Month: November 2023

It is out of the overflowing joy mentioned inJohn 15:11that I share this blog.

At some point while type-writing this, I was told and shown something I had previously not seen – a liberating reality that I have since referred to as The SABBATH Delight 🥰. It certainly is a reality that I deeply desire to have be my EVERY moment’s experience. Yes, E.V.E.R.Y moment!

Hopefully, in reading this blog, you’ll see why and desire it too.

For those who are familiar with the Sabbath, the first likely thought that comes to mind is Rest. Rightfully so … however, Rest is the outcome of a much deeper TRUTH called The SABBATH.

The entirety of our life (our faith-walk) with and in Jesus Christ is righteousness as well as the peace and joy thereof(Romans 14:17). Each righteous step is geared toward holiness(2 Timothy 1:9)… this is becauseit is The Will of God that we be Holyas God IS ... out-of-this-world, literally!

Inherently,mankind wants to be Holy– this can be seen in our varied attempts to be better and/or seen (noticed or recognized) as different, outstanding, or exceptional. Specific to those for whom this blog is shared – believers (already and to-be brides) of Christ – this inherent desire ultimately takes the form of wanting to be Righteous: exactly as God did it.

Going by the truth captured inPhilippians 2:13, I believe that these aspirations stem from an inherent (God-breathed) desire in us to be as God wills … to be as God created us – like Him: Holy, which is exactly how God did it (how He made us) inGenesis 1:27. There however seems to be a misalignment on our part onWHO makes it happen– WHO does ALL that makes us Holy and ALL that leads to holiness.

God is clear on The WHO: God is The One Who makes us Holy(Exodus 31:13). Our experiences as believers are real-time proofs thatGod is The ONE WHO does… YET, even if and when we don’t mean to or want to, some of us (myself included) often FORGET, struggle with, and/or act contrary to this truth. Hence, the reason and need for the Sabbath.

Before going into what the Sabbath is, let’s first wipe the slate clean by taking a quick look at what the Sabbath is NOT.

The Sabbath is NOT an old testament, back-in-the-day “thing“. On the contrary, it is VERY applicable and essential to living (enjoying) our God-given abundant life.

The Sabbath is NOT item #4 on a checklist of To-Dos nor is it a performance-based measurement criteria – every expression of these misconceptions is inevitably sin-inducing and can very quickly turn into a weight-lifting, off-tangent, self-imposed conquest.

The ESSENCE of the Sabbath is sooo NOT a one-day-of-the-week thing nor a do-nothing-on-this-one-day-of-the-week thing. Jesus’ action inJohn 5:5-9andLuke 13:10-13makes this quite clear – Jesus worked (healed people) on the Sabbath.

We know fromJohn 5:19that Jesus did ONLY what He saw The Father do. To mean then that regarding the healing in John 5:5-9 and Luke 13:10-13, God (The Father) did it first … God ‘worked‘ on the Sabbath.

Notice the deliberate and loose use of the word ‘worked‘. Scriptures likeGenesis 2:2-3Exodus 20:11andHebrews 4:4reveal that God completed ALL things work-related and has since rested. Technically Heavenly speaking and not to the exclusion of other Sabbath-Day-healings, the healing of the man in John 5:5-9 and that of the woman in Luke 13:10-13 was done before Day 7 of Creation! I soooo want to dive into this juicy revelation but I’ll stick to the point at hand which is that God, Father … Son … and the HolySpirit, Who is the performing power of God, worked on the Sabbath. In deed, The Trinity is ONE, always in unison – all in or not at all.

Speaking of unison, God’s Word inExodus 20:8-11and the action performed in any of the Sabbath-Day healings are NOT and can NOT be unharmonious – God is His Word. To mean that He can NOT act contrary to Himself – He can NOT act contrary to what He says, wills, intends, or means. Therefore, that Jesus worked on the Sabbath means then that the do-nothing command inExodus 20:10is certainly NOT as the natural mind understands/translates it. While I suspect that there’s MORE to uncover from this, one key take-away (for me at least) is that the ESSENCE of the Sabbath is NOT a “do nothing on this one day of the week” thing.

What then is the Sabbath?

The answer lies inExodus 31:13…

Echoing Exodus 31:13, the Sabbath is a sign intended to remind and let us know that God is The One Who performs ALL things pertaining to our holiness on our behalf. THIS is the truth that results in Rest … NOT laziness or idleness, NOT carelessness or spiritlessness, NOT stagnancy or inactiveness … in stead, godly Rest.

