“You shall remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy” (Exodus 20:8)

Correct and accurate measurements are important when outcomes matter. When lives depend on it measurements are not just important, they are crucial. History is full of examples where faulty measurements meant failure. In the world of engineering for example you might consider the outcome of the Titanic’s famous sinking, the NASA Challenger explosion, or the Boston Tank Explosion causing the “Great Molasses Flood” in 1919.

Today industries like engineering, medical, and public transportation implement standards to achieve correct and accurate measurements. Engineering applies high standards to measuring equipment including calibration, training, maintenance, and use of digital tools for accuracy emphasizing that failure to meet such standards could lead to serious safety, economic, and career-altering mistakes.

There is no standard higher or more accurate than God’s. In the third commandment, God gives us that standard in order that you get correct measurements of your life. The standard, “You shall remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy” (Exodus 20:8). This standard is for you to rest, reflect on God’s Word, and to receive forgiveness for your failures weekly. Worship is a weekly evaluation of your heart, mind, and soul. In the areas where you are found to have inaccurate measurements of the way you think and live, God then calibrates you to His standard through the forgiveness and the righteousness of His Son, our Savior, Jesus. Regular and consistent honor of the sabbath maintains our relationship with God and with one another.

Weekly worship is what it means to follow Jesus, and to be transformed by His righteousness, and staying committed to His mission.

Prayer
Lord God, we thank You that You have given us a standard that not only is true and is given for our best but one that You have opened up to be able to receive through Your Son, Jesus Christ.

Would You help us to maintain faithfulness in observing this commandment, that weekly we would spend time honoring You, hearing from You, and having our lives calibrated to Your truth and Your standards? Thank You for the forgiveness for when we fail, and give us the courage to live out a new week in the confidence that You have given to us. It’s in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.