A Special Day

March 2

(Luke 6:2 NIV) “Some of the Pharisees asked, "Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?””

(Luke 6:9 NIV) “Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?””

(Mark 2:27 NIV) “Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.””

(Genesis 2:3 NIV) “And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.”

The Sabbath was created for our benefit, not God’s. God blessed it and made it holy. It was given to us by the Lord for our renewal, not our enslavement. It may be even more important now, in our activity addicted, stress filled culture, than it was in Christ’s day. The Pharisees had taken what God gave as a blessing, and made it a religious burden. Instead of bringing joy and refreshment, it had become an oppressive yoke. This is what happens when we take a privilege and make it a law -- when we take a gift of God and make it into a rule. For the Christian who lives by grace, one day in seven to rest is still an important principle, but God will not strike us down if we stumble in it. Just don’t forget that it was made for us, and given to us as a gift. Take it and use it for your physical and spiritual benefit. Find your rhythm. It will enrich your life in ways you cannot imagine. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day