life in the Spirit.
Finally, I have to say, some people think that the New Testament has removed all obligations to follow this Commandment. I don’t buy it, but a lot of people do, and they have at least some justification. There are very long and deep arguments on both sides of the question, so I’ll just give you a link to one of them. (I also have to say this: I’m always suspicious of Bible “interpretations” that make life more convenient by ignoring some clearly stated, but inconvenient, duty.)
I do want to point out one clear mistake some people make because of Mark 2:23-28 and Mark 3:1-4. Jesus observed the Sabbath! Where the Pharisees accused Him of breaking the Sabbath, He was not breaking anything stated in the Fourth Commandment, but rather rules devised by the Pharisees to interpret the Sabbath.
Meditation : Prayer : O Sovereign and almighty Lord, bless all your people, and all your flock. Give your peace, your help, and your love unto us your servants, the sheep of your fold, that we may be united in the bond of peace and love, one body and one spirit, in one hope of our calling, in your divine and boundless love. Amen. |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
