keeping the sabbbath*

Times have changed very much in the last 40 years. There was a time when stores were closed on Sunday. I remember that being the norm coming from the Midwest. So on a trip one time I found a 24 hour Walmart in Dickenson ND in about 2005. I was surprised to see it open so late at night.  But for centuries the Sabbath was a day you did not work on. Keeping the Sabbath is the fourth commandment. I am one individual that has had trouble with keeping the Sabbath.  During my working years I would work many Sundays sometimes for the money, and sometimes because I hated to go home to a empty house when I was single. Today out of boredom I did do a little project out in the house. But for centuries even non Christian would keep the sabbath and not work. I do know on the farm my ancestors would feed cattle or milk the cows on Sunday but they did not work in the fields. I don't think we question many of the ten commandments but we are seeing them erode away. We understand do not steal because we do not want others to take our stuff. We understand do not bear false witness because when people lie to us we no longer feel we can believe anything they say and do not trust them. We understand do not murder because if you have ever had someone threaten to kill you, you want to live. We understand do not commit adultery because if you have ever had a spouse cheat on you, you know it doesn't feel very good. But what about keeping the sabbath? God designed us and in his design he knew we needed rest, a day of recuperation. Our bodies need to repair themselves with rest. Part of it could be respect to God and honoring God. The first commandments deal with having no other Gods and no graven images and do not take the name of the Lord God in vain. These commandments have been sacred for centuries but we are seeing the respect for these commandments erode away over the last 40 or so years. We find many stores open 7 days a week and gas stations are almost always open especially along our freeways.  We will see numerous  18 wheelers traveling down the freeway on any given Sunday. We see divorce as commonplace as marriage any more. We are now seeing more and more laws being created to allow same sex couples to marry. In our society we see couples in our churches for years that just live together. And who can count the ministers, politicians and Presidents caught in adultery? Not only do we see the respect for the Sabbath eroding but respect for many of the other commandments as well. I have been guilty of many of these. Let me tell you from my experience; adultery hurts, being lied to hurts, being stole from hurts, and I believe God who designed us and wrote the owners manual had a reason for each of these commandments for our well being. Just like our owners manual for our car will tell us to change oil and other fluids as well as other maintenance items to keep our vehicles running good so is our owners manual from God. Six days shall you labor and on the seventh day we should rest. We need it to be healthy and our creator deserves our respect. God bless, LVZ.