Hope For Families
It’s no secret that Planet Earth is a mess these days. Major news networks almost constantly carry shocking reports of deadly natural disasters, terrorist atrocities, violent crimes, political corruption, economic woes, divisive debates over sexual orientation, not to mention spiraling heart disease, diabetes and cancer, even among young children. Such boiler point pressures are taking their toll on everyone seeking to maintain sanity amidst chaos. Even if you and your family have managed to escape most of these difficulties, most homes still struggle with daily living. Countless fathers have so many bills to pay that they hardly spend quality time with their children. Many mothers are so overwhelmed with home responsibilities that they often sink beneath the strain. Children, unimaginable stresses, are growing up too fast, face tougher times in school, and often develop harmful habits, such as spending too many hours playing addicting video games-some of which have inspired violent crimes. Instant internet access also exposes even young boys and girls to bizarre sexual temptations that contaminate the soul. What can concerned parents do? What kind of world will our kids grow up into? Is there any real hope for the future? If life on earth its weighing you down, have you considered Looking up? As amazing as it seems, the Holy Bible contains stunning prophecies that not only pinpoint our chaotic generation (see 1 Timothy 3:1-5), but offer hope for everyone. In that sacred volume, God Himself is referred to as “our Father” (see Matthew 6:9); and His ultimate solution to an out-of-control world is to finally send “His Son” Jesus Christ back to earth to right all wrongs, destroy evil, and usher in permanent peace. Based on current “signs” being fulfilled all around us (see Luke 21:25-28), that Day is coming soon. Nearly two thousand years ago-right before His agonizing death on the cross for our sins, His burial, His resurrection, and His ascension to heaven (see Mark 15 and 16),-Jesus left us with this promise: Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me, In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also (John 14:1-3). Did you catch that? “I will come again,: our Savior promised. Gut how will He come? By reincarnating Himself? By appearing as a ghost? No. The bible is crystal clear that Jesus Christ”s return will be a cataclysmic event that is highly visible, exceedingly loud, and will even result in the physical resurrection of dead people worldwide who will suddenly pop out of their graves. Paul wrote: For the Lord-Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17). According to Paul, when Jesus returns to earth, His feet won’t even touch the ground. Then God’s people will be “caught up.” So if you see someone walking around on earth claiming to be Christ, don’t be fooled. It won’t be Him but an imposter (see Matthew 24:24-27). Adding more clarity, Peter also predicted, But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up… Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:10, 13). Did you catch that? Heaven’s plan isn’t to slap a band-aid on a global crisis. In other words, God won’t use peace treaties the United Nation earthly governments moral legislation law enforcement officers, or any proposal initiated by fallen men to permanently soothe earth’s deadly woes. Ultimately, such measures won’t work anyway. Instead, His purpose is to utterly eradicate evil by melting “the elements,,, with fervent heat.” All pollution, global toxicity, gross immorality, and wickedness will be “burned up.” Then God Himself will recreate “new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”Now don’t miss this: And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow nor crying, There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new. “(see Revelation 21:4,5). How exciting! In spite of the dreariness we observe around us, there’s hope for us all, especially for faithful families that adopt Joshua’s advice: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). Amidst trials that thicken daily, God longs for fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, grandparents and children to look up! Don’t be discouraged. Read His Book. Pray, Confess your sins. Trust Jesus. He will forgive and help you. Yet make no mistake about this one thing: Until Jesus returns, life won’t be a picnic in the park, for Lucifer remains intensely active behind the scenes (see Revelation 12:12). The Bible even warns that our ancient enemy will attempt to counterfeit Jesus Christ’s return by using :all [his] power, signs, and lying wonders” (2 Thessalonians 2:9). Don’t be duped by the devil. God’s Word is clear, “Behold, He [Jesus Christ] is coming with clouds and every eye will see Him” (Revelation 1:7, emphasis added). Jesus Himself also predicted that He will descend in the clouds “in the glory of His ”’father with His holy angels” (Matthew 16:27). Clearly, no one will miss it . As myriads of shiny angels escort the King of
Breaking Addictions
