Guarding The Edges of The Sabbath

I was searching the counsels of Sis. Ellen G. White this evening and found this gem of counsel:

We should jealously guard the edges of the Sabbath. Remember that every moment is consecrated, holy time. Whenever it is possible, employers should give their workers the hours from Friday noon until the beginning of the Sabbath. Give them time for preparation, that they may welcome the Lord’s day with quietness of mind. By such a course you will suffer no loss even in temporal things.

There is another work that should receive attention on the preparation day. On this day all differences between brethren, whether in the family or in the church, should be put away. Let all bitterness and wrath and malice be expelled from the soul. In a humble spirit, “confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed." James 5:16

- Counsels for the Church, page 263.

We as Sabbathkeepers are proud to tell others about the Sabbath. We sometimes scold or lecture some about the correct day and chastise those who worship on another day, but how many of us actually, truly keep the Sabbath day holy? Some of us are sad when the Sabbath is near and happy when it's finally done! What an awful shame. Many of us do not love the Sabbath nor spending time with the God of the Sabbath, but yet are often the first ones to tell others about the day we (I dare say) despise. It is high time that we should do a work of 'Sabbath-Reform' as I call it (where we study and learn what it means to properly keep the Sabbath holy), and when we do embark on that work, we would understand that that would including guarding 'edges of the Sabbath' as well. 

The above excerpt tells us every moment of God's day is consecrated, holy time. Employers should let Sabbathkeepers out at noon-time so they would have ample time to prepare for the Sabbath. That would be AWESOME. 

Please take a moment to meditate on the words above. Let us all learn to keep the Sabbath, and the edges of the Sabbath holy.


*** For a study on how to keep the Sabbath, please go to my Bible Studies tab by clicking here.

Rested

There's nothing like waking up refreshed and rested.

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I recently took a few days off and the break was much needed  and revitalizing.

It was wonderful to sleep in a little longer, and to have time to catch up on the many plans I had started, but was struggling to finish due to lack of time. In this fast-paced life, rest seems like a commodity, but yet, our bodies are programed to shut-down in a cyclical fashion. Although sooner or later, sleep takes over when we give up fighting, I don't think the majority of us ever really 'rest'.

When was the last time you truly rested?

If you are anything like me, when you lay down, plans, thoughts, ideas and sometimes worries seems to come out to play just when you are ready for bed. In many cases, our worries, disappointments, frustrations, and even excitements sometimes rob us from the rest that our bodies so desperately need. 

Do you know the Bible talks about rest? Quite a bit actually. If I were to mention all of scriptural references here, this would be a pretty long blog, but I will just mentioned the first instance here:

"Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
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 2:1-3

Powerful! After The LORD GOD creates the earth and all that is in it, HE rests! Now The LORD GOD isn't like man. HE doesn't get tired, but HE rested to show us what we ought to do on every seventh day. In the first proclamation of the Ten Commandments, the fourth commandment (Exodus 20: 8-11) is a command about keeping the Sabbath day (the seventh day) holy. It tells us we are allowed to work six days, but the seventh is The Sabbath - the day of rest. The LORD also speaks plainly that all that is within our household ought to rest as well, and finally in verse 11, HE states why; because in six days The LORD Himself did all His work and rested, so we are commanded to do the same.

If you haven't noticed yet, I am speaking of both secular and spiritual rest. If you just 'sleep' on the Sabbath, you are not keeping the Sabbath holy. The Sabbath is a day of communion: communion with The LORD and communion with mankind. It is also a day of rememberance, reflection and meditation. We need both types of rest: we need time to rest from our labors and we need spiritual rest - where we can lay all our burdens upon The LORD and take up His yoke and learn from Him.

There is nothing like sweet rest in The Lord!

Spend sometime studying the 'rest' of the story in God's word today.

Counsels on Diet and Foods (Chpt 2)

I am still reading through ''Counsels on Diet and Foods'' and I am in chapter 2 right now. It is not a book you speed through, but a book you read and reform as the Holy Spirit convicts your eating habits.

 

Here are some quotes that woke me up:

 

I call this one ''Sabbath Meal Reform''

We should not provide for the Sabbath a more liberal supply or a greater variety of food than for other days. Instead of this, the food should be more simple, and less should be eaten, in order that the mind may be clear and vigorous to comprehend spiritual things. A clogged stomach means a clogged brain. The most precious words may be heard and not appreciated, because the mind is confused by an improper diet. By overeating on the Sabbath, many do more than they think, to unfit themselves for receiving the benefit of its sacred opportunities.

