theophilia12

The Fiery Red Horse

When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!”Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword. Revelation 6:3-4

Whatever conquest meant with the white horse it didn’t mean killing people because the Red Horse says outright “people kill each other.”

Whenever I read the book of Revelation I always feel as if I am reading a dream someone had and then recorded it. I imagine this person woke up one morning so affected by it they couldn’t get it out of their head. The images chased them all day long until finally they wrote it down. Maybe it wasn’t one dream but a series of dreams night after night?

I had a dream series after my divorce that plagued me. It was of a broken down house on the beach. The tide came in and out, and took with it another piece of the house. I felt helpless against the rhythmic eroding of my existence by a force beyond my control.

By analyzing the dream it helped understand myself from a completely different angle. As time went on I would dream of different rooms and do the work of repairing them. By looking at my dream and figuring out the meaning behind the symbolism my healing took on a deeper and more genuine restoration. I saw aspects I would normally just dismiss. Not only did I heal the parts broken by the split but also the weaknesses that allowed it to occur in the first place.

So it is with the book of Revelation. I feel by going into this book as if I am doing a dream interpretation I will understand the point to my belief system on a deeper or more well rounded level.

The rest of the Bible is a collection of lives that were lived and how they bumbled through their existence. We can see their humanness and make peace with our own. There is a list of poems we can cry with or cheer with. The book of Proverbs guides us with timeless concepts to shoot for. The book of Revelation is the only book solely dedicated to an apocalyptic vision. The other visions are weaved in and out of a storyline but in this book the vision is the story.

Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth

During the era of the white horse there was peace on the earth and now that belief system has changed. The people feel free to act out their impulses and rage. Instead of placing value on keeping the peace their values have changed to giving full vent to any brash thought that waves over them and the net result is bloodshed.

Those who argue that the white horse can’t be Jesus spreading the gospel but a false gospel, do so because of this: Why would widespread murder follow the teachings of Christ?

The answer comes to me by looking at the rise and fall of civilizations. There is a pattern and it loosely resembles the 4 horses of the apocalypse.

A nation or a civilization is built by pioneers who hold a dream and work tirelessly to achieve the dream. A community comes together and creates a team and that team grows and slowly good becomes a new normal. Eventually though the age of pursuit gives way to the age of comfort. This is where it goes awry, because too much comfort can bring complacency.

The spoiled children of the pioneers do not understand the cries of hardship and they roll their eyes. Compassion breeds compassion. Tuning someone out widens the wound. It makes them angry. The guard drops. It drops first in the heart and then the actions become hollow and eventually fade away.

Then there are the antagonists. The ones who push the envelope just because. Those who are supposed to hold the line let down their guard. “Ahh what harm is there in this? ” Over time the edge is pushed out further and further until we can no longer see the shore. We are lost at sea and the tide of evil has gained too much momentum. We can do nothing to get ahead of it.

Every nation, era, family or neighborhood have characters who see the world through the lens of a fiery red horse. They are mad. They are jealous. They feel weak. What promotes peace or takes peace away is how we deal with these situations. Do we allow them to set the agenda? The tone? The way things are handled? Or do we stifle their contentious ways or violent ambitions?

Do we use our compassion and offer them the tools to raise the bar? Teach them the tactics of peace? Throwing your own fire on an already to hot to handle situation does not put the fire out. It feeds the fire. Water puts out a fire. Living water calms a fired up heart. Skills give us hope. Training gives us something to grab on to in a desperate moment.

Galatians 6:7
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap

If the Fiery Red horse comes it is our own fault. We allowed the people who seek to take peace to have an upper hand. Here God is saying he will allow the natural consequences to play out. Eventually the hateful passion burns until it becomes an out of control wildfire.

Galatians 6:9
Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.

I think when we live in an age of peace it is difficult to not just take it for granted. On the one hand we think, “I am not a violent person…. I prefer peace! So all is good, I do the right thing. Wouldn’t others want peace as well? Why wouldn’t you want peace?”

