He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read.Luke 4:16
Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath began to teach the people.Luke 4:31
Jesus made it a habit to go to the synagogue on the Sabbath to worship God. That was the custom of the day, and Jesus participated in it. Jesus understood that the true purpose of the Sabbath was more than just a day of rest. It was also intended to be a day to focus on God.
In our busy schedules, God can get pushed to the back. With deadlines and opportunities coming at us at incredible rates, it takes intentional effort to bring God back to the forefront of our minds. By having a day to slow down, we can remove many of the distractions that keep us from focusing on God.
The Sabbath is a great time to examine our priorities and see if our commitments line up. If we are doing this on a weekly basis, we can catch bad commitments before they cause too much chaos in our lives. And we can also make sure we are saying yes to God's priorities in every area of our lives.
When God created the Sabbath, he actually called it holy. Usually when God calls something holy, it's a pretty big deal. God created us and wired us for rest and worship. It is so easy to get caught up in a demanding lifestyle, but don't get so consumed that you forget to honor God's command. The Sabbath was created to help us. It was set apart for God's creation to rest and remember God. See you in church Sunday!
A Prayer for Today
Lord, sometimes life's demands can have me going full throttle, and I forget to spend time with you. Help me to examine my commitments and weed out those things that get in the way of my rest and worship. In Jesus' name, Amen.
