What Jesus Said about the Sabbath

What did the Messiah say about the Sabbath? The Sabbath day holds a significant place in Judeo-Christian tradition. It symbolizes rest and spiritual renewal, and is mentioned well over 150 times in the Bible. This post takes a look at the words and teachings of Jesus about the Sabbath, examining his perspective on Sabbath rest, healing, and Biblical law. We will take a look at his words in the New Testament, and explore what that means for believers today.

Many people say that the Sabbath day is insignificant because it 'doesn't come up much,' in the New Testament, but that is not the case. If we remember that the Old Testament is three to four times the size of the New Testament, then it's actually the New Testament that brings it up more frequently! Jesus himself talks about the Sabbath at least 10 times, and it is mentioned about 50 times just in the Gospels.

The Messiah's words on the Sabbath:

"The son of man is master of the Sabbath." -Luke 6:5, Mark 2:28

Here the Messiah establishes that he has a deep relationship with the Sabbath, because you can only be master of something that matters to you. Sometimes people take this to mean he rules over the Sabbath, and therefore it's obsolete, but a good King does not do away with his kingdom. Rather, he rules over it with justice. So when Jesus says this, he's calling attention to the fact that he is the one who decides what is and is not appropriate Sabbath behavior. He does this because religious leaders at the time had added on all sorts of rules about what you couldn't do on the Sabbath. He's saying that we can get our Sabbath laws from him, and not abide by the traditions we grew up with.

"It is lawful to do good deeds on the Sabbath." -Matthew 12:12

Here's Jesus once again explaining what is actually permissible to do on the Sabbath, because at the time the religious leaders had placed significant restrictions on Sabbath keeping. The Bible's directions for keeping the Sabbath are focused on resting, not working, and worshipping YHWH. Nowhere in the Bible does it give nitpicky rules about the Sabbath, and it certainly never says that we can't help people or creation on this day.

"Sabbath was made for mankind." -Mark 2:27

The Messiah taught that Sabbath was made for us. It was created to be a gift to mankind. Because a day of rest is the gift that the world desperately needs right now. This passage of Scripture demonstrates that Jesus didn't intend for this to go away so that we could just be 'free' to work all the time. He's reminding us that it's a good thing to have the freedom to rest each and every week.

What Jesus said about healing on the Sabbath:

"Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" -Mark 3:4, Luke 6:9

"Shouldn't this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day?" -Luke 13:16

"Why are you angry with me for healing a man on the Sabbath?" -John 7:23

"If any of you has a sheep that falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out?" -Matthew 12:11, Luke 14:5

"If a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses is not broken, why are you angry with me for healing a man's whole body on the Sabbath?" -John 7:23

Healing on the Sabbath was a major debate in Jesus's day. The Messiah frequently healed people on the Sabbath, which greatly offended the Pharisees and other religious leaders of that time. The Pharisees went as far to say that Jesus wasn't a Sabbath keeper and not from God because he did so. In fact, this was one of the main reasons they plotted to kill him (John 5:18). This was simply because they had decided it wasn't lawful to heal on the Sabbath. This is not a directive of Scripture. So when the Messiah healed on Shabbat, it was a violation of manmade religious law, not Biblical commandments. 

One of the key takeaways we have from this ongoing debate in the New Testament is that Jesus approved of stripping away tradition and religious customs in favor of what the word of God says. 

It's also noteworthy that he did a huge amount of healings on the Sabbath. This speaks to the simple truth that Sabbath is healing. It also demonstrates that God is not legalistic. Many people have the impression that YHWH would rather have people suffer than to have a healing happen on the Sabbath, and that is absolutely false! The Messiah often railed against the religious leaders for lacking mercy and compassion, and he purposefully healed on the Sabbath to show that God's nature is that he cares for people and wants them healed.

Related posts:
Did Jesus Break the Sabbath? The Meaning of John 5:18
What Jesus Said about Biblical Law
Five Things the Messiah Taught about the Sabbath

Did Jesus Break the Sabbath? The Meaning of John 5:18

Did Jesus break the Sabbath? Did he do things that went against the commandments of the Bible when it came to the set apart day of the week? Lots of people believe that the Messiah broke the Sabbath day when he walked on earth. In the Gospels he frequently had run-ins with the Pharisees and religious leaders of his day about what was appropriate behavior that would keep the Sabbath day holy. There seem to be verses and statements in the New Testament saying that he violated the Sabbath day in some way. Here we are going to examine if Jesus broke the Sabbath. 