It was a harsh reality for me to realize that there are people who thrive on conflict. All the kindness in the world doesn’t calm them. They are chaotic and want to brawl.

On the one hand I must manage my own anger, learn how to forgive or just let it go.

Listen….

Give others the benefit of the doubt, put myself in their shoes. These are the “tactics” of peace and work when reciprocated. I have always been diligent in trying to keep these front and center. I am not perfect. I have bad days but it is my desire to pick up the pieces and try again.

The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked. Proverbs 24:16

On the one hand I must manage myself. On the other hand I must hold others to account. There are certain things I will not allow myself to do so why would I be ok with others doing it around me? There is a limit. There is an end point to what I will tolerate.

If not? The fiery red horse gains the upper hand and you can’t get your ground back.

True love cannot grow without boundaries. The white horse is that sweet spot between tenderness and a backbone. The fiery red horse is following passions that end up destroying everything it touches. It is just too hot to handle… it burns you.

….and to make people kill each other……

When I look at what the scholars write they call the red horse WAR. It is true that in war men slay each other but what happens before we get to that point; all out war? The focus of Jesus’ teaching was more about putting a finger on the heart of the individual versus argue about the tide of group-think.

In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away! Luke 15:7

It starts with one person and then it spreads….. whatever it is good or bad. So each individual who makes a choice is important. Each single choice increases or decrease which agenda rules the culture you live in. It is no wonder that the Fiery Red horse is characterized by men slay each other versus something like “a war broke out”. The only way to stop the negative tide of group-think is to think.

To him was given a large sword.

The word for sword is more like a dagger not a long sword that is used in war. The word for large is actually great which could mean large or effective. In other words it kills a large amount of people. This sword is used in animal sacrifice or executions. The French revolution comes to mind.

In the American revolution people ran away from the motherland to blaze a new trail. They wanted to practice their religion in peace. It was a very difficult task and they were not perfect but they tried to tow the line. The fiery red horse came after them at times, but they won out.

In the French revolution it wasn’t about freedom of religion but suffering and revenge. The Red horse got ahold of them and the bloodshed was brutal, ruthless and horrific.

We must think about which horse we want to ride in our lives. What outcome we are lobbying for?

The Red horse thinks if I show as much strength as I can and win, people will cower at my amazing force.

In reality people are burned and vow revenge. Instead of respect they are filled with contempt. It creates a vortex of hate that spreads one soul at a time.

Christ is the antithesis of this. He warns us and calls us to resist the temptation of the fiery red horse. He calls us to love. He calls us to forgive but he also calls us to keep our eyes open.

“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” Mathew 10:16

The White Horse of the Apocalypse

I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!” ²I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest. Revelations 6:1-2

We have all heard of the Four Horses of the Apocalypse but what I have never heard is how it applies to my life. Usually we end up in theological arguments over who believes what, because in truth it could mean so many things. This person or that person makes the case their view is the correct one…..

What if in a way they are all correct? I mean loosely….. sort of. They kind of all have a valid point?

There are 4 basic views. Some think the book is about a far off future, which might be now. Some think it was 100% fulfilled just after Jesus’ death, so the fall of Rome. For centuries they thought it was unfolding throughout history…… so the long game. The last view is that it is just symbolic principles that rotate again and again over time.

If the last view is the correct view then all the other views could also be valid because each interpretation is a snapshot of one of the cycles. Each generation can see the Revelation as pertaining to their reality because it does.

We are struggling through our current phase and always wondering about what the future may hold.

I have often wondered why God would put the book of Revelation in the Bible if it is only intended to pertain to one generation? That just doesn’t make sense to me. Having an overarching application that transcends time and holds answers to life for each generation makes more sense. A living document that has fresh revelation to all who read it.

Basic principles do that. The skeleton holds its shape but the flesh is refreshed as brand new with each new reader.

So I decided to look at the Seals which start with the Four Horsemen of the apocalypse. What does the white horse mean? What does it mean for me? Does it serve as a warning? Does it give insight? Can it give me hope?

