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Song: Desperation Band Hiding Place

Scripture
Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!” Mark 2:27-28

Observation
God knew that we need rest so he modeled resting for us. Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath because his rest was the first rest ever taken. He who is boundless energy puts boundaries on himself. God rests not out of need but out of example for all of us to follow.

When I rest I am giving proof of the lordship of Christ over my life. Rest is the ultimate act of faith, for it proves that Jesus is truly in control of all and is Lord of all. As I rest I trust him to do for me what I cannot do for myself. Rest also demonstrates my submission to Christ. As I sabbath I am not rushing about to accomplish my agenda, I am submitting to his.

Because Jesus is the Lord of the sabbath, when I choose a day or season of rest it is he who determines what comes into my life during that season. For the disciples there was a walk with the Master along with nibbles along the roadside from heads of wheat. For my day it may be a conversation, a song, a scripture, a journey that percolates the Lord’s presence into the deepest level of my being.

Application
Since July, this has been a sabbath year for me. Someone asked me this past week, “What are you doing on your sabbath year?” I thought to myself, “I didn’t know I was supposed to do anything, isn’t that the point of rest?” We can strive to keep busy to prove to Jesus that he is our Lord, when in fact what he may well want is our rest. Last night I attended the recording of a new CD/DVD at New Life Church in Colorado Springs. After 2 hours of worship in the foyer of heaven with about 5,000 others, Leslie whispered to me, “If our sabbath year was just to be here tonight, it was worth it all.” The Lord has taken me on quite a journey this year. I’ve had time with three mega-churches along with some awesome hearted friends along the way. Most of all I’ve found in the resting season that Jesus is truly my Lord as he takes care of the details I cannot attend to while I rest.

Prayer
Jesus, you are my Lord and may my rest be all the proof you need today. Amen.