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The Preparation Day: Part Two {Day 31}

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From Chaos to Calm: Day Thirty-One

The Preparation Day: Part Two

Scripture Memory: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.” Psalms 51:10-12

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Last time I talked about the Preparation Day. I focused mostly on preparing our homes so that we can rest and so that our family is blessed by the specialness of the Sabbath. Today, I want to focus on preparing our hearts for the Sabbath.

When God created this world, he saw a need, even in the perfection of the Garden of Eden, to give us the Sabbath. It was more than just a day of rest. It was to be a sign – a memorial, or in other words a weekly reminder of how great, a powerful, and majestic our God, our Creator is! (Exdodus 31:17)

Jesus said, “The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath.” (Mark 2:27). It was a gift for us. Has the day of worship come to be a regular day of the week, or is it truly a sacred day when the world is left behind and our hearts and our minds are solely focused on HIM? Too often families find themselves catching up on regular weekday activities after church. Lawns need to be mowed. Cars need to be washed. Laundry needs to be done. What happened to the Sabbath being sacred and holy? Is life so busy that we cannot take one day for our Savior?

On the Preparation Day, spend time reflecting on what God’s day means to you. Ask God to renew a right spirit within your heart. It is a time of renewal, it is a time to walk away from the cares and the burdens of this sinful world and bask in the light of His face.

By creating a mood of celebration in your home on the Sabbath, you will find an even greater blessing on your day of worship.

Instead of making the Sabbath a time of B-O-R-I-N-G, make it a joy! We have a basket of special toys, games, and activities that only come out on Sabbath. I keep a special Sabbath bag full of quiet activities my children can do while sitting in church. Things like lace-up boards with nature scenes or of farm animals, a box a special crayons and Bible coloring pages, Bible story books. I periodically change the items for a fresh experience!

Have the head of your household prepare a special prayer for the evening Sabbath meal. Light candles, and read a chapter from the Bible. Sing quiet songs of praise together with your children. Little ones especially enjoy this.

The Preparation Day is about making your time of worship, extra special, meaningful, and sacred. Let your week revolve around your worship. You will feel very blessed!

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The Preparation Day [Preparing Our Hearts for Sabbath} | A Virtuous Woman #fromchaostocalm

How do you prepare for the Sabbath?

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5 Comments

  1. For me it was difficult to shut the world off when I first started observing the Sabbath. Honestly found myself watching the clock and waiting for the sun to set on Saturday evening. But here we are 21 years later and I actually am sad when the Sabbath is over. I feel like my dearest friend and I are saying goodbye each time! I can spend time with the Lord during the week. But ahh! those sweet Sabbath hours! For me the best way I prepare is to turn off the screens and noise of everyday.
  2. Day 31 Comment: It seems to me that everyday is preparation day. If we consider that we worship with our whole like. In your study you reference a day for the Sabbath but as a Christian, our normal day of collective worship is Sunday so we don't celebrate the Sabbath. The Sabbath being the last day of the week, Saturday and Sunday being the first day of the week. =giving the first and best day to the Lord. When the Christians got kicked out of the Jewish church of the time, they needed a certain time to worship so they chose the first day of the week, Sunday to be their day. It was also the first day and main day of market, which is the buying and selling of goods. A major hit to their wallet and a show that they were serious about their religion as there was no set day prescribed to them by the Lord. Romans 14:5 Tells us not to judge each other on this issue. Leading us to believe that either is fine. You ask in your study 'Is life so busy that we can not take one day for our Savior?' The answer for a lot of people or probably most of the people in this country is 'Yes' I mention this because I feel that this study may discourage some who feel that there is no way to live up to what you are prescribing. I can't and that's living a life that the Lord has set our family on. Luke 14:5 where Jesus asks whether they wouldn't retrieve their donkey from a well it fallen into on the Sabbath, which equaled work to the Jews of the time, tells us that there is work and if it has to be done on that day, we do it on that day. Sad but true that many of us can't have a day like you prescribe. At least not often for me.
    1. Hi Regina, I understand where you are coming from. I was not raised keeping the Sabbath and the idea was a foreign concept to me for half my life! My goal is not to make anyone feel discouraged or judged. My goal is to help others think about the Sabbath in a new light. It's not easy to set aside a day of worship and rest dedicated to God in this day and age. However Sunday worship is not Biblical. No where in the Scriptures are we commanded to worship on Sunday in order to give our first and best to God. God set up the Sabbath day on the seventh day of Creation when he sanctified the seventh day and made it holy. It's been binding ever since. It's a holy day whether we choose to participate in it or not. Sunday is simply the first day or the week - no significance as far as Scripture. In fact, the first day of the week is reference 8 times in Scripture and never in reference to Sabbath worship. If you are interested in learning more about the Sabbath, you might want to read my study here: {The Forgotten Promise section} http://avirtuouswoman.org/standing-firm/ And here's an interesting article on the subject: http://www.sabbathtruth.com/free-resources/article-library/id/916/catholic-church-admits-they-made-the-change Are most people too busy? Yes they are. Is it possible to take one day off to honor God in the midst of a busy life? Yes it is. Remember, the Bible tells us: "All things are possible with God." Matthew 19:26 If you trust God to help you keep the Sabbath and honor Him, He will make the way possible. I've seen it happen many times. The Jews had turned the Sabbath into a burden with their hundreds of rules and regulations regarding how to keep the Sabbath. When Jesus came, he showed us the right way to keep the Sabbath. :) Thanks so much for visiting with me!

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