Sabbath Worship

According to Mark Buchanan, true Sabbath is defined as an act of ceasing from that which is necessary in order to embrace that which gives life.

I read that, and I thought, wow! 

Let me repeat the definition again: to observe the Sabbath is to cease from the necessary in order to embrace the Giver of Life. 

Sabbath is then, not necessarily a day or period of time, but an attitude of the heart, a desire to drop everything that causes worry, heartache, stress, and run with arms wide open into the presence of an all-knowing, completely deserving, love-filled God!

God has always been more concerned with our hearts than our lip-service, or even hand-service. Over and over again we read that He requires obedience and not sacrifice. In the prophets we read of the Israelites questioning God, "Why have we afflicted our souls and you have not heard?" And God's reply comes down to, "Because you have not humbled your hearts before Me."

Did you know that the command to keep the Sabbath is the only one of the 10 commandments that Jesus did not repeat as a command in the New Testament? I find it interesting. 

Is it possible that because the veil was torn, we no longer have to set aside a day to enter into God's presence, rather we have the freedom to access the throne room at any time, with our petitions and also our worship?

I find that worship is at times a tricky subject. Certain people define it one way, others another. But I think that worship should be defined with this same definition as Buchanan defined the Sabbath: to cease from the necessary, that is, the thoughts, worries, cares of everyday life, in order to embrace Christ. To have this attitude, to walk in tandem with our Father in all that we do, surrendering to Him, exalting Him, with hearts soft to His presence, alive with His Life! 

God is present and reachable anywhere, at anytime. There are no set rules to follow, words to be spoken, or rituals that need to be done, in order to come into the presence of God. I have been able to worship God in a room full of unbelievers, in places dark without the presence of God. You can worship raising your hands, or lying prostrate on the floor. You can worship in the absence of music or the overwhelming presence of it. 

True worship is not a position of the body, but an attitude of the heart, much like a true keeping of the Sabbath. Sabbath was not a day for rules, but a day set aside to remember what God had done, who He was! It was a physical reminder of what the attitude of our hearts should be, a re-alignment of hearts before a holy God. 

Worship is this, abandoning yourself because there is One so much greater. He is worthy, He is good, He is life. 

And that Life breathes deep into the deadest souls. It is like a rustling wind that builds into a great storm, wreaking havoc on what is familiar and well-known, breaking boundaries and building new pathways, transforming the landscape of our souls from bleak and barren, to well-watered and fruitful, so that we ourselves spill over with His life until others are touched, moved themselves to be living worshipers, keepers of the Sabbath, embracers of LIFE!

#markbuchanan #therestofGod #worship #sabbath