When I saw Randy, he appeared to be at death’s door. After a long embrace I looked into his eyes, which were sunk way back into his head. I watched tears welling up. He told me how good I looked, and how proud he felt that I was clean and sober. I looked him squarely in the eyes and said, “Randy, you don’t have to live like this. ” He responded with a perplexed look, cocked his head a little and asked, “I don’t? “No one had ever told Randy that before. My old friend who did drugs with me, who had abused substances his entire adult life-like my wife and -knew no other way. But here’s good news. No one has to live with an overpowering addiction. My wife and I broke free after 25 years-and so can you. Some people spend their lives in a long search for pain relief. The pain and the relief come in many emotional and physical forms. Believe it or not, an addiction is often used as a coping mechanism. People use addictions to get through life. They come in two varieties: substance abuse and people abuse, better Known as substance addictions and behavioral addictions. Substances most commonly abused are marijuana, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, alcohol, tobacco and caffeine, as as prescription painkillers. Behavioral addictions are much broader and more complex. They manifest themselves in a variety of ways ranging from gambling to anger, sexual addictions, jealousy, gossiping, media addictions, food addiction, overwork, or any other type of behavior that people use to escape reality. PROBLEMS FROM THE START Often, the origins of addictions can be found in childhood. Although you were not aware of it, during the early years of your life, your brain was developing its own equipment and chemical that were going to allow you t deal with life and its ups and downs, If this equipment did not develop to its full potential for whatever reason (physical abuse, verbal abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, and so on), you would find yourself searching for other ways to cope with life. You may be in one of these situations right now, unknowingly trying to deal with scars and emotional distress from the past. You may search for pain relief in a behavior or use a substance that you know is not good for you yet nothing else brings relief. You say in your heart, how can anyone take this away from me? It’s the only way that I can deal with life. Sometimes you can’t even identify the pain and the problems that you’re running from, and that is exactly what makes this kind of addiction so hard to break. Sometimes addiction results form simply fostering your natural human lusts. The Bible says that each is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desires has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full-grown, brings forth death” ( James 1:14-15). The Bible describes someone in this apparently hopeless condition as a slave, “caught in the cords of his sin”(John 8:34; Romans 6:16; Proverbs 5:22). These addictions often seem to be a hopeless situation, and believe me friend, I have been there. Your addiction is the habit that controls you, you don’t control it. The habit tells you when and where to engage in it. To top it all off, each time you make a decision for an addictive behavior, neural pathways are formed which further cement addictions. OVERCOMING So, how do you change coping mechanisms? How do you break out of the ruts that are carved so deeply into your neural pathways lustful habits? How can you construct a new future for yourself? to fully answer that question for each individual is beyond the scope of this pamphlet. Each case is unique, and much of your recovery process requires individual attention and advice, some of which can be found at the of this pamphlet. But the first step, which is the same in al successful roads to recovery, is recognizing that you don’t have to live with addictions, and identifying the source of the solution! You have a Father in heaven who doesn’t want you to live your life chained to your addictions. He wants you to live a free, happy, and healthful life. He wants you to live a free, happy, and healthful life. He wants you to leave your past right where it is, in the past. He can be your new coping mechanism. He wants these blessings for you so much that He gave His Son, and through that Gift gives you all the power needed to escape the chains which bind you. Listen to His promise: “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). Freedom is possible and even assured! God can break the addictive cycle in your life! He is “able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him”(Hebrews 7:25), Has repeated failure stolen hope from you> Focusing on your lack of ability and your failures is discouraging, but looking to God and trusting His power brings problems to the right perspective. Look at reality for a moment. The person you are inclined to trust the most is yourself. Unfortunately, people have shown time and time again that they don’t do a very good job managing their lives. To put it bluntly, we’ve trusted the wrong person. In Proverbs 3;5. the Bible says to “trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding,” God says this for a reason. He knows that your understanding is faulty, He knows that you are emotionally scarred, He knows that you are doing the very best you
Unity Greater Than Truth