I looked, and there before me was a white horse!

White. A white horse.

In the Bible white usually signifies clean, washed, pure and so on. So for generations this horse was assumed to be Jesus or maybe the Holy Spirit spreading the gospel. Good conquerors evil.

However some argue that it means a false white. It seems good but it really isn’t. It is the ANTICHRIST versus the actual CHRIST. The Devil can come as an angel of light. Either way the white horse signifies a time period when things seem good and good seems to be prevailing.

I could see how both could be true at the same time. When good decent folks gain the upper hand the creeps go underground. Evil lurks around behind the scenes so what may seem pure and holy may seem to be a facade if who you are dealing with specifically is actually a bad character.

I do not think that means every one in the “white horse” era is actually an antichrist. I am saying good and evil coexist on earth….. be careful! If it is popular to be noble and honorable a wolf will simply wear a wool coat so he can blend in. This does not make him a sheep. It makes him incognito. Jesus said watch what they actually do versus what they say.

Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Matthew 7:15-16

So during a time when everything seems on the upswing, great strides are being made to free the oppressed, provide for those in need. Justice is finally coming to the abused or misjudged. Evil does not go away. It resorts to deception and goes underground. It finds a new dark corner to set up shop. In your victory do not let your guard down. They don’t go away. They go underground.

Its rider held a bow…..

I wondered why he is holding a bow. What symbolic meaning could a bow and arrow hold? Some comments ferret out that he holds only a bow but does not make mention of arrows. I just don’t think that matters because other scripture can also shorten the phrase down to just bow. The point is this person is an Archer.

He pierced my heart with arrows from his quiver. Lamentations 3:13

We think of words as being able to shoot like a arrow. People can say something and can zing us in such away that cuts to the core.

They didn’t yell.

They said just the right thing that left a lasting impression on us. It sails right past all my defenses and hits me right to the core, quick clean and deliberate. Could the Bow represent the mindset that prepares the way for war? Is it a battle for the mind and beliefs? The arrow could be a word that gave me hope…. gave me conviction. But it can do the opposite as well. The last straw. The comment that hurt so bad it was blinding….. The slam that killed my last hope and ended my will to live. A word can heal. It can kill.

If the White Horse is Christ and his good news of forgiveness, love, mercy and redemption. If the call is to raise the bar not to raise the stakes. The land will be filled with healing and peace when the evil men are finally brought to justice.

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. Revelation 19:11

However if the White Horse is a deception designed to trick people into thinking something dangerous is actually a good thing the era of conquest to change the hearts of men will seem so sweet as you sway public opinion but when all is said and done it could desend into horror. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this!” The classic cry of those who were fooled into believing a con.

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Isaiah 5:20

Consequences are Consequences even if we were tricked into them.

For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds. 2 Corinthians 11:13

False Prophets can be anything. They can be Politicians, Actors, Doctors, Business leaders, Activists, Teachers or even your neighbor or best friend. Gospels…. “the good news” can masquerade under any number of self help or social justice ideologies. They can attach themselves to Christianity or bill themselves as a “higher wisdom”.

We get easily bored and love anything new and catchy, which is a con-man’s dream. We as a culture seem to relish exposing the swindler who posed as a religious leader but frauds and scammers work in every field not just religion. Don’t confuse the deceiver with the person who is genuinely trying to sort it all out.

and he was given a crown…

They say that in ancient Rome there were two kinds of crowns. One was worn by the King. The other was like a trophy or ribbon: The Victor’s crown. He was given a crown….. a Victor’s crown.

HE WON.

He rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest…….

The White horse is the underdog and he is driven to usurp the top dog. He is BENT on conquest. He is determined to overthrown the current philosophy and he won’t stop until he gains that upper hand.

The problem with being in control is it is easy to get lazy and sloppy. The one who holds the reins can remain alert and responsible or kick back and enjoy the spoils. You take the good life for granted. You forget about others and kind of soak up your place of privilege….. or you don’t but others see it that way because of their own sense of unrest.

