“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.” (Exodus 20:8–11 NLT)

The fourth commandment has produced more confusion, misunderstanding, and hard feelings than any of the others. Let’s find out what it is and what it is not.

It should be noted that this commandment was given specifically to Jewish people. The Sabbath—the seventh day of the week, Saturday—was to be a day of total rest. This command does not really apply in its literal form to a Christian living under the New Covenant. Let me give you a few fast facts about the fourth commandment to help explain why.

Number one, it is the only commandment that is not repeated in the New Testament. Every other commandment is repeated; breaking the Sabbath is never mentioned.

Number two, Jesus never taught anyone to keep the Sabbath. In fact, He Himself was accused of violating the Sabbath. That’s one of the reasons that He was crucified. The religious leaders had so perverted and twisted the meaning of the Sabbath that it was turned into a miserable religious mess. Because Jesus healed people on the Sabbath, those leaders accused Him of breaking the fourth commandment.

Number three, the Sabbath was fulfilled in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. In Hebrews 4, we read, “So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest” (verses 9–11 NLT). The Sabbath foreshadowed what Christ would accomplish on the cross. All other world religions essentially say, “Do.” Christianity says, “Done.” Enter into that rest. Enter into the finished work of Jesus Christ.

So, for Christians, the Sabbath is a day set apart for God and our relationship with Him.

A day when we unplug from the distractions of life and recharge ourselves spiritually. A day to focus on who God is. A day to spend at church with family and friends. A day to think of the things of the Lord.

When we “remember the Sabbath,” not only do we honor the Lord, but we also grow in our relationship with Him.

Reflection question: What does observing the Sabbath—or the Lord’s Day—look like in your life? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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“You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.” (Exodus 20:7 NLT)

God’s name is important to Him. There is power in His name. Anyone who tries to diminish that power by taking it lightly or using it in a way that dishonors Him is breaking the third commandment.

One way people misuse the name of the Lord is by swearing by it. As in, “I swear to God, I’m telling you the truth.” People who swear to God often do so because their own word—their own name—isn’t reliable. They’re known to make commitments they don’t keep or to say things that aren’t true.

This misuse comes into sharp focus in a marriage ceremony. If we commit ourselves to our spouses with vows that invoke God’s name, we must honor those vows. If we bail on the relationship we vowed to uphold, we’re misusing God’s name.

Another way we misuse the Lord’s name is by saying, “Oh, my God” or “Oh, God.” When we drop those words into casual conversation—or any conversation—we’re treating God’s name like any other exclamation. We’re ignoring the importance God places on His name and using it simply as a thoughtless sentence filler. We’re not actually calling for Him. We’re not praying to or worshiping Him. We’re simply borrowing His name for our own conversational purposes.

Some people misuse God’s name by leveraging it for personal gain. They market themselves as Christian business owners, or Christian salespeople, or Christian service providers, hoping to attract Christians as clients. They wear their faith on their sleeve to set themselves apart in the marketplace. That’s a misuse of God’s name and His work in our lives.

And that brings us to what I believe is the worst way of misusing the name of the Lord: hypocrisy. If you claim to be a follower of God, if you call His Son Savior and Lord, people can and should expect to see Christ in you. In the way you talk. In the decisions you make. In the priorities you demonstrate. In the way you interact with others. In your business dealings. In the way you treat your enemies.

If they don’t see Christ in you, if instead they see someone very much like the unbelievers they know, they will rightly question your faith. They will double down on their doubts. They will lean harder into their cynicism. Christian hypocrisy creates a huge stumbling block for unbelievers. It makes them question the power of God to change lives.

If you claim God as your heavenly Father with your words but deny Him with your actions, you are misusing His name.

Honor the name of the Lord—not just with the things you say, but also with the way you live.

Reflection question: What’s the biggest challenge for you when it comes to not misusing the name of the Lord? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

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“You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.” (Exodus 20:4 NLT)

The second commandment must have resonated powerfully with the Israelites because when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments, the people were worshiping a golden calf—an idol they had created while Moses was away. Understanding their mindset helps us understand the importance of the second commandment.

The first thing we need to recognize is that before they started worshiping the golden calf, the people had a feast dedicated to the Lord that included peace offerings and burnt offerings. They mingled what was right with what was wrong.

Essentially, they were saying, “This godliness of Moses is too high for us. We want a spirituality that we can relate to. Something we can see and touch. Something that appeals to the senses. We don’t want to feel guilty if we don’t do what God says. So, we will just make up our own version.”

That describes the spirituality of many people today. But what if we applied the same logic to other areas? Imagine an airline pilot saying, “I’m tired of all these charts, buttons, lights, and gauges. Let’s just take off and go with the flow.” Or a surgeon saying, “I don’t know what this artery or this section of the brain does. Just give me a scalpel, and let’s see what happens.” Or a person saying, “Traffic laws are your truth, not mine. You’re free to believe that red means stop, but you must also respect my belief that red means go.”

We recognize that there are absolute truths that we all must live by—in aviation, in medicine, and on the road. But instead of recognizing that there are absolute truths about God, people try to give Him a twenty-first-century makeover.

People say, “My god would never judge a person” or “My god would never send a person to Hell.” That’s the spirit of idolatry—substituting a concept of God that appeals to us for the God who makes Himself known in His Word. The goal is not to conform God and the teachings of Scripture to the shifting winds of culture. The goal is to try to bend the culture back to the teaching of the Word of God.

The same principle applies to rituals or religious tchotchkes that take the place of genuine worship and prayer. You don’t need a picture of Jesus or a crucifix or any other icon to get close to God. Any object or ritual that works its way into your relationship with the Lord has the potential to become an idol.

If you have a personal relationship with Christ, and if you have a Bible, you have everything you need to worship and serve God. Celebrate the true God. Don’t let facsimiles take His place in your life.

Reflection question: What facsimiles of faith do you see in the lives of people around you? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

Support the show: https://harvest.org/support

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.