The Sabbath was also to be a day to turn from the material to the spiritual, to connect in a deeper way with God. Before Christ, people worked toward the Sabbath, resting on the last day of the week. Since the Resurrection, we work from the Sabbath, living in the power of the risen Christ.

The early Christians began to worship on the first day of the week because that was the day on which Jesus rose from the dead (Mark 16:9). By the time we get to Acts 20:7, we see the disciples coming together on “the first day of the week” to pray, break bread, and listen to the teaching of the Word of God. By the beginning of the second century, Christians universally understood that the Lord’s Day was to be on Sunday, the day after the Jewish Sabbath. And in AD 321, the Roman emperor Constantine, by royal edict, proclaimed Sunday a special day of worship throughout the entire Roman world. It is remarkable to realize that every Sunday from the day of Christ’s resurrection until today, somewhere in the world, the church of Jesus Christ has come together to worship.

When I was growing up, Sunday was a special day. We went to church as a family both in the morning and in the evening. Our youth groups always met at six o’clock, just before the evening service. Back then, even those who chose not to attend church still reserved a certain respect for Sunday and how the day should be treated.

We need to accept the wonderful gift of God’s day. We can do this by recognizing its special purpose: to honor Him by resting and reflecting on His goodness. As we do that, we’ll want to find ways to return the gift to Him with gratitude—through ministry, through worship, and through avoiding anything that makes Sunday just another day.

The two commands here are to remember it and to keep it holy.

The story goes that when Africa was first being explored, native guides were taking their visitors through the region. After six days of pushing through the jungle, the natives refused to walk. They explained, “We need a day to let our souls catch up with our bodies.”12

God has given you a gift to get your soul back in alignment. Will you accept it?

The Fifth Commandment: The Family Rule

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.

—EXODUS 20:12

There are two sections of God’s list for life. The first section is made up of four commands concerning how to love God. Jesus summarized the first section as “Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30).