October 31, 2017, Isn’t just about Halloween, Ghost, Dracula, and witches aside, this special date marks the 500-year anniversary of an event that altered the course of history. “Bang. bang, bang,” pounded the hammer of Augustinian monk Martin Luther as he nailed his famous “95 Theses on the Power of Indulgences” on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, In a nutshell, Luther’s document condemned the widespread practice of paying money to the r’roman ‘catholic Church in exchange for certificates called Indulgence. Indulgences granted a reduction in punishment for sins committed by payees (or their dead relatives). Indulgences are lies, thundered the German monk God’s favor is a gift. It’s not for sale! In 1517 A.D., Luther’s bold “bang!” shook Europe. As his revolutionary message spread, it became God’s tool to ignite the Protestant Reformation. The word protestant means that a person is protesting or objecting to something. As a result of Luther”s protesting movement, millions lost confidence in popes and priests and abandoned the Roman Church, Protestant churches-such as Lutheran, Presbyterian, Baptist, Mennonite and Methodist -rose unstoppable inits wake. Fast-forward 500 years to October 31, 2017. Is the reformation over? Is the protest dead? Millions think so. Look around. Watch the news. Today, countless so-called Protestants are reuniting with the Roman Church in a large-scale ecumenical movement. “Let’s lay our differences aside,” leaders on both sides of the divide now suggest, “and unite to bless the world.” But should Catholics and Protestant unite? While God desires His people to be united, the Bible says it should not be at the cost of compromising the teachings of Holy Scripture. In fact, there are some difference that Christians should even be willing to die for. This is what led most of Jesus’ disciples to die as martyrs and millions more to share the same fate through hundreds of years. The Heart Of The Controversy The heart of the Protestant vs Catholic controversy centers around how sinners like us can be eternally saved and go to heaven. In 1450 A.D., the printing press was invented, and the first book printed was the Bible. Previously unread, Christians throughout Europe gazed upon-for the first time ever-the sacred pages of God’s Book. In 1501, Martin Luther discovered a Latin Bible in a library in Germany. Unbelievable, Luther pondered while reading it, this different from what my church teaches. At first, luther tried to reform the church, but his efforts were viciously resisted. Roman Catholic leaders labeled him a heretic and pressured him to recant, threatening both him and his followers with imprisonment and loss of all possessions. Luther Countered that Christians should place Go yet that small four-letter Latin word “sod’s Word first even above the Pope. The war was on. As the conflict intensified, Protestants eventually developed these fundamental principles. Their rallying cry was: “Sola Scriptura,” by Scripture alone “Sola Christo,”through Christ alone “Sola Fide,”by faith alone ” Sola Gratia,” by grace alone Yes, the Roman Catholic Church also taught (as it does today) the importance of faith, the value of Bible reading, and salvation through Christ and His grace; yet that small four-letter Latin word “sola” (meaning “alone”) became the dividing line between reforming Protestants and Catholicism. In the 1500’s, Protestants taught that a person can reach heaven by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ’s perfect merits alone, based on what is written in the Bible alone; whereas Rome added to the requirements of salvation numerous traditions, such as praying to Mary and dead saints, repeating the rosary, confessing sins to priests, performing works of penance, paying money to release one’s dead relatives from the flames of purgatory, and above all, belief in the supreme authority of the Pope as the successor of St. Peter- the universal head of Christianity. Rome also added the notion that temporal punishment for sin could be reduced by purchasing indulgences. Catholic leaders admitted that these traditions aren’t mentioned in the Bible specifically, but asserted that they come from the Holy Spirit working through God’s Church. Protestants didn’t buy it. They decided to stick with Scripture in the 1500s, these issues divided Christendom. Prophetic Study Significantly, as the struggle deepened, Luther turned to the prophecies. By candlelight he read Paul’s solemn prediction of a “falling away” (apostasy) in Christian History, and of a “man of sin” to arise in its wake (2 Thessalonians 2:3). He read of the antichrist “beast” waging fierce “war with the saints” (Revelation 13:1, 7), and of a mysterious Babylonian harlot (a false church) having illicit geo-political relationships with “the kings of the earth” (Revelation 17:1-5; 18:4). Little by little, the pieces came together. Horrified, Luther finally realized that he had discovered both Christ and antichrist. Compelled by the Spirit of God, Luther finally threw aside political correctness went pubic, and declared, “We here are of the conviction that the papacy is the seat of the true and real Antichrist. “ Catholicism is a cleverly crafted counterfeit Christianity, Luther soberly realized. This was a conclusion that many careful bible students before and after him had also discovered. People such as John Wycliffe, John Huss (Moraviant), John Calvin (Presbyterian), John Wesley (Methodist), Charles Spurgeion (Baptish), Matthew Henry (Bible commentator), and countless others. But haven’t times changed? Indeed, they have. Essentially, Rome has ot changed, but Protestantism, Unwittingly, Protestants now seeking union with Rome are fulfilling an ancient apocayptic prophecy that states that in the closing moments of time, “all the world marveled and followed the beast” (Revelation 13:3). Dear reader, the Bible is still true today. The beast is still active. Eternal salvation from our sinful violations of God’s Ten Commandments still comes only through simple faith in Jesus Christ alone (see 1 John 3:4; Acts 4:12). Prophecy also predicts that right before our Savior returns(Revelation 14:14-16), God almighty will initiate His closing phase of the Protestant Reformation through the global proclamation of three angels’ messages recorded in Revelation 14:6-12. Pick up a Bible. Read Revelation 14:6-12 for yourself. God’s three
The End Of The World?
