Rest

 And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

Mark 2:27 (ESV)

The Sabbath principle is an enduring one. This doesn't mean to say we all have to observe the Jewish Sabbath. Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, defeated death on a Sunday, so it is the custom of Christians from Bible times to celebrate our Sabbath on a Sunday.

God didn't create us as machines. He did create us to work, but not 24/7. He's made us with the inbuild requirement to rest, and He doesn't begrudge us rest: He's given us a day to do so.

Maybe in workaholic America where people are chasing the American Dream of wealth, the Sabbath principle is neglected. Perhaps in other cultures people enjoy too much rest and don't work hard enough. We're to look to God to help us strike the right balance.

Jesus's main point in this verse is not to get legalistic about the Sabbath. The religious people of His day supplemented the Sabbath principle with all sorts of restrictive regulations about what could and couldn't be done on a Sabbath. We're not to get too worked up about it, but simply to rest spiritually from our religious strivings, and trust in Christ's finished work on the cross.

'Sovereign God, please help us to take a permanent Sabbath from trying to justify ourselves before You. Instead may we take the rest we need, and to worship You in spirit and in truth. For Your glory, amen'.