Mat 22:36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
I don't keep the Sabbath and here's why -
It isn't because Jesus didn't keep it. In fact, He showed the right administration of it in life. Read this post on how Jesus behaved on the Sabbath.
And it isn't because Jesus didn't teach on it either. This same post shows us what Jesus taught on it.
Whenever I don't keep the Sabbath, it is for one reason and one reason only - it is because I don't want to do so.
Isn't this true of any commandment?
It boils down to love. I don't keep it because I love something more, plain and simple.
And I find another truth at play. What I spent loving during the week, I want to love on the Lord's Day too. I can't flip on a "I love Jesus now" switch. I don't know about you, but I can't do it.
Example?
Let's say I'm getting a new __________, which I love. I think about it, talk about it, spend time with it. And then the Lord's Day comes and guess what I want to do? I want to think about it, talk about it, spend time with it. Sometimes, I'm sitting in church, as a priest of God, worshiping my Lord and Savior AND thinking about and looking forward to spending time with my new _____________. See how it works? At least for me, that is how it works.
If I did love Christ the most, why wouldn't I want to spend a whole day with Him? After all, I am going to spend an eternity with Him, why not 24 hours a week?
Let's see. "Jesus, I love you very much. And while I am willing to spend eternity with you, I just don't think it's necessary or needful for me to spend one day a week with you. But I do love you Jesus!" Hmmmm. Something just isn't right about that exchange is it?
I mean, for those of us who do believe in Him, and supposedly love Him, why wouldn't we want to spend a whole day with Him, where we didn't have to work, didn't have to worry about bills or the other concerns in life? Why wouldn't we want that?
You mean to tell me that the reason that I come home from church and watch football or do some other activity is because of my love for God and His word which teaches me that I don't need to and shouldn't try to spend a day with Jesus? Hmmmmm. Forgive me, but I don't think that is what Jesus taught about the Sabbath day.
What activity on the Lord's Day would God want me to do other than spend it with Him? (If your answer is "visit the poor or sick," then your answer is consistent with keeping the Sabbath Day. He healed on the Sabbath and had mercy on the Sabbath.)
Another example?
If you who are husbands love your wives, wouldn't you want to spend a day with her?
Try telling her that a day is too long and see how that goes. Seriously though. Complete this sentence. "Honey, I can't spend this free day that I have with you because _________________________." (And don't fill in some work obligation, because the point of the Sabbath is that we are free from work to love the Lord.) Good luck trying to find a good word or phrase to fill in, especially if you "love" your wife. If we don't want to spend a day with our wife, when we have a free day, it's usually not a sign that our relationship is going well.
Know what I mean?
When you boil it down, the question isn't, "Is it mandatory to spend a day with the Lord." (I am not suggesting it isn't a commandment as it plainly is in God's word.) The question is, "Do you want to because you love Jesus Christ?"
The Sabbath is about love and the reason why I (and I suspect a lot of other Christians) don't keep it, is because I love something else more. And that something is me.
On the other hand, the word of God teaches us that keeping the Sabbath is entirely an expression of our love for God. Consider now the words of the Prophet Isaiah,
Isa 58:13 "If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure (in other words the things we love) on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight (in other words, express our love for God) and the holy day of the LORD honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; (i.e. on the things we love)So, when I don't keep it, it is because I love something or someone more than God and that's where and how I want to spend my time. It's that simple.
Isa 58:14 then you shall take delight in the LORD, (because we love Him the most) and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
That's why I don't keep the Sabbath.
How about you?