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03: Christ and Religious Tradition – Thought Starters — 3 Comments

  1. My brethren I received this about the Sabbath and cannot wait to pass it on. I have never seen it explained so simple yet powerful.
    Sabbath is not dependent upon our readiness to stop. We do not stop when we are finished. We do not stop when we complete our phone calls, finish our project, get through this stack of messages or get out this report. We stop because it is time to stop. Sabbath requires surrender. If we only stop when we are finished with all our work, we will never stop—because our work is never completely done."
    -- Wayne Muller in "Sabbath: Restoring the Sacred Rhythm of Rest"
    Sabbath is important to certain religious traditions because it reminds us that the Creator also took Sabbath. For some, Sabbath is the act of worship. Sabbath is a time to stop, regroup and tend to the spiritual part of our lives. Yet, if we are truly living out Sabbath and our connection to the Holy, Sabbath becomes a way of life, rather than a day of the week.
    Dictionary.com also defines “Sabbath” as “a period of rest.”
    We risk burnout when we are constantly on the go. When we surrender to the rhythm of the day and take even small moments of rest, we can more easily find the energy to continue through the stresses of work and life for the following week.

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  2. One of the biggest problems we face is to elevate one aspect of the law above other laws. As Adventists, we know that the fourth commandment to keep the Sabbath holy is very important, but so are the rest of the commandments. Any one of us who keeps the Sabbath holy but dishonors parents or steals is not obeying God's commands. What Christ wanted the religious leaders of His day to do was to take the law in its totality and observe it, bearing in mind that the law giver did not give the commandments as a burden to the people. Even something as good as our health message which is needed in these last days could be presented as a burden to the people instead of a way of life that will improve health and our relationship with God. Finally as Jesus Himself pointed out to the religious leaders, the best way to teach scripture is to live it. Unless we are willing to live what we teach, our ministry is not going to be effective.

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