27 Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27-28)
30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them,“Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” 32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. (Mark 6:30-32)
In our review of the Disciplines of Spiritual Warfare and Counsel over the last four days we acknowledged that the two disciplines are not as popular as other Disciplines such as Prayer and Bible Study. Well, the Discipline of the Sabbath also falls in the not so popular category. This Discipline reminds us of the need to set aside a day for rest. It is not a legalistic requirement but we can benefit greatly from the practicing this Discipline. As we have done for all the other Disciplines we will examine how Jesus practiced the Discipline.
Please carefully read the passages above and answer the questions below.
Today’s Questions:
- Do you struggle with the concept of a day of rest?
- How might our spiritual walk suffer from the absence of a day of rest?
March 18, 2016 at 7:57 am
Q1. The struggle is not with understanding the importance of the day of rest, BUT with the discipline required in implementing it. We allow worldly distractions to consume our energy, time, other resources etc.
Q2. I think our spiritual walk suffers as a result of us not being refreshed mentally and physically.
March 18, 2016 at 7:59 am
I’m in Israel this week and there are reminders in this environment of the Sabbath. The week is packed with business activities leaving the weekend for personal chores. I want to be still but find it challenging to schedule.
My spiritual walk suffer from the absence of a day of rest because I am not still in His presence long enough to listen, long enough to reenergize for His work.
March 18, 2016 at 8:30 am
I agree that we all have to take time to rest in the Lord. I started to practise this and I see the difference it brings in my life. There are many benefits you can achieve from this such as releasing stress, staying healthy, strenghtening your spiritual life, spending quality time in sweet fellowship with the Lord, and so forth. It really work wonders in your life. Do it along with fasting and praying.
Blessings
March 18, 2016 at 9:50 am
Quit times is so beneficial it’s amazing spiritually physically mentally etc I am learning each day to be obedient more and more each day and spending time feeding on the word in fellowship with the Lord
March 18, 2016 at 10:58 am
A day of rest is an absolute necessity. The body and mind cannot sustain round the clock activity. I used to be this way and suffered greatly from anxiety and exhaustion. Definitely not a healthy way to be.
When I learned how much the Bible emphasized the day of rest – and that even God rested on the 7th day – it dawned on me I better do what it said if I wanted to have a better life. I was relieved to put it into practice – and my life changed dramatically. My energy levels went up – and I could recharge spiritually and mentally and be more effective generally, Many times we keep busy for keeping busy sake and it is making our body and souls sick.
Our spiritual walk would definitely suffer for lack of rest because we need time for introspection and healing. Also time to appreciate the good things in life. Taking the time to be still and know that He is GOD gives us better perspective and releases power for the week ahead.