See!
For the LORD has given you the Sabbath;
therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days.
Let every man remain in his place;
let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.”So the people rested on the seventh day.
Exodus 16:29-30
LORD Jesus, we praise You, the Bread from Heaven, for providing food as nourishment to our body and Your Word for nourishment to our soul. Keep us close to Yourself, O God we pray, so that we will not crave things but seek the One who made all things. In Jesus’ precious name we pray. Amen.
Remember what I’ve said in Sabbath Preparations — Part 1?
The Sabbath is supposed to be the highlight of the week and a delight.
Jesus first! The LORD has given us the Sabbath and He is the One who is LORD over the Sabbath, too. All week long so many other things invade our mind. We drive to school and work, from one event to the next, and from one appointment to the other. In the middle of the day we come to a sudden halt: What’s for dinner? So we rush into the store to pick up a few bits and pieces to create a meal for the evening. Where is Jesus in all of this?
Yes, of course, we had our morning devotions, prayed, and read our Bible. You are right, Jesus is with us wherever we go because He said that He would never leave us nor forsake us. I’m not talking about Jesus not being there. My question is: What place or importance are we giving Him all through the week?
Imagine with everything else out of the way — no work, no shopping, no driving to an event, no scheduled TV or cinema movie coming up, no baking or cooking, no washing up, etc. — how much time would there be left for us to spend with Jesus?
Replying to my question of how am I supposed to accomplish all the office work in such a short amount of time, this is what my former boss told me:
It’s all a matter of how good we organize and schedule things.
So here are some ideas to get you started on how to prepare for the next Sabbath:
1 Day — Consider the day and hours you want to set aside (for this week only or for the coming weeks and months). Some may want to celebrate Sabbath on a Sunday (morning to evening), while others may prefer to have it Saturday evening to Sunday evening, or Friday evening until Saturday evening as it is the custom in many Jewish families). Others may want to do, or have to due to their work schedule, their 7th day celebration on a Monday or Wednesday instead.
2 Meals — Plan all the meals that will happen during Sabbath (dinner, breakfast for the next day, etc.). You can make many things ahead of time throughout the week. How about preparing dinner so it will be “oven-ready” when needed? Of course you want to serve your family nice food that day. It doesn’t have to be gourmet though. (Ideas and recipes to follow soon.)
3 Cleanup — If we keep on top during the week we will have to do less cleaning and putting things away right before Sabbath. Get the whole family to help with the preparations and cleaning.
Make it exciting! Do all for Jesus and in light of the time of blessed rest with Him coming up.