What does the Bible tell us about the Jesus and the Sabbath?

"For this reason they tried all the more to kill him not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God." -John 5:18

There it says Jesus was breaking the Sabbath. That seems rather clear, doesn't it? If we flipped our Bible open to this verse and read without context it would be hard to take this verse to mean anything other than: Jesus broke the Sabbath. Heaven knows plenty of pastors, teachers, and Bible commentators have done this.

But this view leaves out the context of what was happening and overlooks how the story is being told. If we pull a verse like this out of context we will inevitably misunderstand the true meaning of this Biblical passage and description of the Savior.

We can see throughout the Gospels that the religious leaders disagreed with the Messiah about how the Sabbath day should be kept. They considered healing on the Sabbath to be a major offense. This comes up in Matthew 12, Mark 3, Luke 6, and John 9. This was such an issue at the time that each Gospel writer included this in their writing. 

"They questioned Jesus, asking, 'Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?'" -Matthew 12:10

"The scribes and Pharisees were watching him closely to see if he healed on the Sabbath." -Luke 6:7

Before studying and reading the entire Old Testament, I assumed that the Pharisees were upset because God had a law against healing on the Sabbath. I knew there were rules about the Sabbath, and these guys were the religious experts, so they would know...right? The Old Testament is huge, there must be a command prohibiting Sabbath healings somewhere in there.

But then I read the Old Testament, and I read for myself that there is no such Biblical commandment that says that healing is prohibited on the Sabbath. This means that this is not an instruction of YHWH. And if it's not a commandment, then breaking it doesn't violate the Sabbath. This means that Jesus didn't break the Sabbath!

But what about John 5:18 and similar verses like John 9:16? They literally say that the Messiah did break the Sabbath.

If we look at them in context, these verses like these say that the religious leaders thought he was breaking the Sabbath. They also thought he wasn't from God, so if we accept that their opinion was correct and he was breaking the Sabbath, that would mean he wasn't sent from God.

"Some of the Pharisees said, 'This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.'" -John 9:16

Someone's opinion, no matter how popular that person is, or what their credentials are, is not always correct. While these statements are included in the New Testament, that is to tell us what was happening - the religious leaders said it was wrong to heal on the Sabbath, but Jesus did so anyway - and this is not the same as Biblical truth. Yes, it's true that they said and believed that the Messiah was breaking the law, but that doesn't mean it's true that he was.

By healing on the Sabbath, the Messiah not only demonstrated his compassion for people and his desire for our physical wellness. He also showed us through this how seriously he took the word of God. He wasn't going to stand for substitutions of religion. He wasn't okay with saying a human belief or law was the same as commandments from his Father. He refused to perpetuate the belief that what religious leaders said was the same as Biblical law. He wasn't interested in the appearance of looking spiritual; he wanted to love his neighbors while still showing love to God by keeping his commandments.

The activities that Scripture records the Messiah doing on the Sabbath are all things that fit within the Biblical instructions of what to do on that day. He healed, taught, went for walks, and dined in the homes of friends on the Sabbath. In every single story that we have of his life, not once does the Bible record him doing anything that breaks a Biblical law about the Sabbath.

The Bible's commands for the Sabbath mostly consist of things like we should rest on it, work is prohibited, and it's a day for worshipping YHWH instead of pursuing our own interests. In every story we have of his life, we see that the Messiah kept the Biblical instructions about the Sabbath day. Since healing on the Sabbath is not prohibited by Scripture, he was free to do so without violating or breaking the set apart day in any way. 

The Messiah didn't mind breaking man's commandments about the Sabbath. But he never violated what his Father commanded.

Related posts:
Did Jesus Break the Law?
Traditions and Commandments in the New Testament
The Three Types of Laws in Scripture

The Biblical Exodus and the Seven Day Work Week

In this post I'd like to talk about the workload the Israelites were under when they were enslaved in Egypt. We know they did hard work and manual labor. We know their slavers at least occasionally attacked them physically (a young Moses was so angry to see the harshness an Israelite was treated with that he killed the assailant). We know that the children of Israel cried out to YHWH because of the slavery. But we don't often hear about how much they worked. 

The Bible paints a picture of the Israelites working every day. The text doesn't expressly say this, but it can be inferred from the exchange that Moses and Pharaoh have in Exodus 5, and the fact that once they were freed they needed to be taught to have a rest day each week.

