Christian Chefs Fellowship - Devotional Articles

"On the seventh day he (God) rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done." Gen. 2:2-3 (NIV) As it is written, God Himself, the one and only, even rested on the seventh day. With that in mind, how can it be that so many of us in this world, as Christians, especially in this industry, think we don't need to follow His example? The seventh day has been sanctified, meaning that it has been set aside for His use ONLY, and regretfully, way too many of us abuse it even if we do get that day off from work. I know how hard it can be in this industry to get every Sunday off, but God has commanded us to not work on the Sabbath AND to not require others to work then either (Ex. 20:8, Dt. 5). Yes, that does mean to try your best to get Sundays off to completely devote to God alone. I'm not saying that we should all just pack up and quit our jobs for that reason. It may be impossible for many of us to get off work Sundays, but you should still set aside one day every week to devote to Him, for almost everyone gets at least one day off work every week.

The word itself, Sabbath, translates from the Hebrew word that means "to rest". You may think this is another ritual from the Old Testament that isn't necessary to follow, but man was not created to worship the ritual of the Sabbath day. Actually, it's the other way around, for Sabbath was made for man (Mk. 2). God created us to NEED that time of rest and reflection. There's more than one reason why it's on one set day during the week, for the Bible says in numerous places how it occurs once every week on the designated day (Sunday) for the purpose of hearing the gospel. If you neglect the Lord's Day altogether, you lose out on more than your personal time of reflection; you lose out on a time, (maybe the only time for you) to hear the gospel being taught. Many people in recent months have even been coming to the Internet to try to fulfill all their spiritual needs, including Church, Bible studies, and their spiritual social life. The above three means are a great way to get to know God better, but by NO means should your computer be your only source (besides your own prayers) for spiritual guidance and spiritual contact with others.

Spending time with God, not just on the Sabbath but in your everyday life, can be very closely related to tithes and offerings. Think about it. There are probably more people that give 10% of their gross income to benefit the work of God than there are people that take 10% of their time to devote to Him. And 10% of your WAKING time is only about twelve hours per week, being about 1 hour per day and five on Sunday. Don't you think God would prefer for you to devote to Him 10% of the time that He's given you in this world rather than 10% of your finances? Why is it that most of us don't? I believe the answer is simple: because money, (although we work hard for it) is something that can be handed over and done so without consciously thinking that the finances from 10% of the time you're at work is given up to Him. Time, on the other hand, is given with complete knowledge of where it's going. Yes, it's also commanded that finances should be given to God, but priorities in our daily lives NEED to be set straight, for if you belong to God you should be acting like it in all areas of your life.

In the end, it comes down to us all needing to ask ourselves these questions AND acting upon them: Am I really resting and reflecting on Sundays? If not Sunday, am I taking one full day to do this? If not, isn't it about time I start? Now's a better time than any other!

By Ira Krizo

If God is speaking to your heart about these things, and you need somebody to talk with, please don't hesitate to e-mail us about your need and somebody from the Fellowship will contact you as soon as possible. If you have a prayer request or would like to start a theological discussion on this or any other topic please feel free to post it in our Message Boards.

Click HERE to return to the general Christianity in the Kitchen page.