The times that we are living in are unlike any that we’ve seen before. Leaders of our country, businessmen, people who have positions of trust and authority, are all looking at the condition of our nation-and of the world-and wondering what’s going to happen next. Everyone’s watching the headlines. They’re looking at the unsettled conditions of society and foreign relations, and they watch as natural disasters destroy homes and cities from the poorest to the wealthy. They cringe as the news reports show the decay of morality. They see the intensity that accompanies everything we are seeing today, and they seem to understand that big things are about to happen-things that will change the course of history. People want to know: Are we coming to the end? There always seems to be a new theory about when or how the world will end. Around the turn of the millennium, people were saying that the world would end in the year 2000. Obviously it didn’t. People also wondered about the year 2012 and the Mayan Calendar. There are a lot of theories out there, but there has never been a more reliable book to turn to for accurate prophecies than the Bible. PROPHECIES IN THE BIBLE There are hundreds of prophecies in the Bible that have already been fulfilled. Ancient Egyptians found out ahead of time about the seven years of plenty followed by seven years of extreme famine in Genesis 41. The nation of Israel discovered in Jeremiah 25 that because of its unfaithfulness, it would be taken into captivity by the nation of Babylon. When that happened, the king who took them captive had a dream, found in Daniel 2, which gave a prophecy about the successive reigns of world powers from his time until the end. Among the most amazingly accurate prophecies of the Bible are those who which pointed to Jesus. In Daniel 9:25-27, we can read about when Jesus would be baptized and when He would die. Other texts like Isaiah 53:7 and Psalm 22:7-8 also foretell different aspects of Jesus Life. THE BIBLE & END-TIME PROPHECIES Although we can see many different types of prophecies in the Bible, one of the most common is apocalyptic, or end-time prophecy. There are two books which mainly contain this kind of prophecy: the old Testament book of Daniel, and the New Testament book of Revelation. In fact, 1 in every 25 verses in the New Testament alone mentions the second coming of Jesus Christ. As much as it says about the end of the world and the second coming of Jesus, the Bible does not tell us when it will take place. “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only” (Matthew 24:6). But the day of the lord will come as thief in night…”(2 Peter 3-11). But it does give us some guidelines to see when it is close. “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars” (Mathew 24:6). “and there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory” (Luke 21:25-27). As much as it says about the end of the world and the second coming of Jesus, the Bible does not tell us when it will take place. “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only” (Matthew 24:6). But the day of the lord will come as thief in night…”(2 Peter 3-11). But it does give us some guidelines to see when it is close. “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars” (Mathew 24:6). “and there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and thee expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory” (Luke 21:25-27). iThe Bible here gives us some milestones to see when we’re getting close to the end. There will be natural disasters and wars, and people will be afraid of what’s going to happen next. But that’s not all it says about the end. Mattew 24:24 warns us: “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect” So, according to the Bible, there will be more than just physical destruction and chaos at the end, but the same will be found true spiritually. It is the purpose of Satan to deceive everyone he possibly can-and he doesn’t differentiate between those who go to church and those who don’t, He doesn’t care if you call yourself an atheist, a Christian, a Buddhist, or a Hindu. You can claim any religion you want, In fact, he likes it if you go to church and don’t live what you learn. If you look closely at the stories of the Bible, you’ll see that the people who claim to follow God but don’t do what he says have the same punishment as those who refuse to know God altogether. “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep his commandments” (1 John 2:3) HOW TO BE READY FOR THE END So we must then ask the question: “How can I be ready for the end of Time?: The Bible gives several guideline for how to be ready, If we follow them wholeheartedly, we can be
Am I Good Enough?