At the beginning of Exodus 5, Moses doesn't seem to be asking for all-out release of Israel from slavery...he initially asks Pharaoh for permission for the Israelites to take a three day journey into the wilderness to celebrate a festival (5:1, 3). He seems to be requesting vacation time from work.

Pharaoh's response to this tells us a lot. This request has angered him. How does he reply to Moses? He doesn't suggest they take a shorter trip over the weekend or use their day off to have their festival. In Exodus 5:4, he says to Moses and Aaron, "Why do you take the people from their work?" Pharaoh is asking, "Why would you have the people stop working? Why would you give them a day off?"

That certainly seems like the Israelites didn't have too many off days, but even if they were getting a day off here or there, it's probable that it was less than one out of every seven days, given that the command for a weekly Sabbath is repeated several times once they are freed. We see that this request for time off angered Pharaoh so much that he increased their workload, requiring them to make the same amount of bricks but now making them gather the straw needed to do so. This was a significant enough increase in work that Scripture records the Israelite slaves confronting Pharaoh about the unreasonableness of this new demand. So even if the Israelites actually did have some occasional days off before, they were certainly gone after they were forced to gather straw themselves. 

On a side note, ancient Egypt had a calendar system that had 'weeks' that were ten days long. It's not super relevant for our purposes here; the main point is that they were working every day of the week, however long that week was. The work schedule and calendar system of Egypt does give us insight into why the seven day week and the day of rest needed to be taught to the Israelites. 

Something we need to take notice of in this story is that it seems to indicate that a lack of time off is a serious impediment to worshipping YHWH. We know the Israelites had some sort of relationship with the Living God, they had cried out to him for freedom after all, but the enslaving powers had blocked them from having festivals and holidays to worship God. They were withheld rest, and Sabbath rest is worship.

This has some huge implications for how we are using our time. 

More and more companies and workplaces are demanding seven day availability from their employees. This can be disguised in language like, "flexible schedules," "weekend availability required," or "time and a half overtime pay." In some cases it can literally be a requirement to work seven days a week for a stretch (I talked to a man once who had just worked a shift for the 106th day in a row), but it can also be things like not being given set days off, or having a schedule of 'four on/four off' or something similar. And in the internet age it can also look like being expected to check email over the weekend or check in on Slack every day, as if you have nothing more important to do with your time than constantly be tethered to work.

Not only are expectations like this a huge emotional drain (any mental health professional will tell you that the pressure to always be working or always be available is detrimental to brain function, and quickly leads to burnout or breakdown), causing havoc at any attempt at a healthy work/life balance, but this expectation is literally unbiblical and ungodly. If you are an employer or manager and you're expecting the people who work for you to be available seven days a week or to check in with work every day, then you are doing things Pharaoh's way and not God's.

Keeping people busy all the time is keeping people from God's best for them. It is robbing them of opportunities to rest and worship on the weekly Sabbath and to take part in the Biblical holidays. That's not to say that you can't have a relationship with God if you are working all the time. Again, we see the Israelites crying out to him when they were slaves. But one of the ten commandments is that we should honor the Sabbath day. If we are not abiding by YHWH's schedule, then we miss out on the good things that come from that.

If you have a business, Scripture requires you to give your employees at least the Sabbath days off. That means they do not work, you do not bother them with work updates or news, and you do not require them to check in on work on that day. 

If you have a job that's requiring to much of you right now, please know that this is not a condemnation of you or any sort of judgment. The legitimate need to provide for your family or to pay your rent can put you in some very bad situations in this culture that largely doesn't recognize Biblical commandments. God understands your situation and cares for you. I'll link below to a post with practical ideas on how you can stop working on the Sabbath.

While many businesses and employers are at fault for their expectation of constant reachability and overburdening their employees, we as individuals need to make sure we are doing our part to make sure we are stopping on the Sabbath for rest and worship.

All of us can help others and ourselves to be more able to rest on the Sabbath day. Not running errands or shopping on the Sabbath means stores and restaurants do less business and therefore require less staffing. If I need to ask someone to do something for me, I can wait another day and not interrupt their Sabbath day with my requests. Pay attention and see what things tend to keep you from rest on the Sabbath - what adjustments can you make so that work, housework, email, etc. are not stealing your focus? If you need help with this, I'll post a link to an article that will help, or feel free to reach out and ask for advice!