When people are done with misery they seek to overcome. People can choose the path of repentance and reconciliation or anger, revenge and retaliation. Both are difficult and require alot of energy to accomplish what they desire. One path destroys everything that crosses it. The other desires to do away with the destructive forces. It seeks to build… Build a new life.

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

Both feel like a white horse riding to conquer whatever is bringing misery.

Yet one path perpetuates misery and the other can, in time, bring relief.

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2

Am I a conquering Christian?

Am I a Christian who engages in the battle for good and evil? Do I fight the good fight? Do I reach out to those who are at the end of their rope and offer a lifeline…. so they won’t be tempted to seize a false hope, the false sense of power that anger and hate brings? Do I look for people who are staring at an angel of light but needing a hero riding on a white horse? Do I engage and offer the one that is faithful and true?

He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. Psalms 40:2

SABBATH and the Christian

The Bible says that the Sabbath is supposed to be a day of rest.

There are times I do not feel rested on Sunday that is for sure. Between trying to find something to wear and racing against the clock, it just feels like any other day where I have to get up, get ready and go to work…… expectations and obligation.

Church can be a sea of people I have to be polite to, wear the right outfit to appease their judgment. This can be exhausting. Volunteering on Sunday morning can become quite a job as well depending how involved you get. I have had friends who have quit attending church solely because every time they walk in the door someone is laying a guilt trip on them. “I want more!”

I have worked a better part of my life in a retail environment, I do not want church to just feel like more of the same, managing the demands of the public. I am exhausted at the end of my week and want a break.

I need to rest.

I need a place I can just be. I can skip make-up, wear yoga pants and Novafoam flip-flops. I can sleep as long as I want. I don’t have to be anywhere…….. or do anything.

In this space I don’t have to answer weird questions with carefully preplanned polite responses. I don’t have to push past that mid afternoon slump with productivity always in the back of my mind… I want a day that I don’t have to care about all of that………. that stuff that drills into my soul week after week in the regular world. Even if I had the best week ever, I still need a day to regroup so I can be fresh for the next week. The reality is God worked the need for rest into the design. People require about 8 hours of sleep every 24 hours and he also designed us to rest one day out of every seven.

So yes, on one day I will have a slow easy morning. I can take a stroll through my garden. I can drink up the fresh air, with my coffee in hand. My cat and dog dutifully in tow as I meander around my back yard. All the things that come to my mind are redirected into prayers. I pray about my week. I pray about my people….. and then those other people. I use this time to transform my worries and judgments into faith. I transform the failures into forgiveness, both mine and others. Today I choose to let all things become new.

Ahhh a guilty pleasure.

In the Bible God reminds us he wants us to do this once every week. Carving out one 24hr block of time to just chill, is his plan. It is not selfish nor is it lazy. He created us to work hard and then we get to take that well-earned brake.

If you have ever been involved in the fitness industry they say “Take a day off and let your body rest.” Rest heals you. Well it heals you body but it can also heal your mind, heart and spirit as well if you design your time to do that. People who are healed are stronger than those who are wounded and drained. That may seem obvious but the way the world works it can seem like everything is about money and productivity. We have lost this biblical truth.

Without rest eventually people can crack and then go into the opposite extreme. They can become guarded and selfish. Neither approach is God’s design. God’s design is work hard for 6 days. Enjoy your work. Take pleasure in your accomplishments. Help others meet their goals as others help you meet your goals. In other words, function as a team versus a group of people stepping on each other in order to further their own career. Then after a round of high fives……….. We get to take a day off to kick back and rest.

This is where we enjoy our “harvest” and be in a place where we enjoy sharing it with others. Can you enjoy sharing your harvest with others? Or do you feel constant anxiety because you don’t have enough to share, or they might exploit you again………… or the drive that greed brings: “If I work on Sunday I can earn time and half……….