Ryan grew up a religious person. Oh, yes, he enjoyed having a little fun here and there, a harmless practical joke now and then. Yet he regularly attended worship services. He married a lovely woman, and they sang beautifully together as she played the old piano. Mostly songs about god’s love. Their favorite said, “I’ve wandered far away form God; now I’m coming home.” But then his wife found another man. From there, Ryan’s life quickly fell apart. He had one problem after another, until finally he went to prison for selling stolen cars. Home from prison at fast, he took a new job-still breaking the law-and returned to prison for a few more years. Late in Ryan’s life, as family and an occasional friend tried to persuade him to return to God, he quietly let them know, “I’m not good enough for God to take me back.” Have you ever felt that you were never good enough? Maybe one or both of your parents made you feel that way. Maybe it was the students at school. Or your teachers. It might have been your boss. Of all of the above. But somehow you just knew that you didn’t meet the expectations of the important people in your life, people whose love and respect you most wanted and needed. And if you weren’t good enough for them, how could you EVER hope to be good enough for God? Martin Luther felt that way, too. The beliefs and superstitions of his religion filled him with fer of God as a cruel dictator, a harsh judge. As a young man, he constantly fear that he would upset or offend God. The more he read the Bible, the more guilty he felt. He tried hard to find pardon and peace by fasting, studying day and night, beating himself, until at last his health was gone and he still felt only guilt and despair. Finally, when everything seemed hopeless, a newfound friend brought him a completely different idea of God. The older man showed Luther in God’s Word how he should look to Jesus, his sin-pardoning Saviour. “Instead of torturing yourself on account of your sins,” he said, “Throw yourself into the Redeemer’s arms, Trust in Him.”In one last effort to find freedom from his sins, Luther began to climb “Pilate’s staircase” on his knees. Suddenly he heard a loud voice saying, “The just shall live by faith”-there is nothing you can Do to save yourself. The idea that man can save himself by his own works is at the foundation of every false religion. God does not require us to do some dreadful. difficult thing in order to have the forgiveness of sin. We don’t need to make long, tiring pilgrimages or perform painful penance to gain His forgiveness. Roman 3:20 says that no person can be declared righteous and forgiven, except by faith. Every effort to live a righteous, holy life through our own strength is doomed to failure. The Bible says that there is NO ONE who is righteous, no not even one. For All have sinned and come sort of the glory of God-every person in the world (Romans 3:10, 23)! Then is your case hopeless? Is mine? You might think you have been too bad for God t love. But even if you may have been very sinful, the worse you are, the more you need Jesus. And there is only one “unpardonable sin”-only one sin that God will not forgive (Matthew 12-31). It is to stubbornly refuse throughout your life to accept God’s invitation to repent and let his Holy ””spirit work in your life. If we deliberately choose to continue sinning, there is no sacrifice, nothing that we can do, that will cover our sins (Hebrew 10-26). But he has promised that if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just-completely fair-to forgive us from sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Whoever tries to hide his sins will not prosper, but whoever tries to hide his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and gives them up, will receive God’s mercy (Proverbs 28:13). Christ said that everyone who has sinned is “a slave of sin”. Sin does produce guilt. And guilt can be a very heavy load to carry, damaging its victim not only spiritually and emotionally but even physically and mentally. But the cure-the antidote-for guilt is forgiveness, which gives a clear conscience and peace of mind, Christ has assured us if the son-Jesus Christ-makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36) Don’t think that you can ever be”good enough.” Only Christ can be. Yet God still expects us to be righteous, holy, and obedient to His law. But by ourselves we aren’t even capable of totally obeying God in every though and word and action. It is only through His power, by His Holy Spirit, that our lives can ever by changed. As we trust God completely, as we daily search for His will in our lives, we will desire to do what he wants. it is by faith-by complete trust in Jesus Christ and His death on the cross for your sins- that God, the Father and Judge of all mankind, accepts Christ’s righteousness in place of your failure. Then God’s love treats you and loves you as He loves His own Son, Jesus. Satan wants to destroy your faith and your hope so that you will give up on God. Satan wants you to believe that you are too bad for God to save, that your case is hopeless, that you have been too bad for God to love you and forgive you. Satan may make you believe that you cannot come to God until you he made yourself good enough. But we may answer Satan’s accusations with God’s promise that “whoever comes to Me, I will in no way cast out” (John 6;37). Tell the enemy that Christ’s blood shed on
Return To Rest