We need the Sign/Reminder that the Sabbath is. One reason for saying so is because of how frequently the deceptive, self-seeking nature of our manliness rears its ugly head AND how quickly we forget. Using human standard time and experiential calculations, my cousin (Lana) and I generously ballpark it at 15 seconds or less. Give no further thought to how we arrived at this number🙂, the point though is that however long or short it takes per time, our forgetfulness and the deceptive suggestions of our natural mind happen rather quickly and often. Without a timely reminder and an active remembrance of Who God IS and what He said (Truth) that He has done (Righteousness), the impact of our naturally forgetful and deceptive nature can be agonizingly long-lasting. Worse still, they invariably result in one or more futile pre-occupation(s) i.e. condemnation, guilt, shame, worry, self-righteousness, self-exertion … things that do NOT and can NOT please God, all of which equate to needless toil or struggle primarily because they do not align with what God has purposefully said/done –Proverbs 19:21

The Sabbath is an active (every moment) reminder made for man(Mark 2:27)… an active reminder intended for our peace and joy – a restful delight in which we do nothing and God does everything!

Still on the Sabbath …

… the Sabbath is a reminder to NOT attempt to do what ONLY God can do, and more so that we can NOT do what ONLY God can do. This includes everything He created us to be: fruitful, multiply, holy … like Him.

Another way to put it is this: the Sabbath is a reminder (1) to NOT attempt to do, and (2) that God is The One Who does ALL the doing – ALL of which He has already done, NONE of which can ever, no NEVER be attained by what we call “doing” (which really is self-exertion).

Here’s a snippet of a conversation with God, during which I caught a glimpse of what NEVER means:

Through this particular conversation, God lovingly helped me see the sinfulness that I am without Him – by sinfulness I mean the ignorant, self-seeking sinner that I invariably and perpetually am without Him.

Oblivious to what God had in store for me while working on this blog, my initial plan was to share all of the above, with a few additional buttressing points that highlight what it means in practice to do nothing, and then call it a blog! 🙂 My plan changed after seeing the delightful revelation that God shared with me about the ESSENCE of the Sabbath!

Here’s the changed plan in effect: I’ll share a sequel blog on the I-do-nothing-God-does-everything truth and what this means in practice. For the remainder of this blog, I’ll keep the focus on the delightful TRUTH called The SABBATH …

… soooo, as I was type-writing, I experienced God say to me:

As I pondered on the above words, Zechariah 4:6 came to mind:

It was at this point that it happened – the moment of Truth!

As I read Zechariah 4:6, John 14:26came to mind almost simultaneously.

Combined, both scriptures match the exact definition of The Sabbath – a REMINDER (John 14:26)that God is The One(Zechariah 4:6)Who makes us Holy. Keep in mind that the HolySpirit is The LORD’s Spirit and The LORD is His Spirit –2 Corinthians 3:17A,18B– The HolySpirit is God.

Combining all three scriptures, it became quite evident to me that the HolySpirit is the active Sign/Reminder/Evidence that God (He Himself – The HolySpirit) is The One Who performs all things pertaining to holiness for me and on my behalf.

The HolySpirit is both the REMINDER of the TRUTH and The TRUTH!

He is both The REMINDER of Who gets it done and The ONE Who gets it done!

So to the question: what is the Sabbath? Well, it should say WHO is the Sabbath? The truth-full answer is The HolySpirit! The HolySpirit is The TRUTH called The SABBATH. He most certainly is my Sabbath! my Sabbath Delight – a delight of both the peace (rest) and joy which stem from righteousness (the doing of what God has done exactly as God did it). He is The One Who makes me everything that God created me to be … He is how I walk by Faith; He is how I live (by Faith). He is how I please God. He is the reason God delights in me and I in God. He is the beautiful DEFINITION, ESSENCE, and TRUTH of the Sabbath – a preciousness to be revered and honored, NOT grieved –Ephesians 4:30.

Prior to this point in my walk with and in God, I had passively (on the surface) wondered why God was particular about the Sabbath Day – not only was He angry, His punishment for not keeping/honoring the Sabbath was grievous. It seemed to me that there was more to it than just a day of the week … that there was much more significance to what the day (the sign) represents. Now I know that there is in deed more to it than meets the eye. The day-of-the-week sign is but a token of The TRUTH called The SABBATH: The HolySpirit is this TRUTH. The HolySpirit (God) is The SABBATH. Now, I see why God is particular about the Sabbath and that the punishment for dishonoring the ESSENCE of the Sabbath is commensurate in nature: grievous. Hence, the words of Wisdom: do NOT grieve the HolySpirit. To do so is to dishonor The SABBATH which is to dishonor God Himself – a grievous offense.

For me, the revelation that The HolySpirit is The SABBATH is like finding a hidden coin, token, or pearl. Having found this treasure, like the woman described in Luke 15:8-9, I share this blog by way of inviting you to celebrate with me and share in my joy as I honor the Gift and Person of the HolySpirit! my SABBATH Delight … He can be yours too if you permit it so.

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HolySpirit, what a joy to see You! Ruach Elohim (Breath of God), my very First Kiss, Eliezer (my God, my Help), El Gibbor, Strength of my bones – my Marrow, my very BEST Friend, closer than close … most intimate and true, I acknowledge and honor You TODAY (everyday that is called TODAY) and ALWAYS by the Grace of God that You are.