 

On preparation of food for Camp Meetings:

I have been shown that some of our camp meetings are far from being what the Lord designed they should be. The people come unprepared for the visitation of God's Holy Spirit. Generally the sisters devote considerable time before the meeting to the preparation of garments for the outward adorning, while they entirely forget the inward adorning, which is in the sight of God of great price. There is also much time spent in needless cooking, in the preparation of rich pies and cakes and other articles of food that do positive injury to those who partake of them. Should our sisters provide good bread and some other healthful kinds of food, both they and their families would be better prepared to appreciate the words of life, and far more susceptible to the influence of the Holy Spirit.

 

On moderation on good foods:

Even if you are strict in the quality of your food, do you glorify God in your bodies and spirits which are His, by partaking of such a quantity of food? Those who place so much food upon the stomach, and thus load down nature, could not appreciate the truth should they hear it dwelt upon.

 

Bad eating leads to bad attitudes at church!

The abuses of the stomach by the gratification of appetite, are the fruitful source of most church trials. Those who eat and work intemperately and irrationally, talk and act irrationally. An intemperate man cannot be a patient man. It is not necessary to drink alcoholic liquors in order to be intemperate. The sin of intemperate eating, eating too frequently, too much, and of rich, unwholesome food, destroys the healthy action of the digestive organs, affects the brain, and perverts the judgment, preventing rational, calm, healthy thinking and acting. And this is a fruitful source of church trials.

 

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I am still on chapter two, but wanted to just highlight these on here. I will be posting those that speak the loudest to me in my blog with little to no comment; I will let the words speak for themselves.

 

*** To read ''Counsels on Diets and Foods'' online, go to  The EGW Estate or Words of Truth (with this site, you can download in PDF and/or print out).

Salvation: Not purchasable or transferable

Humans, we have a problem; a big problem.

 

We are plagued with disease, ailments, wars and rumors of wars, pestilences, natural and man-made disasters and the list goes on and on.

 

But, even with this itemized list, these all fall under one umbrella - sin. From the dawn of human history, we have seen the effects of this plague chronicled in The Bible (with the sin of Cain to the evil forces in the Book of Revelation). Sin is rampant and deadly; some times it hides under a cloak of pleasure and innocence, but it's effects are often long-lasting and debilitating.

 

With all this talk of death and destruction, one may think this is the final lot of man, but it is not. We have hope, and that hope is found in One Man. Our sin problem is only for a period of time. Christ Jesus came to die, to destroy him who has power of death; that is the devil (Hebrews 2:14). Yes, we have salvation and access to everlasting life through Jesus and His awesome sacrifice on Calvary's cross. This is very good news.

I looked up 'salvation' in the Strong's Bible Concordance and found that it is from the root word yasha (or yeshuah) which means deliverance, prosperity, security and victory. This is the root for a couple of names in the Bible including Joshua (which means The LORD is salvation) and Jesus (Savior).

As I was thinking about the antidote for sin, I was thinking about what salvation can and cannot do. Salvation can bring freedom from guilt and sin. It is available at any time to any and everyone, and it can bring joy to the recipient.

Salvation cannot be purchased. Because it is a free gift (free for us, but it wasn't free for the One who sacrificed His life), it cannot be bought or sold. From the poorest soul to the richest; all can come to Christ and obtain it. There are many out there who try to bribe, scheme and seduce masses into purchasing materials that they promise can bring salvation (one example can be found in the Belief of Indulgences).

Salvation also cannot be transferred. No parent or loved one can 'transfer' the blessings of 'being saved' to another. Each person much have his/her own saving relationship with Jesus; there is no sharing in this belief. God is not interested in a polygamous marriage relationship with a bunch of us, HE wants a monogamous one with each one of us.

But how does one have a relationship with the Savior? The same way one has a relationship with another human being. You get to know the person, you spend time with that person, you (hopefully) grow to love that person and in turn, you then want to do things to please that person.

So what are you waiting for? The Sabbath is approaching, this is the best day to spend quality time with Him, who is Our Salvation.