During the busy summer season, we’re taking some time to look at some ways we can strive to use our summers intentionally, for the glory of God and the good of others.

Here’s what we’ve covered thus far:

• Don’t Waste Your Summer
• Plan Your Seasons
• 4 Ways To Vacation Well
• Snapshot
• Rest Rightly, Rest Well
• Reliving And Living

__________________

Supposedly, one of the things about summer that is so enjoyable is the concept of sabbath, a day to recharge with God through worship and rest. 

As I write this, I’m absolutely exhausted. For one, it’s hot. And muggy. I don’t do hot and muggy. I’ve been blessed to travel to, serve in, and attend numerous weddings, with more on the way. Work is busy and getting busier. And in the midst of the busy-ness, I often forget the sabbath, which God instituted for my good.

The sabbath has its origins in the creation narrative in Genesis 1. God created the heavens and the earth, gave the world form and the means to sustain life, and populated it with animals and the first humans. After this, God rested from His labors, to show that the work was done, and that humanity was His crowning achievement – there was no creature to left to create, and He stopped to enjoy it.

When God gave the law to Moses and the Israelites on Mount Sinai (Deuteronomy 5), the third of ten commandments given was “remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy”, and it is contrasted with the days of slavery in Egypt, when rest was not an option for the Israelites.

The sabbath has historically been celebrated on a specific day. To the Israelites, it was a Saturday. The early church began celebrating on Sunday, because of the day of the week of Christ’s resurrection from the dead. 

Because the sabbath has been fulfilled in Christ (Colossians 2, Hebrews 4), the Law no longer binds us to celebrate the sabbath on a particular day. However, God gives us His law for our good, that we would live in such a way that we would prosper.

Here are four things to remember about Sabbath:

1. The Sabbath Points To Jesus

The sabbath is not just a day. Colossians 2 says that the point of the sabbath is not merely rest on a physical level, but points to rest on a spiritual level. Jesus has fulfilled the sabbath (Heb 4), and is the ultimate sabbath; through faith in Christ, we rest in His labor, and are credited as if we had done the work ourselves.

I myself am not much of a sports fan, so one of the strangest things to me is that people have adopted the use the pronoun “we” when discussing the outcome of a game. They aren’t part of the mechanics of the team, or how the game was played. They didn’t score a goal, touchdown, or home run. And yet, they speak, and celebrate, as if they had.

That’s a bit of how it works with Jesus. Even though we didn’t do anything, as far as our own salvation is concerned, God sees us as if we had lived the perfect life that Jesus had, and adopts us into His family as sons and daughters. He did all the work, and we get the benefit of resting and celebrating what He’s done.

2. Sabbath Was Made For You. (Mark 2.27)

When God created the heavens and the earth, He didn’t take a day off because He had to. He took a day off because He chose to.

Humans, on the other hand, were created with limits. Some have more energy than others, to be sure. But all of us suffer without sleep or food or a moment’s respite. When Adam rebelled against God in Genesis 3, he declared through his actions that he desired to be God himself.

The commandment to sabbath serves as a reminder that while we desire to be more than human, we are not. And we can’t be. We all have limitations, and rather than push ourselves to be more than human, we should embrace the way we were made, seeking to enjoy God and the work that he has done in us and for us.

3. The Sabbath Isn’t Necessarily A Day To Do Nothing.

If you read the gospel accounts of Jesus’ ministry, you will find that He was traveling, preaching and teaching, performing miracles, and tending to people in general for the better part of four years. And yet, he kept the sabbath perfectly.

So while we celebrate, enjoy, and rest in what God has done, the sabbath rest is not “doing nothing.” Jesus regularly healed on the sabbath, even traveled long distances. The religious leaders confronted Him on this numerous times, and He continued to do good despite their opposition.

We should be willing to help people, to serve, and to give in light of how we’ve been served in Jesus. Do you have to say yes to everything? Certainly not. But it can be easy to pull the “resting” card when you have a friend that is moving and you’re the only one that can help, or your kitchen is dirty and needs to be cleaned, or someone is sick and needs help, but you’d rather go fishing or watch television.

4. The Sabbath Looks Different For Everyone

Figure out what works for you. How do you rest?

People are different, and rest differently. Some may like to spend seven hours reading 18th century English literature. Others may like to get together with 800 people and hang out at the park.

Now, it’s probably not a great idea to do something that is exhausting. Just as the sabbath is not an excuse to do nothing, it’s not an excuse to do whatever you want, either. For the Israelites (and for us, I would suggest), it was “do no work.” God even ordered that a man who was gathering sticks on the sabbath be put to death (Numbers 15.32).

But outside of the Law that Christ fulfilled, there aren’t a ton of rules about the Sabbath, and that’s intentional. The opposition that Jesus encountered over these issues was because He refused to obey the rules that the religious leaders had instituted over time. Whatever you decide to do in remembrance of God on the Sabbath day, spend it enjoying what Jesus has done.

Conclusion

As we enter the last few months of summer, remember to rest in the gospel, to say yes to some things and unafraid to say no to others. Remember the sabbath, and keep it holy.

If you’re interested in going deeper on this topic, check out the sermon "God Works, We Rest" from the Deuteronomy sermon series.

photo credit: Stuck in Customs via photopin cc

During the busy summer season, we’re taking some time to look at some ways we can strive to use our summers intentionally, for the glory of God and the good of others.

