Meet Kenny Rodgers

Have you ever followed one of God's commands without actually following Him? I have. I used to watch any TV show or movie I wanted with little regard for content. Sure, I was a Christian at the time, but I foolishly told myself that as long as I wasn’t behaving like the individuals onscreen, it was okay. I was wrong, and I’m thankful God showed me that years ago. 

Flash forward to later in life: I began making progressively wiser decisions when it came to my media intake; however, too often I felt like I was “depriving myself.” Instead of rejoicing that God had more in store for me than the latest “hit” show, I would grumble and complain that I didn’t get to watch what “everybody else” was watching. Even worse, at times I found myself pointing at others watching those shows and felt I was better than they were. In those moments, I made following the rules more important than following Christ, which led to pride and unhappiness.

The truth is, God was not pleased with either of my extremes. While it is right to avoid immorality (2 Timothy 2:22; Colossians 3:5), follow the rules (1 John 2:3-4), and lovingly rebuke others (Galatians 6:1), it is not right to be prideful (Proverbs 16:5; James 4:6). Our righteous deeds cannot save us (Titus 3:5). We are only saved by grace through faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). 

The Pharisees missed the importance of observing the Sabbath. They, too, made following the rules more important than following Christ. When God gives us a command, we need to ask ourselves why and remember that He loves us and wants our hearts. In regard to the Sabbath, He wanted those who knew Him to set aside time for rest and worship as a means to rejoice in Him. This was meant to be a blessing (Mark 2:27). So let us accept this gift of rest from the Lord, and remember that His commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:3).