Exodus 20:1-2, 8 And God spoke all these words, saying, "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. … Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy."
Isaiah 58:13-14 "If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the LORD honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; then you shall take delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
Is there a fine line between spending Lord's Day afternoon in the garden because it needs to be weeded and spending that same afternoon nurturing and cherishing the plants and produce that the Lord has blessed us with? No, the line is not fine, it is broad, black and easily observable by us. Are we there because those weeds are getting ahead of us, and we didn't have or take the time during the week to get rid of those nuisances, so, forgive us, Lord, but Your Day is a weeding day. Or are we on our knees thanking the Lord for the life of each plant, anticipating the bounty that He will provide in the harvest, looking for the interplay between weed and plant to see the beauty of His creation? Do we see our gardens as places of communion with the Lord of the Creation to be savored for a time, or as places of drudgery that needs to be done so we can take a Sunday afternoon nap? One honors, one dishonors. It is our choice.
Today's readings in the Psalms:
Morning: Psalm 95
Mid-day: 119:145-152
Evening: Psalm 130
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"Voices Together" is available as an annual daily devotional and can be purchased at the Fellowship Of Ailbe bookstore. All Scripture is taken from the ESV unless otherwise noted. A weekly edition, formatted as a bi-fold insert, and suitable for distribution can be downloaded at https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/52-general-downloads. The next edition is available by Thursday of the prior week.