We are not slaves. We serve YHWH who commands rest each week...let's do our best to not keep the schedule of slavery. In Revelation where it says, "Come out of her, my people," it's talking about certain cultural customs and ungodly behaviors. That includes the seven day work week! 

How to Stop Working on the Sabbath
Five Ways to Have a More Peaceful Sabbath
Things That Aren't Required for Sabbath Rest

Biblically Clean Slow Cooker Recipes

These are recipes for Biblically clean meals that can be made in a slow cooker. These warm and cozy meal ideas are a perfect way to have an easy meal ready for dinner, and they all fit within what the Bible says about what we eat. Using a slow cooker or crock pot can be a helpful way to getting dinner on the table on a busy day, or make one of these meals for the Sabbath day so that you have more time to rest! If you don't want to keep the slow cooker on overnight, just assemble the ingredients in the crock the day before, and the next day take it out of the fridge and turn on the slow cooker a few hours before you'd like to have your meal.

As always, these recipes contain no pork or shellfish, and they are great for a Biblically clean diet!

Queso Chicken Chili from Pinch of Yum

Mom's Slow Cooker Beef Stew from Ambitious Kitchen

Super Easy Veggie Crockpot Lasagna from Pinch of Yum

Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs from Salt and Lavender

Quinoa Black Bean Stuffed Peppers from Pinch of Yum

Slow Cooker Peanut Butter Oatmeal from This Healthy Table

Crockpot Barbecue Chicken from Salt and Lavender

Slow Cooker Tortellini Vegetable Soup from Half Baked Harvest

Crockpot Sweet and Sour Chicken from Well Plated

Thai Butternut Squash Lentil Soup from Ambitious Kitchen

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Turkey Chili from This Healthy Table

Coconut Tandoori Inspired Chicken from Pinch of Yum

Slow Cooker Chicken Curry from Well Plated

Crockpot Chipotle Pot Roast Tacos from Half Baked Harvest

Greek Crock Pot Sloppy Joes from Well Plated

The Best Detox Crockpot Lentil Soup from Pinch of Yum

Crockpot Roast Beef from Well Plated

Crockpot Red Lentil Curry from Pinch of Yum

Related posts:
How to the Bible Defines Food
Five Reasons Why Believers Today Should Keep the Food Laws
Biblically Clean Soups

Things Not Required for Sabbath Rest

How do you participate in the Sabbath day correctly? Are there certain things you have to do to do it right? When I first started keeping the Sabbath day I was bombarded with feedback about what I had to do to "do it correctly." Christians, Messianics, and Jews alike warned that there were certain steps that, if skipped, would mean that my attempts at Sabbath rest "wouldn't count."

While the Bible gives us directions about the Sabbath day, those instructions are looser and less in number than most people realize. Scripture tells us to rest, not to work, and to worship YHWH and that's really the bulk of the commandments surrounding the day of rest. But well-meaning people would tell me that if I tore any toilet paper on the Sabbath, that would wipe out any physical benefit or spiritual credit that I might have gotten if I had kept the Sabbath 'perfectly.' I'd like to point out that this is not something the Bible says! 

Like the Pharisees who accused the Messiah of breaking the Sabbath in Matthew 12, many of us have focused our attention on what other people tell us about Sabbath observance, instead of what the word of God says. Jesus didn't actually break any rules in the Bible around the Sabbath day, he only broke the rules imposed by man.

You can keep the Sabbath according to what the Bible says, without worrying that you're doing it wrong if you skip on cultural expectations of what the Sabbath day "should" look like. 

You don't have to:

-Clean your house the day before. 

-Light candles.

-Have challah bread.

-Not use electricity or shut the light off in your refrigerator.

-Recite blessings.

-Make a fancy meal.

-Tear toilet paper ahead of time.

And a whole lot of other things! If it's not in the Bible, it's not required. Note that there's not necessarily anything wrong with some of these things, but it is wrong to believe that we can only enter into YHWH's Sabbath rest when we've checked all these boxes. The gift of the Sabbath isn't about doing these things, it's about pausing to honor a commandment from the Living God! Make sure you're not telling people that it's harder than it really is or that they have to follow any instructions that aren't from the Bible.