Instead of worrying about what I could be getting done today I need to focus on the “Task at hand” which is not doing tasks………

Well for me that didn’t work out so well. My nature is to work-at-it. Sitting in the middle of the room bored did not end up terrible restful. I realized I needed to create a “sabbath-to-do-list”. My workaholic flesh started sneaking in chores.

The list is a “get-to-do” list. I can pick from it, or ignore it completely. It is just something to pull from when I get stuck and want ideas. The goal is not to just be lazy and selfish but to learn how to relax and refresh according to the way God designed it.

For example learn how to just be with people instead of trying to keep-everyone-moving-and-get-this-done. Another thing to watch out for is to do Sabbath in such a way that does not dump your responsibilities on to others. No one likes a fat lazy pig that smells bad, barking orders from the couch, because “THIS IS MY DAY OFF!” A Biblical Sabbath is not a ME day. It is a God day. It is a day to reconnect with God’s agenda by cleaning the gunk out of my heart and soul so I can decompress. It is also remembering to clean the gunk out that has come between me and my loved ones.

What is on this “list”?

Shake off obligation: 1000 agendas many apose each other
Shake off last weeks drama: Children, arguments, screw ups, The broken thing
Shake off negativity: people trying to redirect you, or undermine you, suck you in
Shake off the guilt: misunderstandings, mishandled situations, sins, forgotten tasks

Maybe I can’t solve these dilemmas today but I can go to God and ask for forgiveness or just for an emotional reset. Somethings don’t necessarily require FORGIVENESS but instead just the ability to reset and move on without it dragging me down in the back ground.

Pride and a self focus has become a thing in our culture but these are not a Christian values. As a Christian I can humble myself and make sure I am not making matters worse by being over-confident or turning into an authoritarian jerk. Or by taking care of myself I end up only taking care of myself (or my world) thus not extending myself to those outside my world who need a touch. Once a week I can look out there and see others and just say hi.

In a conflict I must remember I am not God……….. I do not see every angle. “Lord what did I miss yesterday?” Was this a “put your foot down” situation? Or was it a “listen, learn and be patient?” I am not saying doubt yourself. I am saying do not be arrogant. Be open to new information that may change the dynamics completely. The ability to realize you made a poor decision based on a half truth is a form of extending grace. Yes this can go both ways. You gave someone slack based on a pack of lies or you were unreasonably harsh not realizing extenuating circumstances. Grace and forgiveness as a lifestyle allows us to flex with what life throws at us. Sabbath gives us an opportunity to make sure we are doing this as a normal part of our life. We offer others a second chance just like we give ourselves a second chance.

You can pray:

Lord, Did I make this worse? Did I handle it better this time? Thank you Jesus!
Help me with my boundaries…… I want them reasonable, respectful and functional
Lord forgive me……….
Lord help me forgive them. I am really struggling with this.
Lord, It was an amazing week! Thank you so much!
Lord, Help so and so with their situation, is there anything you want me to do?
Bless………… I love them. They are such an amazing person and important to me.
Bless……….I can’t stand them. Lord bless them so they are no longer annoying.
I forgive myself for doing………………..
Lord I am worried about…………….. fill me with your faith, peace and wisdom.

Even if I am going through a rough time and this day started out in tears, my goal is that it is going to end smiling. Today, this day I allow my soul to take a bath. The yuk washes off. Yeah maybe I will need to make different decisions than I did last week (or maybe not). Sometimes you can do everything right and it still doesn’t go according to plan. The bottom line is I am allowed a reset in the Kingdom of God.

Proverbs 24:16

Even when “the plan” was pulled off perfectly. I feel I had the most amazing week but I still need a rest. It was good but exhausting! Work is work. Rest is rest. God rested after creation and he said “It is good!” Why not follow his lead? Sometime it is just nice to sit back and enjoy all that got done during the week and thank God for it. Relish the good moments. Reflect and relive the great things that happened last week. It is ok to do a wonder-of-God-review.

