Time to Play?
Read: Luke 10:38-42 Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things. (v. 41) My work had piled up, so I brought it home. Suddenly my three-year-old daughter came running up and said, “Daddy, westle Abby!” I told her after my work was done, but she refused to take no for an answer. So […]
Feasting with the Bridegroom
Read: Luke 5:27-39 Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? (v. 34) Most of us didn’t know each other, but here we were gathered around the dinner table in Anita’s home. As we ate by candlelight, there was much laughter and even some tears. A couple hours later, a group […]
Listening for God’s Voice
Read: 1 Kings 19:1-18 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. (v. 13) One of the fundamental assumptions of the Bible is that God speaks. But just because God speaks does not guarantee we’re listening. And here’s the thing: we […]
Be Still and Know
Read: Psalm 46 Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. (v. 10) There is so much in this world to make us afraid. Natural disasters and changing weather patterns. Escalating violence in neighborhoods and cities. Wars and rumors of wars. How does one practice a Sabbath heart […]
Embrace Your Assignment
Read: 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him. (v. 17) Yesterday we saw how, even in a fallen world, almost any work can be good. This includes being a CEO, a teacher, a mechanic, a stay-at-home-parent, a factory worker, or a farmer. The what is […]
Doing Good Work
Read: Genesis 2:8-17 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. (v. 15) So far our readings have explored rest and “ceasing” from work and activity. However, there’s an important place for work, especially when it’s done the way God intends. Not only […]
The Sabbath as a Gift
Read: Exodus 20:1-17 Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (v. 11) There are two places in the Old Testament where the Ten Commandments are recorded: Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. Both list Sabbath-keeping as the fourth commandment, but they differ slightly in their reasons. Exodus 20 grounds Sabbath in creation, […]
The God Who Rests
Read: Genesis 2:1-4 On the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested. (v. 2) The word Sabbath comes from the Hebrew verb shabbat, which means “to cease or desist.” On the Sabbath, we set aside twenty-four hours to “cease” not just our work, but also our need to achieve […]
The Secret of the Easy Yoke
Read: Matthew 11:28-30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (v. 30) Yesterday we heard Jesus’s invitation to come to him and find rest. But how do we live at a different speed? The key is the second part of Jesus’s words in today’s passage: “Take my yoke upon you, and learn […]