Related posts:
What To Do on the Sabbath
Sabbath Prep and the Idol of Cleanliness
What NOT To Do on the Sabbath

Why I'm Still Keeping the Sabbath

You've heard why I first started keeping the Sabbath. It's been more than 11 years since then! I'm still keeping it. Here's why:

-The conviction still holds. Throughout the past decade plus, I have heard a zillion arguments for why believers don't need to honor the Sabbath. But none of these hold up under the examination of Scripture. As I continue to read and study YHWH's word, the significance of Sabbath comes up in many ways, and I still feel conviction to set apart this holy day. My faith has grown through this time of Sabbath keeping, and I'm more convicted of the importance of this than when I first started.

-I like it. I should be following the Bible's instructions whether I appreciate them or not, but I truly do enjoy and look forward to the Sabbath! It is a calming factor throughout the whole week. No matter how busy the season I find myself in is, I know I will have a break and time to rest each and every week, and I look forward to that. The time to rest and study the word is a joy, and I'm happy to be able to set aside work, chores, and other obligations on the Sabbath.

-It benefits me. I find myself overwhelmed with life far less often than I did before Sabbath keeping, even though I have more going on to balance. The mental, as well as physical, break refreshes me for the upcoming week, and I know myself to be far more productive 'working' six days a week instead of seven. My energy level is higher, I feel refreshed, inspired, and more alert mentally thanks to Sabbath keeping.

-It really is doable! Many people find this hard to believe but setting apart the Sabbath as a day of rest and not working is not too hard. It took time to learn how to rest and relax and not focus on the cares of the rest of the week, but once you know how, you know! Now that I'm used to keeping the Sabbath, it is completely natural to prepare for it and keep that day free of other commitments. My husband and I have both found jobs where we don't work on the Sabbath. Our families and friends have accepted this part of our lifestyle. I've found that the world does go on, even if I'm not participating in the same things that I used to on Saturdays.

-I can see how others who started keeping the Sabbath benefit. When I started keeping Sabbath I did so at the same time as my now-husband, my parents, and several other friends and families from our small congregation. They're still keeping Sabbath too and would tell you it is meaningful and valuable. I can see how their faith has grown through taking this tangible step of faith.

-To show others that it is possible. When I get together with people who don't keep the Sabbath, there's usually a clear theme: everyone is mind-numbingly busy and stressed to the point of tears. I hear this from friends, relatives, coworkers, and people in my community. I don't look down on anyone for not keeping the Sabbath - I didn't either for much of my life - but I do feel for those who are overwhelmed with no break in sight. I want to show others that even if you're juggling a million responsibilities and commitments, you can still partake in this incredible gift of rest and restoration from our God!

More on the Sabbath:
Sabbath in the New Testament
Tips for Resting on the Sabbath
Things I Love about the Sabbath

Summertime Sabbath Ideas

How do you like to spend the Sabbath during summer months? Are you taking advantage of the season and enjoying the weather and fresh produce that this time of year offers? Here are a few ideas for making the most of summer!

Summertime Sabbath Ideas:

-Spend your day outside. Get outside for some fresh air! Not only is the fresh air and sunshine good for your health, but it can make for a more restful day. Being outside means I'm not as distracted by all the things there are to do at home, and my focus isn't on whatever work there is to get caught up on or what needs cleaned up around the house. If you have kids, getting them outside means less mess to clean up later. Time in creation naturally calls our attention to the Creator's ways. Enjoy your backyard, a nearby park, lake, or the beach.

-Fresh fruit. Can you beat the convenience or deliciousness of fresh fruit at this time of year? Make fresh produce a big part of your food intake on the Sabbath and you'll spend less time in the kitchen. Pick up whatever is in season at a nearby orchard, the farmers market, or the grocery store and you have instantly taken care of part of the food you'll need for the Sabbath. Have a big bowl of blueberries out to snack on, or serve peaches or melon for part of the meal, or dessert. Support your health while having less work to do!

-Sprinkler baths. While bathing kids can be a lot of work, sometimes it's necessary on the Sabbath. Why not make it a little easier - and a lot more fun - by swapping out the bathtub for the sprinkler, the hose, kiddie pool, or dip in the lake or swimming pool? Send kids out to swim or play in water and call it good enough. Make this chore into something a lot more fun for kids and more peaceful for you.

-Make ahead salads. In the warm weather, I find cold dishes so refreshing. Most salads are simple to make, and if you're utilizing a lot of fresh vegetables in raw form, they come together quickly. And is there a better feeling when you're hungry of opening up the fridge and seeing something delicious ready to eat? You don't need to be coordinated, just grab the salad when you're ready to eat, no need to heat up the kitchen or making sure the crockpot gets started by whatever time. Make a cold salad or two to enjoy on the Sabbath. Here are some great recipes to get you inspired.

