Isaiah 56:6-7 And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord to serve him, to love the name of the Lord, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant – these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer.

I would bet that most Gentiles, and particularly Americans, don’t recognize that this is talking about them. However, “foreigners” here clearly means all non-Jews, that is Gentiles, and that is what the vast majority of the Church is today. Every believer is called to “bind himself to the Lord to serve Him, and love His Name.” Here, keeping the Sabbath is a token of keeping God’s covenant, and it’s an important one. America would never have considered banning public prayer from the schools, much less the Bible, while there were still plenty of “blue laws” on the books restricting commercial activity on Sundays. People around the world have largely forgotten what it is to have a Sabbath dedicated to the Lord. In America I have heard many people talk about “accepting Jesus as your Savior” and “making Jesus your Lord” as though they were two different things, when they are inseparable. That’s a problem in Japan as well, even though “Savior” is written as “saving Lord.” The Pharisees in Jesus’ day recognized that it takes great authority to forgive sins. (Mark 2:5-12) If we will not submit to Jesus’ authority, then we can’t receive His forgiveness. Many understand that the Church in America needs to repent, but I wonder how many realize how deep that repentance needs to go?

The Sabbath is a complicated issue for me. As a pastor, Sundays are one of the busiest days of the week. Jesus touched on that in Matthew 12:5, when He said that priests are guiltless even though they profane the Sabbath. However, that in no way lessens my need to be submitted to God in all things, placing His Word over what I see as my convenience. I certainly need a weekly day of rest. I try to take Mondays, but it’s amazing how fast they can fill up! I will not be effective in drawing others into discipleship if I am failing to be an obedient disciple myself. It is easy to get confused as to what it is to serve God. It’s not a matter of doing things for Him, as though He were incapable of doing them Himself, but of walking in instant obedience. I shouldn’t hesitate when God prompts me to do something, even if that something is taking a nap! He did that yesterday, and it was a blessing I needed. I am not to decide on my own how God needs to be served, but rather ask Him what He wants me to do, and be fully obedient.

Father, thank You for the awareness that I still have plenty of room for growth. Help me be more and more effective as Your servant, Your disciple, so that Your will may be done in and through me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!