Preserving the Holiness of the Sabbath

 Living in a very secular society makes it very difficult for us, as Christians, to keep the 10 Commandments and God's other commands. God has made it very plain in His Word that we are to remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy. However, even to many believers Sunday has come to be just like any other day of the week, except that sometimes they go to a worship service in the morning. I don't think that is all it takes to keep it holy.

When Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem after going back to report to the king of Persia, he found the people buying and selling on the Sabbath. (Nehemiah 13:22) He commanded the Levites to purify themselves and to guard the gates to preserve the holiness of the Sabbath. They would not let anyone come in to buy or sell. He prayed for God to remember his efforts to do His will and to have compassion on him according to His great and unfailing love.

All believers should do whatever it takes to keep the Sabbath holy. The word holy means "set apart." Sunday is not to be like the other days. It is to be different, because it is to be a whole day of resting from our ordinary work and activities, so we can focus on God and worship Him. That way we do not get off track with God. It helps us keep Him first in our lives.

I know this takes a great commitment. It means that our families will not do what other families do on Sunday. People may make fun of us, and it might make our children mad at us. However, the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks. It is far better to please God and to have Him to pour out His compassion on us, instead of going with the crowd to have a little fun.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read Esther 1-3