March 1988
The Sabbath Day
The Sabbath Day is my special day, and I delight in it.
The Sabbath Day is a day set apart for my children to rejoice,
and be glad, gather round my feet, and eat at my table.
I have commanded a blessing to reside upon all who honour my special day,
all who delight in it and make it a day of gladness of heart with thanksgiving.
See that you do not compass my day about with rules of your own making.
See that you do not spend your hours in fear of breaking your own rules.
See that you do not make my day into a day of bondage,
imprisonment, and restriction,
whereby my children will be glad when it is over,
for this causes men to hate the Sabbath.
I desire that men shall love my day,
yearn for it,
prepare for it,
and enjoy it.
For I am the Lord of the Sabbath,
and I will not be bound by man’s legalism and formality.
On the Sabbath day I ask that you will cease from your weekly labours,
lay aside your tools of trade,
your business needs,
and your academic studies.
By doing this you will find refreshment for your souls and your bodies.
It is my gift to you as a holiday from work,
and as a holiday I want you to be free and happy.
But will you then rush off and expend yourselves
on a dozen pursuits of your own making?
Will you forget that I have given you this holiday?
Will your minds be turned to many diversions of your own
and not be stayed on me?
Will you rob me of the joy I desire to have with you on my Sabbath days?
Come aside my children and delight in the Lord your God,
and He will delight in you.
Speak together of MY things rather than your own things.
Include me in your conversations.
Praise me for the many benefits you receive at my hands.
Then you will find a rich reward,
for I will hold at bay with a strong right hand the forces of darkness,
and I will command an angelic host to attend to your needs,
and I shall sit in your midst and be satisfied,
yea, I shall pour out to you the blessings of heaven above and the earth beneath,
and you shall ride upon the high places in my Kingdom.
Are you perplexed about specific things?
Are you confused in your minds about special events,
requirements of the day,
even sudden happenings?
Present it all to me, my children, for I am the Lord of the Sabbath.
I am no task-master.
I yearn for you with a strong love that seeks only your good.
Shall I not be glad to grant your requests,
as long as they lie within the compass that I have set?
For when you have come to ask,
you have already shown where your heart lies.
And I shall answer you.
Do not rebel in your hearts.
Come aside and learn of me,
and we shall walk together in the refreshing Sabbaths
of the Lord your God.”
– – – – – – – –oOo– – – – – – – –
[The Lord is speaking about Saturday of course, not Sunday, which never was the “Sabbath.” In another word received, He showed us that in olden times the donkey in the ditch needed to be rescued on the Sabbath. Likewise today, because of the complexity of modern life, many people have to do things on Saturdays that would make the time of rest virtually impossible. But modern-day “donkey work” still comes under the same heading. One lady wrote and said that she kept the spirit of the Sabbath in her heart, but found it utterly impossible to treat the day as a rest-day. The Lord commended this, and said that it was exactly what He was looking for. The MillennialKingdom, the great Sabbath Rest of a thousand years is almost upon us, and our thinking about the weekly Sabbath helps us to prepare in spirit for the greater event.]
