Sabbath keeping

I have come to realize I am a Sabbath keeper. No, not like the “seventh day” churches. I don’t keep it religiously.

But I do set aside one day per week- Sunday- to worship my King and fellowship with my brothers and sisters. I do not engage in recreation. I do not go to work (seldom even throw a load of laundry in the washer). Even when we have out of town company, we go to church. The only valid reasons to not attend, in my family, are:

1. You are very ill. Puking, fainting, broken bones, etc. Little snotty noses don’t count. “Just don’t feel like it” doesn’t count. “Too much trouble” doesn’t count.

2. Vacation. I mean, you, personally, are bodily out of town.

3. Emergencies. I have never experienced this one, actually. But when I was six, we were in a car accident on the way to church. We were all ok, but our car was totaled. My dad called his friend, the assistant pastor of our church, to come pick us up after service. The friend, with a huge Ellis smile, showed up fifteen minutes later (instead of two hours). My dad told him he shouldn’t have missed church just for us. His answer was, “The Sabbath was made for man. Not man for the Sabbath.” And he cheerfully took us home. This is a valid reason to miss.

The Sabbath day was created before the fall of man. It was not part of the Mosaic Law. It was before the law.

“And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.” Genesis 2:2

Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Exodus 20:3 (Don’t let ANYTHING be more important than God)

Exodus 20:8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Exodus 20:11 For [in] six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them [is], and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Deuteronomy 5:12 Keep the Sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee.

Isaiah 56:6 Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices [shall be] accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.

Isaiah 58:13 If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, [from] doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honorable; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking [thine own] words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken [it].

Judge 10:13 Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more.


Jesus and Paul made it clear we are not to keep the Sabbath religiously. And we won’t go to hell if we don’t keep it Holy. But I believe God still wants us to set aside one day to focus on Him.

Let’s do some math:

You have 168 hours in every week. (7 x 24)

If you sleep 8 hours per night you have 112 hours left. (16 x 7)

The Bible says to tithe, or give one tenth of “all that comes into your hand” to God. A tithe of your time would be 11 hours and 12 minutes per week.

I am asking for three hours on Sunday (one hour for our fellowship lunch afterwards:-) and 1 ½ hours on Wednesday. That isn’t even half a tithe.

Don’t you owe your God that much?