Related posts:
Five Ways to Have a More Peaceful Sabbath
Get Outside this Shabbat
Summer Salads for Shabbat

What Not To Do on the Sabbath

What sorts of things are we supposed to avoid doing on the Sabbath? The Bible gives us instructions to rest and not to work, but what does that look like, practically, for us today? I want to point out some specific things we aren't to do, because when I first started keeping the Sabbath there were many things that I overlooked. As with the post on what to do on the Sabbath, this is not meant to be a comprehensive list, but rather a general guideline of Scripture's instructions surrounding the set apart day.

The Bible tells us that on the Sabbath day we shouldn't:

Work:

-Work professionally. Full time, part time, or as needed. This includes side hustles or any sort of gig. Whether you work for yourself or someone else, working should be avoided. See this post for information about how to stop working on the Sabbath.

-Do unnecessary household tasks. I'm talking about things like yardwork or doing the laundry or general cleaning, as well as tasks like balancing the checkbook or paying bills. These things could easily wait another day so that you can enjoy Sabbath rest.

-Work on special projects. This could be anything from party planning to blogging to helping someone move to finally hanging up that framed family photo.

-Promote your work or business. The Sabbath is not for professional networking or trying to solicit new business. Trust in YHWH to provide for your needs. 

Have someone work for us:

-Shop. If you go to a store or business then the employees are working on your behalf. Save your shopping list for another day.

-Hire help. If you need an electrician, plumber, etc. or if you pay someone to do yard work or to fix your vehicle, schedule that for a day that is not the Sabbath. I would also think twice before enrolling a child in dance class or art class that meets on the Sabbath, because the instructor would be working (not to mention that this wouldn't be very restful for you or your child).

-Run errands like going to the bank.

-Make appointments. Sabbath is not the day to call about getting an oil change or to set up a dentist appointment, etc. 

-Eat out. Going to a restaurant for a meal or coffee shop for a drink means that cooks, servers, baristas, etc. are working on your behalf.

-Give other people things to do. While there is nothing wrong with talking to friends and family, please be considerate of other people's day of rest and refrain from asking them to do things for you, whether that's look something up, email you information, or schedule an appointment. I know from experience that there is nothing relaxing about being asked to do some sort of errand or chore, even if the person doesn't expect you to do it until later in the week. Saving your requests for another day helps to promote a restful atmosphere for all.

I'd like to point out that these restrictions are for normal circumstances. The Messiah used the analogy of the ox in the ditch (Luke 14:5) to say that emergencies happen, and sometimes it is necessary to do something on the Sabbath that is not restful or ideal. If you are in need of the police, immediate medical care, etc. please do not hesitate to get the services you need!

The following are things not expressly ruled out by Scripture, but that generally don't lend themselves well to a day of rest. You can certainly choose to do these things if you wish, but consider if taking part in these is helping or hindering rest in your life.

A few more suggestions of things to avoid for a better Sabbath day:

-Spending the day on the internet. Is all of that time on social media doing you any favors? Does website hopping leave you feel refreshed or drained? Consider how your internet activity makes you feel, and see if YHWH is calling you to something better on the Sabbath.

-Watching the news. Tuning into the news is a great way to invite fear and anxiety into your life and home. Most of what the news covers has very little impact on our daily lives, and much of what is news today will be forgotten by tomorrow. Keeping the television shut off can make for a more peaceful atmosphere for your home.

-Stressing yourself out. Sabbath rest is a reminder that we depend on YHWH. Therefore, a great gift to give yourself and your family is to not ruminate on things that worry you, be that finances, needing to buy a new car, relationship trouble, or concern for a loved one. Instead of focusing on the 'what-ifs', redirect your thinking to remind yourself of YHWH's promise to work all things together for good. This post about how Scripture says to handle anxiety can help you to manage this.

-Trying to quickly knock something off your to do list. It's easy to let yourself think that if you just get whatever thing done, then you'll be able to rest. But you are called to set aside work, even when there are things to do or the house needs cleaned. Don't fall for the lie that rest can only be had when everything is done, or that whatever thing "needs" to be done. Unless it's an emergency, let it go and set apart the Sabbath.

Related posts:

What To Do on the Sabbath
Five Things the Messiah Taught About the Sabbath
How to Have a More Peaceful Sabbath