Living out God’s plan for the Sabbath year

Living out God’s plan for the Sabbath year
S – Lev 25:6,20-21 (NASB)

O – The Sabbath, my good friend and a mystery to me of God’s creation and design for us. In Leviticus we see the Lord stretching the people of Israel’s understanding and faith in the Sabbath even more through the command to allow a Sabbath year in the land. That must have taken real courage for the people to trust in the Lord, as their daily food and substance had to be worked hard for in comparison for what we have to do today. The analogy for today would be simply to work for 6 years, and take a full year off work and trust in God’s provision for your life. This is not so far off possible, in fact I think quite possible outside the realm of the social norm today. What this would force us to do is recognize what is God’s provision and what is excess to be saved for the future. Our consumer mentality today tells us to use all we have today, tomorrow is a different issue. This goes either way whether we hoard and never spend our provision, and therefore never stop working to earn more and then life is over. The other path is to spend all you have, never saving for the 7th year Sabbath; this is equally disobedient as the first.
A – The application for me is to understand that it is possible to operate in accordance with God’s design when it comes to the Sabbath. It is a manner of planning and trust in God’s ways over the ways of society. Here is my challenge to myself:
1. Be obedient to the weekly Sabbath rest.
2. Plan for a 7th year Sabbath, in which I rely on God’s provision from the past and don’t strive to earn but simply live off the fruit of the previous 6 years. This will require me paying attention to God’s provision for my life by understanding what is sufficient for today, and what is for the years to come. Setting aside what is for the future provision, and then for that 7th year, living solely off that provision. This scripture will be the foundation of the understanding of and trust in the promises from God.
P – Dear heavenly Father, thank you for today’s lesson, may it be sealed to my heart. I pray Lord that you give me the faith, wisdom, and discipline to live according to your design. Thank you for how you created me, unique, but with purpose, designed to love you, and follow your ways.