continuing with thoughts and reflections from my time at the 2013 CCDA conference in New Orleans:

the evening started with a rendition of that powerful hymn ‘How Great Thou Art’ and what was so powerful about it was that the band completely held back [what? a worship band not taking centre stage?] and so it was just a room of 1000 plus people lifting their voices to God and just felt like such a thick and worshipful Presence in that room – really set a great tone for the evening.

then a lady called Laura came up and spoke about the sabbath and it was really great.

she began by speaking about she found herself often in a place of fear and of anxiety  and of burnout… she’d be crying out to God, “God, when do I get to soar like an eagle? Walk and not be weary? When do I get to run and not grow faint?

And God responded with, “I gave you the sabbath, what else do you want?”

Exodus 20.8-10:

8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 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 male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 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.

It is important to remember that it is a commandment. And not one of those we like to put a spin on as in ‘had a place in the Old Testament but we don’t have to do it any more cos Jesus abolished it’ – this is one of the ten that we all hold fast to.

The majority of the remaining commandments begin with the words, ‘Thou shalt not…’ but this one begins with the word ‘Remember’ and then promotes something that we should be doing… The message of ‘Remember’ echoes Psalm 46.10 of ‘Be still and know that I am God.’ Stop. Keep this.

Some of us need to start by stopping.

Had to think about what God meant when He said, ‘Remember.’

# The Lord gave you the sabbath – were you expecting something else?

The first thing I heard was, “Laura, you are not indispensible.” WHAT? REALLY?

# We give in to the deception.

Did God ever say to anyone in the Bible, ‘This command. It isn’t for you. You’re too important. Please keep working.’

No, He didn’t. And not even to Jesus.

# God has shown me through this how so often I am bowing down… but not to Him, to others or other things…

# I need to remember this – that if I never produce anything else for the rest of my life, God will not love me any less.

# And if I made the most excellent thing, or accomplished the biggest successful looking thing, He won’t love me any more.

STOPPING HELPED ME REALISE

[1] The world already has a Saviour [and big newsflash – it’s not me!]

[2] Let me Love you. That’s what I heard God saying to me. Let Love love you. Because that is what it does. That is what He does.

  # I created you a rest

  # I didn’t create you to do, I created you to be!

[3] I realised that God was calling me to Real Love  – love that wasn’t a quickie devotion

Rather Love that was like pulling up a chair in God’s kitchen and waiting for the bread to bake. 

Not for a particular reason. Just to visit some.

[4] Call to remember that God is God and I am not.

# Jesus was the first one who knew how to stop.

WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE IF YOU HAD THE COURAGE TO STOP?

– then we had a minute of silence… to listen to God…

Let the body of Christ be the body of Christ – let us encourage one another, hold each other accountable, life up each other’s arms. Love one another.

And it was good.

How is your sabbathing going?

[For snippets from the next morning of the conference, click here]