The Genise Formerly Known As An Artist.

If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on My holy day,
If you call the Sabbath a delight
and the LORD's holy day honorable,
And if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please and speaking idle words,
Then you will find your joy in the LORD,
and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken. (Isaiah 58:13-14)


Towards the end of yesterday's sermon Pastor Sam touched upon a subject that we often don't discuss out loud: the abandonment of things that bring us joy.

Whether it is art, songwriting, walks in the park, or something else, we are often guilty of having laid aside "non-paying" activities in favor of doing things that will result in some sort of paycheck. It's the logical thing to do: times are hard, and money has to be earned. But in the laying aside of the things that bring us joy, our hearts can become hardened and our countenances downcast.

Pastor Sam challenged us to understand Sabbath rest as not simply a day off, but a day in which we engage in the things that God has provided us for our pleasure and His glory. It is the one day each week that we can set aside to pick up the paintbrush, grab a few sheets of manuscript paper, lace up the hiking boots, or do some other joy-filled activity.

My prayer for us all is that, as 2014 progresses, we can eradicate from our narrative the phrase "I used to be a...".

Are you an artist?
Are you a songwriter?
Are you an avid hiker?
On the day of Sabbath rest, don't do what you please: do what pleases you.
Rediscover, and reclaim, what you are.