Dr Paul Allen

A modern Western worship team leading a contemporary worship session. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) God chose to rest. He worked six days, creating the heavens and the earth and everything that would fill them. And then he, the God who never grows weary, chose to rest. He took sabbath . Why would he do this? Why would the all-powerful God rest? He rested to established a pattern, to establish a flow. There would be times for labor and times for rest. Six days you could earn a living and carry out your day-to-day responsibilities, and on the seventh you were to rest. Six years you could harvest your crops, but on the seventh the fields were to lie fallow. There would be ebb and flow, there would be work and rest. God did not intend all work and no rest; he did not intend all rest and no work. He intended both to flow in a pattern, a dance. Looking at it now, I see three great lessons we learn from a day set apart. Sabbath teaches dependence . Sabbath teaches us to depend upon God...

This is an artist's rendition of John Bunyan -- The famous Christian writer who wrote The Pilgrim's Progress (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) John Bunyan ’s wisdom on how to backslide. Stop meditating on the gospel. “They draw off their thoughts, all that they may, from the remembrance of God , death, and judgment to come.” Neglect your devotions and stop battling sin. “Then they cast off by degrees private duties, as closet prayer, curbing their lusts, watching, sorrow for sin, and the like.” Isolate yourself from Christian fellowship . “Then they shun the company of lively and warm  Christians .” Stop going to church. “After that, they grow cold to public duty, as hearing, reading, godly conference, and the like.” Determine that Christians are hypocrites because they continue to sin. “They then begin to pick holes, as we say, in the coats of some of the godly, and that devilishly, that they may have a seeming color to throw religion (for the sake of some inf...