Do We Still Need to Honor the Sabbath?
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We know that, in his life and resurrection, Jesus established a new covenant with us (Luke 22:19-20). It is a covenant that is everlasting and guarantees eternal life when we believe and follow Jesus as savior. But does that mean the old laws God established for His people became obsolete and unimportant?
Here are some ways (in addition to church) to practice Sabbath-keeping in today’s nonstop world:
1. Go outside to play
Spend time in creation. Take a leisurely walk or even a hard, pounding run or bike ride… but make sure it’s about basking in God’s beauty, not exercise. It’s fine if you happen to get cardiovascular benefits, but that shouldn’t be the primary. Use your time to enjoy the world around you, meditate on God, broaden your mind, and pray. Consider your place in the world and your relationship with God. Think about how He can use you in a different or better way.
2. Relax with simple pleasures
Spend some time with young kids or animals. If you don’t have any of your own, volunteer to babysit or walk someone’s dog. Kids and animals have a unique way of looking at the world, and their perspective often rubs off on us. Kids notice things many people don’t see anymore: flowers, the colors of the sky, cloud shapes, faces in the pavement. Animals force us to pause, to breathe, to play, to snuggle. The perspective shift is a good one because it takes us outside our norm and into a new, fresh reality—a more natural, innocent, vibrant way of looking at the universe around us—that enhances our souls.
3. Get creative
Spend a day in creative mode. Bake a cake, or prepare a special lunch or brunch, and allow yourself to enjoy the process. Slow down. Don’t rush. Plant some colorful flowers… just because. If you’re a photographer or writer all week, consider spending your Sabbath in a different pursuit of your craft. Accountants might try their hand at poetry, or watercolor artists might explore the woods with a camera—for pleasure, not profit.
4. Extra Bible time
Spend some time in God’s Holy Word, the Bible. If you don’t normally read it daily, keep the Sabbath by cracking open God’s word and reading whatever draws you in: the psalms, the New Testament, or just start at the beginning. If you already have a daily or regular habit, go deeper, or switch to a different Bible book for the day. Bask in it.
5. Help a ministry
Another way to keep the Sabbath is by serving as Jesus’s hands and feet in the world. Volunteer at a shelter, mow your neighbor’s lawn, collect canned good for the food-insecure, or help an older adult with light repair work. Take your time, and look for the God moments while you serve.
In today’s nonstop culture, with stores and businesses open seven days a week, often 24 hours a day, it can be challenging to remember to keep the Sabbath. But Sabbath-keeping is important, not only because God has commanded us to do so, but because if we don’t, we miss out on needed soul refreshment.
We honor our God when we keep the Sabbath—not just by going to church for an hour, but by truly treating the day as holy, special, and different.
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Photo credit: ©Getty Images/petrenkod
