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Zion Bread of Life Christian Church

The Blessings of the Sabbath

Thursday, 14th September 2023

Pastor Nathanial Chow

Isaiah 30:15-18

‘For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” But you would not, and you said, “No, for we will flee on horses” – Therefore you shall flee! And, “We will ride on swift horses” – therefore those who pursue you shall be swift! One thousand shall flee at the threat of one, at the threat of five you shall flee, till you are left as a pole on top of a mountain and as a banner on a hill. Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him.’

Isaiah 40:29-30

‘He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall.’

Through the Sabbath Day, God wants to bless us. Before He gave us jobs to do, He wants us to rest first, and to align with God. We often feel work is more important than anything, it’s good to work diligently, but when we work until we are wore out, then this is not God’s Will. In rest, we receive strength, we received blessings, but so often we choose not to wait, not to stop, and not to rest.

When it comes to serving God, we also have the same mindset, we thought God wants us to work hard for Him and for His church, but God also wants us to rest, to receive peace, and then He can give us strength to keep going. Do we know how to stop? When there are so much to do, we dare not to stop, because we thought when we stop, then all the things waiting for us to do will be delayed, but God wants us to rely on Him, when it’s time to rest, then we rest; when it’s time to work, then we work.

In the Sabbath Day, we can stay in the presence of God, stay with our family, meditate on the Word of God and enjoy fellowship with our family. Let us have the right attitude towards work and rest.