Exodus 20:8 (Commandment Four) Meditation

Text (Ex 20:8, NIV):

"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy."

Amplified Rendering:

Each week, set aside, as the most important and noteworthy of days, the Sabbath. It's My gift to you(1). I created it so you might find rest for your weary souls; and so, too, you might feel permission to slow down, relax, and reconnect with Me, yourself, and those you love and care about. Test Me in this and see if you're not able to accomplish more in six days than seven and to do so with greater joy, eagerness, energy, and enthusiasm. See, too, if the health of your relationships doesn't experience a boost as well.

You may not know this, but I, the Master of the Universe, also need Sabbath. In fact, I AM Sabbath Rest—in and of Myself; for I AM the Lord of the Sabbath(2) and the Prince of Peace(3). I exist in perpetual rest. Even now, as I continue unhurriedly My work of sanctifying and remodeling your life and the lives of those around you(4), I AM at rest. One day—one glorious Day—you'll enter My eternal rest fully(5) and remain there in permanent repose, even while you live, work, and move about with complete freedom. Until then, remember Me and remember the Sabbath, not just for your present benefit and enjoyment but as a foretaste of the bright and restful future that awaits you.

Rest is a part of Me and everything I do. Again, I AM Rest. In all I AM and do, My rest is there. In every circumstance you encounter, My rest is there, and it's there for you! See it; receive it; and let it be the spiritual weapon it is by allowing it to chase the destructive influences from your heart. Fear and peace cannot occupy the same space; choose Me and My rest, and your anxiety, worry, and unrest will be driven from you, as far as the east is from the west.

Learn from Me now how to live, breathe, move, work, and play from a place of rest(6). It's possible, My child, to live from such a place and to live free of all trepidation and hurriedness. I've given you My rest as a collecting and healing balm and to serve as a century over your life. Receive it, and let it take its rightful place at the gate of your innermost being.

In honoring Me (by honoring My Sabbath), I'll honor you. I always honor My rest because I've sanctified it for all eternity. Whenever you choose to receive and relax into it, I will honor you with many good things. Do you not know how I long to satisfy you with a long and fruitful life(7)? And that My desire is to do this by emptying into You My everlasting peace(8) and unfolding, ever-increasing salvation(9)? This work in you—this special work—will drive, even exterminate, the unrest from your heart and enable you to fall back peacefully into My loving Arms, where you'll stay forever.

Do all this, My child. Honor Me, and I'll honor you(10). This is My sacred and everlasting promise to you.

Consecrating Prayer:

Holy Father…

I choose to rest in You, to honor each week the Sabbath Day's rest you’ve given me, and to let Your rest be not just a weapon in my life but an integral part of everything I do. Enable me, O God, to receive and live in Your rest.

In the Name of Jesus, I declare and ask these things…

Amen.

Notes

1. See Mk 2:27.

2. See Mt 12:1-8.

3. See Is 9:6 and Ep 2:13-18.

4. See Ph 2:12-13, He 12:10, 1Th 4:3a and 5:23, and 1Jn 1:9.

5. See He 4:1-16.

6. See Mt 11:28-30 (especially The Message version).

7. See Ps 91:16.

8. See Jn 14:27.

9. See Ps 91:16.

10. See 1Sa 2:30.

---

IKIGAI Weekly Blog Schedule (per The Training Trinity):

Mondays: Meditative Prayer

Wednesdays: Holistic Discipline

Fridays: Martial Arts Practice

www.templemartialartstraining.com