Tag Archives: success

affirmation, choices, Control, Enlightenment, journey, life, Rest, sabbath, self improvement, spiritual enlightenment, Uncategorized

What Is A Sabbath And Why Do I Need One?

The Bible commands us to remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy. The concept of the Sabbath, a day of rest and reflection, is deeply embedded in various religious traditions around the world. In the Abrahamic faiths, particularly Judaism and Christianity, the Sabbath holds immense importance and is an important part of the foundation that everything else is built upon. Today I want to talk about some of the reasons behind God’s establishment of the Sabbath and spend a little time thinking about the sabbath’s enduring relevance, especially in the hustle and bustle of the contemporary society we live in today!

Sabbath Commemorates Creation

One of the primary reasons God instituted the Sabbath is to commemorate the creation of the universe as described in the Book of Genesis. According to the Bible, God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh day. By observing the Sabbath, believers are reminded of God’s creative power and the sanctity of all life. Rest is not a bad thing, it is a necessary thing. All of us should build rest into our lives. Rest allows time for the resetting of our mind, re-energizing of our body and revival of our spirit.

Sabbath Is A Time For Spiritual Renewal and Reflection

The Sabbath provides a designated time for individuals to disconnect from the demands of everyday life and focus on their spiritual well-being. It allows meaningful time for introspection, meditation, and a deeper connection with the Divine. This period of rest rejuvenates the soul and fosters a sense of inner peace. Our lives discover their greater meaning through the discipline of a sabbath.

Sabbath Helps To Build Community & Strengthen Family Bonds

The Sabbath encourages getting together for worship and growing family togetherness. It provides an opportunity for families and communities to gather, share meals, and engage in meaningful conversations and meaningful fellowship. This communal aspect strengthens social bonds and nurtures a sense of belonging, which all of God’s creation needs.

Sabbath Teaches Us To Resist The Tyranny of Work

In a world driven by productivity and materialism, the Sabbath serves as a counterbalance. It reminds individuals that their worth is not solely determined by their work or achievements. Taking a day of rest acknowledges the inherent value of each person and their need for spiritual and emotional nourishment. It is one of the greatest ways to take on and take out the attack of our ego.

Sabbath Promotes Physical And Mental Well-Being

Regular rest is crucial for physical health and mental well-being. The Sabbath encourages individuals to prioritize self-care, allowing them to recharge and face the challenges of the week ahead with renewed vigor. It is very possible to burn yourself out and then you are literally good for nothing.

Sabbath Encourages Us To Practice Gratitude

Observing the Sabbath fosters a sense of gratitude for the blessings in one’s life. It prompts individuals to reflect on the abundance they have received and acknowledge the source of their blessings. This gratitude cultivates a positive outlook and a deeper appreciation for life. The old Gospel hymn says to count your blessings and name them one by one…

Sabbath Sets a Moral and Ethical Standard

The Sabbath emphasizes the importance of ethical behavior and justice. It calls believers to reflect on their actions and consider how they can contribute to a more compassionate and just society. This moral reflection extends beyond the Sabbath, influencing daily conduct. It is amazing how just slowing down and getting quiet will allow the mind to find solutions that were there all along.

The establishment of the Sabbath by God carries profound spiritual, communal, and ethical significance. It serves as a timeless reminder of our connection to the divine, the importance of rest and reflection, and the value of human relationships. In a fast-paced world, the Sabbath stands as a bright light of tranquility and a continual source of spiritual nourishment, offering respite and renewal to all who take the time to observe it by putting it into practice.

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Change Your Why To What And Move On!

Sometimes it just seems like it does not matter what you do, the world is just lined up against you. You get up with a good attitude, begin to take all the steps to head your life in a right direction and “BAM” out of nowhere you get blindsided once again with stuff you feel is totally out of your control.

So many of the people I talk to on a daily basis really do want to do better and live a more fulfilled life, but it just seems that no matter how hard they try, carefully they plan or how organized they become, life just seems to find a way of sticking it to them.

You may be one of those folks and trust me when I tell you that I can most definitely relate. I mean, I really do have the best of intentions. I like to think I have a pretty incredible work ethic and a tenacity to stick with it, no matter what, but sometimes life just seems to get too hard, especially when I seem to keep taking blow after blow after blow.

I have learned that when my life gets to this place, the first question, becomes the reoccurring question and before I know it, I have dug myself a grave. The question we tend to ask that gets us into such a mess is: “Why is this happening to me?” and the problem with the question is that it puts all the focus into the wrong place – me!

If you really want to succeed and experience blessings in this life, then you need to not only ask questions, but make sure you are asking the right questions. If we will just change our “why” question into a “what” question, we will be amazingly surprised at what a difference it will begin to make in our attitude and through our attitude with our life and living.

If you are going to ask and answer a question, then make sure it’s the right one. Instead of asking “Why is this happening to me?” Ask – “WHAT IS THIS TRYING TO TEACH ME?” It is the answer to this question that has the potential to set us free to be blessed in incredible ways. This question takes the focus off of me and puts it on the lesson I need to learn and once I learn this lesson, I am on my way to the better I was created for.

So my encouragement for today is to change your “WHY?” into a “WHAT?” and grow on! Trust me, you will be glad you did…

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Trouble Free Heart!

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“Do not let your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me.”     John 14:1

When Jesus speaks these words, he is not offering a suggestion to be accepted, he is giving a command to be obeyed, a principle to be followed.  It is not optional, it is the very foundation to our getting the spiritual life right for His glory.  Jesus was giving this information to his disciples right before he was to be crucified.  Life as they knew it was about to encounter the biggest change and most crazy challenge that they had ever faced.  They were about to have to live in a world without Jesus in the flesh.  Jesus was preparing them, by telling them that no matter what – “Do not let your hearts be troubled!”

Have you ever noticed that most believers and non believers respond in just about the same way to the challenges of life.  This should not be.  Believers should respond with faith over fear, with expectation over desperation and with hope over hopelessness.  Most all of us, tend to respond to the challenges of life with our emotions.  The problem with this, is that if we don’t control our emotions, then our emotions will control us.

The problem with emotions is that they tend to want to run and will run away from your control before you know it.  When Jesus says:  “Let not your hearts be troubled!”, he is teaching us to reign in our emotions before they get out of control.  You can rule your emotions, or they will rule you.  Every person has to decide for themselves – how they are going to handle the tough battle with emotions.

If you decide that you want to deal with your emotions, then you have to learn how not to indulge the negative.  Life is full of negatives.  We are surrounded and bombarded by them from all forms of media.  Indulging the negative is making an on purpose decision to live life in fear, not in faith.  If Jesus commands us to do something, then it is possible and what seems impossible, always becomes possible through the power of faith expressed in our everyday living.

Life is going to throw some challenges your ways this week, I want to encourage you to follow the instruction of Jesus and “LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED!  I promise you will be glad you did!  😉