Few Will Be Chosen

Some people make an argument against the Sabbath, not from
Biblical principles, but for purely practical reasons. They say
observing Sabbath instead of Sunday will put us out of sync with the
rest of the world. "That's my busiest day', some business owners
claim. 'I am required to work Saturdays,' others say. 'All my friends
go dancing on Friday nights. Sorry, but I can't do this Sabbath
observance.
This kind of thinking that we need to go along with the rest of
society even at the expense of ignoring God's fourth commandment
is absurd. In Matthew 22:14, Jesus himself said that "many will be
called, but few will be chosen." He did not say who will be the many,
but if the final decision is made based on Sabbath observance, we'd
better make sure we are on the group of the few.
Another interesting point is that the fourth commandment
doesn't say: "Remember to be always on the side of the majority."
Neither does it say: "Remember to rest on the same day as the
majority." In fact there are several instances when the Bible
explicitly challenges us to be different from the crowd. In the book
of Daniel alone we find at least three instances in which Daniel and
his friends dare to be different from the people around them even
at the risk of their own lives. Daniel 1: 8-15 tells the story of how
they refused to defile themselves with the food served by the king.
Then Daniel 3: 8-25 records the story of Daniel's friends being
thrown into the fiery furnace for refusing to worship an idol.
Then Daniel 6:10-23 tells the story of how Daniel himself was thrown
in the lions' den for praying to God. So all these instances show that it
is foolish to believe that being faithful to God will come easy. In fact,
Jesus himself tells us that we should strive to be different from
the people around us. Chapter five of Matthew is full of challenges
from Jesus. He tells us to turn the other cheek, to give also our cloak,
and to love our enemies. Why? Because anyone can love their friends.
Even the wicked love their friends. But we should strive to be different.
Tomorrow we will examine the meaning of "the narrow way."

God bless you.