Scripture readings
Devotional 📖
What is the Sabbath?
The Sabbath is a day of rest for the Earth and for the people of God. On the Sabbath, they would spend time resting from work to meditate on who God is and what He’s done for them. The Sabbath gives us time to experience deeper revelations of God and our identity in Him as His chosen ones. It’s a holy day, meaning that it has been set apart by God for God. We need the Sabbath so our souls can be refreshed.
The 24/7 grind culture is an attack against our relationships with God. If Satan can’t tempt you to sin, He’ll make you busy, then you’ll be too busy for Him.
If you can't rest in his presence on Earth how are you gonna know how to rest in his presence in heaven?
Jesus here made a statement that almost got Him stoned (defo wasn’t the first or last time this happened)!
He said He is Lord over the sabbath. Man was not made for the Sabbath, the Sabbath was made for man.
The Pharisees prohibited anyone from doing anything on the Sabbath to the point where it became a day of bondage rather than relief and rest for the people of God. People were threatened to be kicked out of their communities if they were seen carrying a mat on that day.
The Sabbath is a time of rest and encounter with God and was made for us. This means that we don’t follow the Sabbath because the day in itself holds authority, but in reverence to the Creator who knows what we need and declared that we should take a Sabbath rest each week. Observing His laws while dishonouring His person will get you nowhere. The Pharisees had so much confidence in the laws of God, that they had missed out on His person.
What Jesus was showing us is that He is not bound by the authority of the Sabbath, but is Lord over the Sabbath, so declares what is lawful on that day. The Pharisees were unable to see God clearly because of their blind obedience to tradition. They misunderstood the heart of God in declaring the Sabbath, oppressing His people with laws instead of seeking out the Person behind the laws. Some of us have been guilty of this, thinking Christianity is a rulebook, rather than seeking out the person it reveals: Jesus Christ.
‘Lord’ - ‘Kurios’ - supremacy - the state of being superior to all others in authority, power, or status.
Many of us know Jesus as saviour, as Son of God, Son of man, but not as Lord. To call Jesus Lord is to submit our lives to His divine authority. It means we automatically take the posture of servanthood. He has supreme authority over our lives and dictates what we do.
If reading that sentence made you uncomfortable…maybe He isn’t truly your Lord?
I encourage you to take note of what areas of your life are truly submitted to the Lordship of Christ. Oftentimes, the situations we are in don’t change, because we remain Lord over them and we don’t possess the power to change them. It’s only through submission that we will see the power of God at work in our lives.
The truth of Jesus is that He is Lord. It’s not a title He earned post-resurrection, it’s what He was called even on Earth. He is the supreme ruler, is in complete control, and has authority over every single thing that possesses power. Our response to this truth if we profess His Lordship is obedience. We cannot ask Him to take care of our situations and still remain Lord over our own lives. We need Him to teach us how to submit as He did. More than our words, a life of obedience is a love offering to Him.
Prayer 🙏
Lord Jesus, I recognise you as supreme ruler over my life, my health, my body, my mind, my heart, my soul and my spirit. My response to your Lordship is obedience. Help to submit to you Lord, ever ready for service. Grant me a willing spirit and make me quick to obey and eager to serve. I surrender all areas of my life to you and bring myself under your authority. Take control of everything Lord and let your will be done in my life as it is in heaven.
In Jesus name,
Amen