It used to be that television stations would play the national anthem and sign off sometime after midnight. No more. These days the wee hours are filled with programming. Anyone up at those hours can pummeled with unending news, weather, and/or infomercial pitches for gadgets you never knew you needed. Even in small cities, giant superstores are open round the clock. Increasingly, we live in a 24/7 world. And business hours are busier than ever. Multitasking is the name of everyone’s game. Even on the road, you can take or make phone calls, message your uncle in Spokane, check on stock prices, be updated on the news, learn the scores in yesterday’s rugby match in New Zealand, and download music or video on your iPhone. For many of us, eight-hour days at the office have become every-waking -hour days where the office,business, and the world invade our homes. But sooner or later we come toe realization that we need rest-not total inactivity, but a change of pace. A change from endless concerns about this hour’s stock prices and next quarter’s bottom line… to thing both timeless and eternal. A change,yes, to love, and family and our place in the universe. Socrates said “The unexamined life is not worth living,” and increasingly we know this to by true. We work and plan, strive and acquire, but to what end? So long as we allow ourselves to be mesmerized by the streams of data that fill the air all around us like an invisible smog, we will not pause and contemplate the truly important issues. It’s come to the point where business publications like the Wall Street Journal are calling for-can you believe it?-a return to a Sabbath. An editorial, “The Decline of the Sabbath,” by Mollie Ziegler Hemingway put it this way: “The flip side to the prosperity we enjoy is that we have lost our day of rest for another day of consumption. The pace of commerce and technology provide unheard of options for ignoring family, religion and rest-not just on the Sabbath but every day of the week.”* The Sabbath provides exactly the antidote we need to counter today’s information overload and anxiety disorders. The Sabbath provides a refuge, a rest, a respite from the constant activity and endless barrage of ‘news.’ The Bible tells us that God built our need for rest-and the remedy-into the very fabric of Creation. God “blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation (Genesis 2:3).” By resting from all the work that He had done, God provided us with a model, and example. In the Ten Commandments, He makes this example explicit and binding: “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God (Exodus 20:9-10).” Note that neither text says, “work six days out of seven, and rest on one. Rather, it is explicit that the Seventh day is the Sabbath. The seventh day, not a seventh day. And that day is Saturday. Saturday? You may have been taught that Saturday Sabbath was given at Sinai just for the Jews. If that’s true, then ‘not killing’ and ‘not stealing’ would also be just for the Jews. Or you may have heard that the cross ended the claims of the Sabbath. Once again, that would mean we’re free to murder and steal-but no one believes that. You may have been taught that we worship on Sunday in honor of the Lord’s resurrection. Surely that’s an important thing to remember. But the Bible never tells us to remember his resurrection, however, we are told to remember his death (1 Corinthians 11:24-26). We are told to ‘remember’ his death, a striking parallel to the way the Ten Commandment told us to ‘remember’ the Sabbath, And we discover that the only full day Jesus rested in the tomb was-the Sabbath. Rather than abolishing the Sabbath, jesus’ death reinforces it. As He had rested from the work of creation on the seventh day of Creation week, jesus rested from His work of redemption on the seventh day of redemption week (commonly “passion week”). Of course, most of us don’t like the ideas of “commandments” or “obedience.” But in this case especially, it’s foolish. Imagine if a doctor told you to take a vacation, and then revealed that he had a vacation designed to meet your deepest needs. That’s what the Sabbath is . Jesus himself said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27).” That means that the Sabbath is not some arbitrary hoop for us to jump through-we have enough of those the other six days-but rather it is a rest tailored to meet our needs. But why not Sunday, or Tuesday? Why Saturday? Remember that the creation story in Genesis told us that “God blessed the seventh day and made it holy (Genesis 2:3)?” What does it mean to “make something holy?” When Moses stood before the burning bush, he stood on holy ground. What made it holy? The presence of God. God makes the Sabbath holy by being present on that day in some special way. “Wait a minute,” you may say. “Isn’t God present on every day?” And of course, that’s true. But it is also true that God is present everywhere-but Moses didn’t have to remove his shoes everywhere, only at the burning bush. Because, just like the Sabbath, God was present at the burning bush in some way that differs from the way He is present everywhere else. And those who set aside Saturday, the seventh day, to rest from their everyday pursuits and meet with their family and with God can attest that He truly can be experienced in a special way on that day. If you would like to explore the possibilities of the Sabbath, there are those who live nearby and would be glad to