Genesis 1:31

Now:

Go to church
Go to the park or the beach or the mountains
have a picnic lunch
Go on an easy hike or just go on a walk
Play in the snow
Go to the fair or a concert or a ball game
watch a movie with people
Take a nap
Reconnect with your spouse or kids
Go out to coffee with an old friend
Go for a drive, explore a place you have never been with someone
Read a novel
have breakfast in bed
Take a tour in your own city (normally reserved for tourists)
play games (real ones not necessarily online)
just get out of the house
just whole up in the house
walk your dog/s
visit your parents or another eldery person you know, or a home.
visit a local museum
go for a bike ride
Share good memories with each other by candlelight
Drive on a memory tour (visit previous homes, grade school etc) tell your story
take a single mom’s kid with you (give her a break and your kid a buddy)
Find someone new to the area and show them around, hang with them for the day
call someone on the phone
write a letter or an email just to say “hi”
take a boat ride like a Ferry, rent a canoe, a sailboat or a paddle boat
check out the new housing development
Go swimming at a lake or find a pool
Stay the night at a local hotel just for one night. Make it a personal retreat
do a puzzle or a color in a coloring book.
Spend a day just taking pictures
visit a small town go through antique stores and gift shops

Matthew 11:28-30

Why is there this perception out there that God wants to grind us into the ground with expectations? Is it God that does this, or people? Think about it. For the most part our perception of religion is filtered through people. The point to being able to read the Bible is to give us the ability to screen what others teach us.

Go to church.

Listen to what was preached and then look it up for yourself. In other words take ownership of what you learn about the Almighty. If something does not sit right with me I look it up. Maybe what is said is 100% right on but the tone left me feeling condemned instead of loved by God. Or the voices in my head twist what is being said into a negative. God is love. This is our litmus test. If I do not grasp that I am misunderstanding something.

Love is not the same as being passive. Tough love is not an excuse to be heartless and mean. Love is wanting the best for someone. It means creating a bed time for the toddler because the toddler needs to sleep the same every night in order to be a happy functioning being the next morning. I think every parent has allowed the toddler to stay up late in the name of love only to pay the entire next day. True love protects the toddler from becoming a tired whiny miserable wretch the next morning, ruining his day as well as everyone else. Sometimes we do things fully believing it was the loving thing to do only finding out later it was the worse thing in the world. Sometimes setting boundaries now, difficult as it may seem, will create peace in the long run. There are other times when setting a boundary was misguided and creates an irreparable breach. Life is about learning from our mistakes, forgiving ourselves and others. letting it go and then trying a different approach next time. Love is both tenderness and having reasonable standards.

So the next question I had when I was trying to figure this out was “When is the Sabbath? Is it Saturday or Sunday?” As Christians we are not under the law but instead principal. The principal is: rest for a day and dedicate it to God. Technically a day is 24hrs. In the end I decided as Christians we decide what makes the most sense to you individually. A Jewish Sabbath is a specific law. A Christian Sabbath is following a basic principal that is pays respect to the conscience of a person. As you will see even in Jewish tradition “The LAW” has variety in its application.

The Jewish Sabbath starts on Friday night at 5pm. That makes it end at 5pm on Saturday. However Jewish people can be all over the map on how this works out. The Bible says sundown to sundown. Sundown in Jerusalem is at about 5pm. Some Jews start Sabbath at Sundown literally. Some use a clock and pick 5pm versus 5:14 one week and then 5:02 another. Some go by the Jerusalem time zone no matter where they live in the world. Others just assume it means when the sun goes down outside……. on Sabbath……. you relax. When it goes down again…………. the rest is over. This can get a bit wierd if you live in an extremely northern climate. I actually do not think God is concerned over the specifics of how a person sorts this our for themselves. I think he created us to need rest and a rule whatever it is holds us to a commitment. Here the commitment is to rest.

Laws create honesty and hold us accountable if they are managed correctly. So picking a start time and counting out to an end time holds us accountable to fulfill this plan. We do not do this to create a Sabbath prison but instead it releases us from all those other expectations that surround us in life. The endless obligations of life leave us feeling guilty if we dare to sit for down even one second.