Here’s what we’ve covered thus far:

• Don’t Waste Your Summer
• Plan Your Seasons
• 4 Ways To Vacation Well
• Snapshot
• Rest Rightly, Rest Well
• Reliving And Living

____________________

We’ve discussed some ways to be intentional with our summers and to use our vacations well. The days are getting shorter again, and such times call for honest reflection on how well we’ve stewarded our summer thus far.

As we think these things through, don't be discouraged if things don't seem to be going very well. Remember what Jesus has done, and that His perfectly submitted and stewarded life has been credited to you in His life, death, burial, and resurrection. Because of His work in us, we can course-correct if needed, celebrate the wins, and keep going.

Here’s how to evaluate your plans and tweak them as needed.

One practical and over-arching idea before we get started: write things down. I hate writing things down. But I never regret doing it. At the very least, it helps me process what happened. If you choose to do so on paper, you can always throw it away. If you do so digitally, you can always delete it. But the discipline of processing externally always helps.

1. Talk about your plans with someone else.

This is particularly applicable to families. Make it a habit to “debrief” your vacations, trips, and events. 

If you can, talk with someone else about things that you think went well with the event, and things that you didn’t think wen’t so well. If you’re married, talk about how well you connected as a couple and with others

Now, you probably don’t want to debrief your trip to the grocery store to pick up zucchini. But If you undertake to build relationships, discuss what happened on the drive or walk home, listen actively, and make notes if needed.

Then, you’re better equipped to make plans that build relationships in the future.

2. Know Yourself

This may shock you: People are different. 

Earth-shattering news, right? But it’s easy to forget. We so easily compare ourselves to others and the plans they make, then expect to be able to keep up whether we’re able or not.

But you should know how you get energy, and how you lose it. To which kinds of activities do you naturally incline? Do you get energy by being with people, or by being by yourself? Then, evaluate your summer plans with your inclinations and limitations in mind.

Now, the kinds of things you like to do may not be the ones you frequently undertake. For example, I love backpacking. There is a clarity of mind that comes with being out in the woods with my wife, forcing myself up a steep incline to make camp atop a ridge or in a forest. It’s also exhausting, physically and mentally, and takes me away from other responsibilities for a weekend. So, I probably shouldn’t get out every weekend, even if my responsibilities are taken care of.

As you do this, recognize that God created you with limitations, and He did so with divine wisdom. If you and I could do everything we set out to do in our own power, we would be blinded to our spiritual need.

3. Be Honest

It’s not too late to say “No” or “Yes” to some things. Some of us have made ourselves so busy that we’ve missed opportunities to be intentional. On the other hand, some of us have passed by great opportunities to build relationships because we’re not busy enough.

As we look back on our summers, be honest with yourself about where you’ve failed and succeeded, and repent and change as needed. Remember that Jesus stewarded His life perfectly for our inability to do so.

Goal for Weekly Once-Over Weekly Once-Over is our weekly recap of some great blog posts that we've seen this past week that have been helpful. Our hope is that they would benefit you in someway. Each Thursday of every week you will see a post that has links to different blog posts. Enjoy!

Weekly Once-Over (6.20.13)

 A Prayer for the Mom Who's Worn- Christina Fox writes a great blog post about motherhood. She writes, "Motherhood is both the best job and the also hardest job I've ever had. It has brought me great joy and revealed to me a level of love I hadn't known before. It has also stretched me physically, mentally, and emotionally. I've lived on less sleep than should be humanly possible. I've even learned more than I care to about bugs, science, and how machines work (two boys will that do that to you). While the physical stretch marks may fade, the ones on my heart are there to stay..."

Perspectives on Our Children's Education: Going Public - The Gospel Coalition asked three moms of school-age children to share their families' perspectives on education. Jen Wilkin, Jenni Hamm, and Amanda Allen are three friends who attend the same church and raise families in the same geographic area. All three share mutual respect for each other as parents trying to raise children with intentionality, in the fear and admonition of the Lord. In this series, you will see their perspectives on how and why they chose to educate their children through public school, private school, or homeschooling. The series begins today with Jen Wilkin on  why she sends her children to public school.

How to Read a Book - Reading a book seems like a pretty straightforward task, doesn’t it? And in some cases, it is. If you’re reading purely for entertainment or leisure, it certainly can be that easy. There’s another kind of reading, though, in which we at least attempt to glean something of value from the book in our hands (whether in paper or tablet form). In that instance, you might be surprised to learn that it’s not as simple as opening the book and reading the words.

How to Ask for Forgiveness - Making this a habitual practice would make our marriages, families, and churches the most beautiful places on earth. I would probably say that nothing has changed the tone of my marriage in the last 5 to 7 years as much as having the phrase, "I'm sorry.  Will you forgive me?" come out of our mouths.

Praying With Children - Tim Challies has a great post on his blog called Praying with Children. He says, "One of the great privileges of being a pastor is always having a good reason to speak to the children of the church. I love getting down to their level (i.e. sitting on the floor), talking to them, and hearing about their lives. A question I love to ask them is this: How can I pray for you? We ask this same question on Wednesday evenings when our church gathers for our mid-week service. The children go off to classes to learn about Jesus while adults go and spend an hour in prayer. But before we dismiss the kids we ask them the question: How can we pray for you tonight"

Funny: If I saw this sort of drummer at our church play drums like this, I would probably laugh...A lot!