Devotion:
Read Genesis 2:2-3.
Growing up on a farm, I learned the rhythm of work and rest at a very early age. Summer was the busiest time of the year, and every day had its work...cutting and putting up hay, hoeing tobacco, tending the huge vegetable garden, and milking twice a day. Saturday often meant finishing our work a little early to go to town and buy groceries. The only work we did on Sunday was the essentials, feeding the animals and milking. Even if there was hay on the ground and rain in the forecast, Dad was adamant that no work was to be done on Sunday. We got up early on Sundays, milked, had breakfast, and went to church. We enjoyed a good home-cooked meal together and then rested and spent the afternoon as a family. Relatives often came to visit on Sundays. As a young boy, I loved Sundays!
Today’s passage shows us God’s taking a day to rest. God had done the amazing work of creation, with the writer of Genesis giving an account of the work of each “day.” God did not rest on the seventh day because God was tired but rather to show us this rhythm of work, followed by rest that recharges and refreshes us. The Sabbath is a wonderful gift that we must learn to embrace again, not with rules and legalisms, but with the joy of following God’s example.
Personal Worship Option:
Thank you, Almighty God, for the work you give us to do. Help us to do it as if we are working for you, no matter the task. But thank you also for showing us that rest is important. Forgive us for feeling guilty when we rest and help us to reclaim your gift of the Sabbath, a day set apart from all other days. Amen.
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