If we create a boundary around our Sabbath we free ourselves from the creeping guilt trip the enemy can use to undermine its success. We decide what time this is going to start and clear up confusion as to when it is over. These guidelines protect ourselves from feeling guilty. “Is Sabbath over or not?” I share this because when I was growing up I would get confused over when the rest thing was over. I thought a day started when I woke up in the morning. Well if I woke up in the middle of the night I would wonder…… if I was still on Sabbath or not? The answer I came up with was A day is 24hrs pick what time you are going to start….. that decides when you stop, super easy.

As I said earlier in the nation of Israel, during ancient times, the law was sundown to sundown. We don’t live in Israel. I am not of Jewish decent (maybe you are). I am not obligated to their laws. I am obligated to the laws of the land I live in. I am held captive by my conscience. I have to live with my conscience not yours. You have to live with your conscience not mine. The world I live in considers Sunday the 7th day even if it is technically the first day of the week on the calendar. Which is it Saturday or Sunday? What if a person was raised Muslim? They spent their entire life thinking of Friday as the Holy day. Should they be required to change this if they convert to Christianity? Does it really matter when you start counting to seven? What matters is if it makes sense to you and you have a clean conscience. I think it is ok to make sense with the culture you live in as well. For example a Muslim convert living in a Muslim country may decide to stick with the Friday model versus converting to a Western Christian model or not. Whatever they want.

Any rule we place around a principle is to protect that principle. Jesus teaches us it is the PRINCIPAL that matters not the law. This means that when we obey laws (any law of the land) we are to aim at the principal it was designed to protect. As a Christian I am to follow God. In the beginning he set apart the 7th day making it Holy. How a person fulfills this in a practical sense will be a mix of personal conviction, family structure, culture and a seeming natural assumption.

Genesis 2:2-3

With that said it is easy to get bogged down creating and recreating endless rules. Over time the Jews created endless rules trying to clarify endless questions of what we can do or not do on Sabbath. They are still arguing about it to this day. People are just that way, and we will do this. So catch yourself if you start doing this. Also see it in others who are trying to pressure you into holding their personal standards. We need to work with those around us so respect their insight but at the end of the day it is between you and God and your personal convictions. Find a balance and settle into it. When we allow ourselves to get caught up in the endless arguements over the sublties of rules we lose sight of the point. “Take a day off and just rest.” Jesus wanted us to focus on the point of a day off, to rest not the rules we create to protect our rest. Keep it simple and functional.

Mark 2:27

Another tradition that the Jews have around Sabbath is that they clean house all day long on Friday in order to prepare for Sabbath. Food is made in advance so you don’t even need to cook. This means when you finally do kick back….. the work is done, all of it. If you can do this, it really helps protect the day to remain restful. It is much more relaxing to me to see a beautifully mowed lawn than one that is fuzzy with dandelions going to seed.

The day of rest is designed to follow six days of work. It can also mean only schedule 6 days worth of work. Do not schedule 18 days worth of work to do in six days. Otherwise you may feel pressured into squeezing into that rest period. In our world it is usually five days with an employer and one day around the house. It may mean making some adjustments in order to fit the work load into the 6 day window.

God is about relationships so taking a day of rest is not about being selfish. An exhausted person is exhausting to be around. They are grumpy. They are sloppy. They snap at you. A person who gets their eight hours of sleep is refreshed and much happier. A person who takes their day off and actually rests and allows themselves to reenergize increases that sense of refreshment. A day of rest helps you maintain your composure. A day of rest and 7 nights of rest makes us a joy to be around.

Protect your rest not just for yourself but as a gift to those you love. One part of rest is letting go of anxieties by allowing forgiveness to wash away that ax that keeps grinding in the back ground. It is either pointed at you or you are pointing it at others because of their misdeeds. Once your mind has been freed from needing to “set things right” you can calm down and start to experience rest. This means you actually need to make things right with others whenever possible. As AA says “make amends”.

