Word of Encouragement (11/3/2020)
Today, we want to speak of the means of observing the Lord’s Day for our pursuit of holiness.
The mere mention of the Lord’s Day should bring a smile to our face. It is meant to be a day of rest from all the craziness and business of our daily grind. The Lord has graciously set aside one day out of seven for a day of rest. We should be grateful for the Lord’s Day and rejoice in it.
But we must keep in mind that it is called “the Lord’s Day,” not “Our Day.” Ultimately, this day belongs to the Lord, not to us to do whatever we want to do (which is what we think about when we think of “rest”). So then, we have to keep in mind that there are two central ideas to keep in mind as we think about the Lord’s Day: 1) it is a day of rest for us; 2) yet it is still the Lord’s Day.
The question is how these two ideas can be harmonized. The answer is the idea of consecration (to be set apart, to be holy). The Lord’s Day is to be set apart from the rest of the week not only as a day of rest but also as a holy day. In other words, it should be a day of holy rest. We rest from our worldly labor and recreation so that we can set the day apart for our pursuit of holiness through our worship (especially public) and fellowship with our fellow saints. “We ought to give ourselves unreservedly to God every day, of course, but not every day allows us the opportunities that the Lord’s Day does, for other days, by necessity, must be taken up with other activities, whether school, work, recreation, or relaxation” (p. 153).
This challenges us to think about what true rest is. When we do so, we must keep in mind our nature as a psychosomatic being, who does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord (Deut. 8:3). So, we can also say that we do not rest by relaxation and recreation alone but also by worshipping and communing with God, who is our true Rest, who alone can give us true rest: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matt. 11:28-29). we know that no amount of physical rest can give us the true rest, which can come only when our soul is at peace with God. It is this true rest that God wants us to possess and enjoy and we have it in Jesus Christ.
That is why the Lord’s Day should not be a day of idleness. The Puritans referred to the Lord’s day as “the market day of the soul”—the busiest day for our pursuit of holiness. If we seek to glorify God in all things, even in our worldly labors and recreations, it should be all the more so on the Lord’s Day. In fact, we should work hard so that we can devote the Lord’s Day for the pursuit of holiness without any worldly distractions. May we look forward to the Lord’s Day and enjoy the true rest we find in God!
Please pray for the election!