Tuesday 16 June 2009

GPOM: Ways to make the Sabbath special: Anonymous

Firstly, RELAX. It's not a test, it's not about frowning. In fact, try smiling! Know that you may rest in Christ (spiritually) and God expects you to relax, rest in Christ (physically), that the Sabbath rest actually does symbolize the spiritual rest -- isn't that wonderful? For that period, from Friday at sunset, to Saturday at sunset, divorce yourself from the newspaper, from worldly things, and concentrate on God, and His creation.... ...light candles that are especially for the Sabbath, a beautiful visible reminder of God's gift to you... ...light some special incense that you would not dream of using the other six days of the week, to fill your house with the delightful scents of the Sabbath... ...wear some special cologne that you only wear on the Sabbath, and thank God for all His blessings as you put it on -- a weekly Thanksgiving Day! ...eat some special food that you only eat on the Sabbath, maybe even a special dessert, and thank God for all His peace, His help, His love... ...listen to some special music that you only listen to on the Sabbath, music that touches your soul, that suggests God's rest, that suggests God's holy creation, music that peacefully turns your mind to Him, and thank God for all that He has done for you, all He continues to do for you, and all the wonderful things He has in store for you... ...wear special clothes that you think God would like you to wear (it doesn't have to be a tuxedo or 3-piece suit -- this is all about you and the Lord, not what other people think), and thank Him for providing for you... ...remember that the Sabbath is a day "set apart" just like followers of Jesus, Yeshua the Messiah, they are a "people set apart;" allow yourself things on the Sabbath, do things differently on the Sabbath, in a more thankful and open way than the other six days of the week -- this is a special day to get to know God better, a special "date day" for you to devote to Him -- allocate this 24 hours as a time that you won't worry about your bills, that you won't worry about the state of the world, school, or fears, depressions, angers, unfairness, foolishness, entertainments of the world -- the Sabbath is a "feast day," a celebratory day between you and God, with special time for you and your family -- share with each other the blessings God has given you, thank God for each other, call to mind all the wonderful, incredible things He has done for you, concentrate on His wonders, and pray together! ...rent special videos (or buy special DVDs) that bring you closer to God, that make the Bible clear, that make the Biblical people more real to you; a few good ones are: "Joseph," "David," "Abraham," "Jacob," "Esther," "Solomon," all in "The Bible Collection" series, "The Prince of Egypt (animated)," "The Ten Commandments (starring Charlton Heston)," "Joseph, King of Dreams (animated)," "The Chosen (by Chaim Potok, starring Robbie Benson)," "The Miracle Maker (animated, claymation)," "King David (starring Richard Gere)," "Anne of Green Gables" -- plus a wealth of documentaries on the Bible; gather your family around with popcorn and lemonade or hot chocolate, and pause the video at key places to discuss what you are watching, to compare to the Bible; invite friends over to participate in the spiritual movie experience! ...invite friends or neighbors over to your house for dinner, or lunch, or discussion times; share your faith! ...get out into nature, as the Sabbath is a memorial of God's splendid creative power and grace, go on a hike, go camping, take nature walks, visit the zoo -- always keeping God in mind, Creator of all, and allow these sights to awaken a deeper awe of your Maker, and all that He has done... ...visit different churches, or if you find one that speaks to your heart and follows the Bible, grab onto it and don't let it go (they're tough to find!), remember, you can help the people there, and they can help you, they will see things that you cannot, and you can see things that they cannot, it really works and deepens your relationship with God... ...set aside special time to immerse yourself in the Word of God, read the Bible in various versions, comparing the KJV to the New Living Translation, weighing them against the Amplified Bible, and even the Living Bible paraphrase! Enrich your understanding and relationship with God. The Sabbath is the very best day on which to read the Bible -- even sun worshippers say you shouldn't read the Bible on Sunday, that you should take a break from it to devote fun time to yourself, but the Sabbath is about spending time with God, and His Word... ...read spiritual books that you only read on the special day of the week, pick up "The Prayer of Jabez" again, or Roger Morneau's "Incredible Answers to Prayer," Garrie Williams' "Give the Holy Spirit a Chance," Calvin Miller's "The Philipian Fragment," Corrie ten Boom's "The Hiding Place," Ellen White's "The Desire of Ages," Abraham Joshua Heschel's "The Sabbath," Chaim Potok's "The Promise" and "The Gift of Asher Lev," C.S. Lewis' "Mere Christianity" and "Surprised by Joy" and "Narnia," Paul Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress," Hank Hanegraaff's "The Prayer of Jesus," Philip Yancey's "Fearfully and Wonderfully Made" and "The Jesus I Never Knew" and "Where is God when it Hurts?" (of course, all these books can and should be read all week long, but it's nice to have a "special" book you pick up and continue each Sabbath) -- and you'll find that reading a good, spiritual book will lead you to other trusted, wonderful books that deepen your relationship with God... ...visit a Messianic Jewish church on Friday night... ...keep in mind, the Sabbath is a day for difference -- it is the one day that God singled out and MADE different, MADE special! A special day for a special people, a peculiar day for a peculiar people -- a day and a people set apart. ...remember, in REMEMBERing the Sabbath, we associate ourself with the Almighty God, Adonai Yahweh El Shaddai, and His Son, Yahshua Messiah, a people filled with the Holy Spirit -- the Sabbath is a sign between God's people and Himself -- and He promises, if you take DELIGHT in His Sabbath, our Sabbath, He will have you ride upon high places! Take delight in the Law of God, delight yourself in God, and He will give you the desires of your heart!

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