Over the last few years I have wrestled with the issue of "the Sabbath". What I mean is, I've struggled with how heavily I'm supposed to hold people responsible for being at "church" - you know, showing up at the building - and to what extent that is someone's personal responsibitity and choice.
In Romans 14 Paul says that one person thinks "one day is more holy than another, while others think every day is alike. Each person should have a personal conviction about this matter." This was a brick upside my head a couple of years ago to back off and get off other people's case. But, there are so many other scriptures that talk about honoring the Sabbath (take Isaiah 58:13 as one example). The issue for me: how accountable are we to hold each other? Is it someone else's business? I'll leave it with a question mark.
All of this being said, I've come to a conclusion this morning. Regardless of what someone's decision with what they do on Sunday morning is...no matter what they do, where they go, how long they sleep...Sunday mornings tell us something. They reveal priorities. They reveal to us and the rest of the world what our priority is and what we consider important. Here's what I mean. A family may not be present on Sunday at your service because their son/daughter is playing soccer. But what if that family (yes, the family) has intentionally invested in that soccer team to build relationships and impact lives for the Kingdom - are they using their Sabbath wisely? I would tend to think, Yes. But if you're at home, in your bed, and you just couldn't seem to drag yourself out because of that late night you had and all that stuff you've got to do today...well, you think about it.
And is it possible to be a leader in any regard when your presence and contribution is as inconsistent as the weather in Texas? Can people follow you or count on you when they don't even know if you're going to show up? Again, think about it.
Paul said that "Each person should have a personal conviction about this matter." Do you? Have you prayed about what you do with your Sabbath? Where you spend it? How you feel at the end of it? Have you communed with God? Have you had fellowship with God's people? Or do you finish your weekend in need of another weekend...and on and on?
Sunday mornings tell us something. We may not want to hear it, but they do. What are Sunday mornings telling you?
1 comment:
And what about the rest of the day? With all the busyness of life, I think God had a great plan of setting aside one day out of the week to rest. But do we do that consistently? And why is it that we judge others harshly on a select few of the Ten Commandments yet conveniently overlook the others, such as "Remember the Sabbath"? Lots of question marks there too.
Nice blog.
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