No Time For God

No Time For GodBy Thomas E. BrewtonEverything is better when we obey the Fourth Commandment's  instruction to keep the Lord's Day holy.Pastor Steve Treash preached Sunday's sermon at Black Rock-Long Ridge  Congregational Church (North Stamford, Connecticut).  We need, he  said, to ask ourselves frequently what would we have done differently  in the past and what we would do in the near future, were we to know  that our death was near at hand.Our answer ought to be to follow the Fourth Commandment, to make more  time for God in our lives.Poets in earlier generations were on the right track.  We should take  time to smell the roses, we should leave a place in hectic schedules  for our family and friends, and we should enjoy the beauties of  nature and thank God for them.The full text of the Fourth Commandment in Exodus is:"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.  Six days you shall  labor and do all your work,  but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the  LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your  son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your  animals, nor the alien within your gates.  For in six days the LORD  made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but  he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath  day and made it holy."(Exodus 20:8-11)Pastor Treash observed that the word Sabbath means a stop, a  cessation of activity, a rest.  The word holy means set apart.  To  keep the Sabbath holy means, not to relax from work and watch TV, but  to set aside time to commune through the Holy Spirit with God; to put  our thoughts and emotions right with God.Keeping the Sabbath holy is more than just going to church, then  returning home to watch TV.  It's making the entire Sabbath holy.   It's setting aside time to ask for spiritual guidance to live a life  more in keeping with Jesus's teachings.  It's setting aside time to  meditate about ways to demonstrate love, affection, and respect to  our family members.  It's being open to Divine inspiration about ways  to help others.  It's asking for help from the Holy Spirit to look   beyond our selfish, egoistical focus to find ways to serve that  glorify God.Pastor Treash listed three ways to spend time with God to those ends.First, reflect upon the blessings God has given us."Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God  brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.  Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath  day."  (Deuteronomy 5:15)Second, refresh ourselves by enjoying God's Creation with friends and  family.  Note that doing this will set a good example for young  children."The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the  generations to come as a lasting covenant.  It will be a sign between  me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the LORD made the  heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he abstained from work  and rested."  (Exodus 31:16-17)Finally, refocus on your purpose in life, which is not just to work,  but to worship God and, in so doing, to transform your life to become  more Christlike.God wants to restore your ability to see and enjoy the miracle of His  Creation and to be thankful for His blessings.Thomas E. Brewton is a staff writer for the New Media Alliance, Inc.  The New Media Alliance is a non-profit (501c3) national coalition of  writers, journalists and grass-roots media outlets.His weblog is THE VIEW FROM 1776http://www.thomasbrewton.com/Email comments to viewfrom1776@thomasbrewton.com

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