For some it will be as simple as just realizing you are still hanging on to something annoying from a long time and you just need to let it go….. move on already! For others it will be a battle. The hurts are deep or the habit of resentment is so ingrained the heart can’t just let it go. You would assume that if someone has a difficult time forgiving it is because the injustice was so great, and this can be true but it is also not always the case. The big offenses in life tend to be criminal behavior. There is a reason these misdeeds are illegal because the damage is so horrific. A Christian who has faced this has also spend alot of time trying to process throught it and will continue to do so.

However there is another hook the enemy can use to get us to hold a grudge. Hate, anger and resentment can make us feel strong. People do not want to let go of their negative feeling because it feels as if it protects us from further damage. “If I stay mad I will not fall victim to this injustice again!” It is a trick of the enemy to keep a person weak. Hurt is a wound. Wounds hurt when they are still wounds. We are WEAK when we stay wounded. If someone is yelping in pain constantly they are not strong. Anger is a cover designed to protect you from showing weakness. It is not actually HEALING from the weakness. A person with a broken leg is not strong. A person who went to a doctor had the leg reset and wore their cast ends up being healed. The heart works the same way. Pursue healing instead of holding on to hate. Hanging on to hate, resentment and the like is like allowing an infection to rage in your wound. Allow the “doctor” to wash that emotional pus out so it can heal.

It is wisdom and healthy boundaries that actually protect us. Healthy people have the freedom to care again. Unhealthy people are screaming in pain and lash out constantly. Maybe it was naivety that allowed you to get hurt? Maybe it was being sloppy or desperate? Heal the wounds and find the real facts and create reasonable boundaries based on the truth not angry perceptions. “Fort Knox” may work at first but eventually you must regroup and create reasonable boundaries. As the hurts heal the guard will be able to drop little by little. Eventually you will be normal again or at lease close to it.

For me I had a conflict over rest and going to church. As I said before working retail church just seemed like more of the same. It was not restful at all. This is not the same for everyone. For example if a person is a stay at home mom a day with adults is a covented break from children all week. You send your kids off to Sunday School and get to “Adult” for a bit.

Or maybe a person is stuck in a lonely office all week. Church is a time to be social and connect with people. Whereas I am burned out on superficial polite interaction an office worker by live for it. An office worker will turn off Cell phones and avoid the computer.

Every person has to juggle their schedules in such a way that they can get their rest, spend time with God and connect with other believers. Yes it can be really difficult but standing that ground can be a spiritual payoff of righteousness. For me I turn my face to the wind and just make it work. I can tweak my Sunday schedule periodlically in order to keep it fresh. I went to a Saturday night service for a season. I go to the last service on Sunday or make my Sabbath start at odd times. I wear causul clothes to church if I am not up to doing the whole thing. I can even watch it on TV if I just plain exhausted. No real rules other that rest and time with my Savior. Maybe Saturday is Sabbath and sunday is chore day starting with an early service. (ends your time with God instead of begin it.)

Time with God is reflection, Prayer, reading scripture and meditating how the principles contained in the bible fit into your life. Ideally a believer should be connecting with God daily I get that. But starting with one day sets the tone for other days.

Maybe even just putting a bible verse app in your phone so a scripture shows up in your notifications to remind you of your plan for the week is something. Listening to worship music on your way to work in the car can help.

Being a Christian is a lifestyle. Many are very diligent with the sincerity of this and others do not even know it is more that a weekly service. They just completely forget their Christianity until Sunday rolls around and can’t figure out why God is so distant. For alot of us we want to be diligent but it is hard to balance all the stuff of life. We want to please EVERY standard of “good” that is out their. You can’t do that. You have to choose your god, serve him, and let the other gods go……….. kicking and screaming. Making Sunday about Jesus and learing his agenda fleshes out your game plan for the week.

Matthew 6:24

We are all at different places in our walk with God and we only need to look at the next step and take that step. Spending a day with God helps us keep taking those simple but important next steps.