The Seventh Day Sabbath Part 9: Prepare

Some of us love to live in the moment and have little regard for the preparation of the cares of life. The sabbath day is not so. We are commanded to prepare for the sabbath ahead of time. Due to the regulations tied to the observance of the sabbath day God wants us to ensure we are ready. And we do that by planning and thinking ahead.

Mark 15:42

And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath,

Our forefathers understood, even during the time of Christ, the importance to note the preparation day as the day before the sabbath. Letting us know it was something that was of great significance. So we too should treat it as relevant to us and guiding us in our walk. But this was not ordained by them at that time. But rather observed as commanded of old.

Exodus 16:23-24

23 And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. 24 And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein.

It was of necessity that we prepared for the sabbath by making sure we first started the day prior to the sabbath. Not the day of, not a couple hours before but the day prior. That being Thursday Sundown to Friday Sundown, marking the official day of preparation. Giving us an advanced notice to teach is and train us not to wait until the last minute. There are many things we can (and are mandated to) do to prepare, but the root is making sure you have a mindset that is ready and willing to prepare the day prior. So things such as “colored people time” is a proverbs and byword that should not exist as we come back into alignment with the word of God and apply his laws.

Here are some pointers to help you get the most out of your sabbath prep:

1. Prioritize; order your chores by what needs to be done before the sabbath and what can wait until after.

2. When time is running out, order out. We may get busy and can’t cook a proper meal. So ordering out can be a wise choice.

3. Meal prep; cook ahead, think simple yet efficient.

4. We all know of the famous peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and although this could be a potential option, we have so much more at our disposal. From salad combinations; tuna salad, taco salad, chicken salad etc. To various sandwiches, switching up meat and vegetable combinations accordingly. And if that gets old. Follow Exodus 16:23-24, prepare meals and lay them up. Need that be leaving them out over night or putting them in the fridge and taking them out in the morning.

5. Clean with intention. Are people going to be in this room? No, then it can wait. If yes, clean it.

6. Organize prior clean after. Sometimes you don’t have the time to clean a room properly, so opt out to organize the room before the sabbath and actually clean the room after the sabbath. That way you can tackle more rooms in less time to make them presentable.

7. Coordinate with others. Use team work among those in your house or your congregation. That can range from helping each other clean up or taking turns meal prepping for one another.