Fried Bananas and Self-Denial

Suggested Reading: Leviticus 16:29-34

Once, on vacation, my wife and I took the kids to a Brazilian steakhouse. What is unique about these restaurants, if you've never been to one, is that they serve all-you-can-eat meats of various kinds, but they bring them to your table and cut them off the grilling skewer right there. Most of these places also serve a specialty that I have never really enjoyed: fried bananas or plantains. If you know me at all, you probably know that for most my life I have despised bananas. Believe it or not, I have banana horror stories (which, granted, are probably only horrific to me).

Though bananas no longer make me sick, I still try to avoid them. But I also know that, for people who like bananas, these Brazilian fried bananas are supposed to be amazing. So when they brought them to the table, I wanted my kids (who love bananas) to try them. But my son, who is not an adventurous eater, didn't want to. So, because I knew he would enjoy them if he tried them, I practiced a little self-denial and I made him a deal: If he tried the fried bananas, Daddy would try the fried bananas. I didn't enjoy the banana, but my son did (even though he tried to deny it behind that big ol' grin he couldn't keep off of his face), and I enjoyed that.

While we as Christians often claim to observe something similar to a Sabbath, the people of Ancient Israel understood the Sabbath a little differently than we do. We tend to think of the Sabbath as a day off, as a day to stop and relax and enjoy life. We might go to church, if we practice it on Sunday. But mostly, today, the Sabbath is a day of relaxation and enjoyment. For the Ancient Israelites, the Sabbath was something else entirely as demonstrated by Leviticus 16:31 which reads, "It is a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you must practice self-denial; it is a permanent statute" (HCSB). You see, for the Ancient Israelites, the Sabbath was indeed a day of rest and a day which they enjoyed, but that wasn't the point of the Sabbath.  The Sabbath was a day to cease from the normal day to day activities and focus on God, not themselves. It was supposed to be a day completely devoted to worshiping and meditating on God. They weren't supposed to cook or warm up food, they weren't supposed to fix something that was broken. They weren't supposed to mow the lawn or engage in sports (which were considered work). They weren't even supposed to engage in marital relations (which would make them ceremonially unclean). They were supposed to spend the day putting aside the normal activities of life and focusing on God.

As busy as our lives can be, some of us can work very hard to carve out a little time just for us, to relax and enjoy ourselves, to let go of stress. But how often do we really set everything aside and focus on God? How often do we practice self-denial and turn off the tv, eat leftovers, set aside the chores and spend the day focusing on God? How often do we focus on God even when we have "pressing" matters to attend to?

We need those times when we stop and read God's word and listen for God's voice, when we don't think about work and hobbies and TV shows and books. We need those times with nothing to do but ponder the mysteries of God and consider the personal and practical applications of God's Word for our own lives. We need those times when we are open enough that God can correct our course because we've started to stray. We need to treat God like we really do love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. We need to practice placing God above everything else, even if we have to start with just taking a morning here or an afternoon there and work up to a full day.

We all need holidays and times of relaxation. But, more than that, we all need a Sabbath.

A Boxing Match With Five Thousand Hungry Men

Suggested Reading: Matthew 14:13-21

I have always enjoyed the Rocky movies. They don't have the greatest acting or even the greatest plots but they have a central character who is compelling. The characteristic that makes Rocky Rocky is the fact that he never quits. Rocky was not all that skilled as a fighter, though he trained his rear end off. But Rocky was never willing to lay down. Even when beaten to a bloody pulp, Rocky would get up and go another round until he was finally able to find an opening in his increasingly tired opponent. That unwillingness to let being tired, beaten up, or bloody keep him down is what turned Rocky into a champion.

Believe it or not, Rocky had a lot in common with Jesus. In Matthew 14, Jesus had had a grueling schedule and then got the news that John the Baptist had been murdered by Herod. Exhausted, physically and emotionally, he left in a boat to a remote area to be alone. But the crowds heard where he was headed and followed on foot from many towns. Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. (Matthew 14:13-14, NLT).  In spite of the fact that he was tired and that he wanted time alone to deal with the emotional toll of John the Baptist's death, Jesus didn't turn away a chance for ministry when it presented itself. And when he took the time to minister, even in his weakened state, God chose to bring about one of Jesus' great miracles. Jesus' compassion led to a time of teaching and then to Jesus' command that the disciples feed all of these people. Jesus, low on energy, low on resources, and needing rest, fed five thousand men with five loaves of bread and two fish, even though no one would have faulted Jesus for taking some time off to recover.

Sometimes life gets exhausting. Life can be hard and overwhelming. You may be tired and emotionally drained. But whatever your condition, don't turn away from the opportunities for ministry that God brings directly into your path. Your time of greatest weakness may be the time God chooses to use you in the greatest ways.

One of the Surest Proofs of Freedom

Suggested Reading: Deuteronomy 5:12-15

I recently watched an episode of Stargate SG-1 where the entire team really needed to take some time off but no one really wanted to take it. Only when the team was accidentally addicted to an alien device and they were forced to spend three weeks in a palace on an alien beach being weaned off of the addictive device did they relent and take some forced "time-off." If you’re anything like me or my wife, you probably know exactly what that situation is like. We often push ourselves too far and only end up taking time off when something takes us out of the game, usually an illness that could have been avoided by more rest. While laying in bed sick, unable to do anything productive, the statement is usually made, "Well, I guess this is God's way of telling me to slow down."

Time-off is often something we think of as a privilege, as something we have earned once everything that needs to be accomplished has been. Variations of the statement "There will be plenty of time to rest once I die" abound. But rest is not only a very Biblical concept, it is a command.

In the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, God gives the Israelites two distinct reasons for observing a day of rest, a Sabbath every seven days. The first reason is given in Exodus 20:11: For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy (NIV).God provided the example for us to follow in God's own work of creation.  Many of us are aware of this reasoning and many of us dismiss it.  "That was God, we can't get things done like he can." "We're no longer under the law." And so on and so forth.

But there is a second reason God gives to the Israelites for observing a regular day of rest in Deuteronomy 5:15. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day (NIV).  God's second reason for observing a regular day of rest essentially boiled down to, "It reminds you that you are free because God has redeemed you." 

Rest is not a priority for which a slave can set aside time. Rest is not a luxury a slave can count on. However, rest can be a sign that one is free in a world where too many of us are slaves to schedules and bills and obligations. No matter how bogged down we may feel, no matter how many weights may push us down, God commands a day of rest so that we can be reminded that we are free, so that we can practice being free.

The next time you decide that you are unable to have a day of rest, think about your freedom. What are you choosing to be enslaved by? What is keeping you from taking a day of rest? Are  you acting like a slave or will you practice being free?