The work required on the Sabbath is to prepare for the Kingdom of God, fellowshipping with our brethren, serving where possible, and relieving burdens.

God gave the Sabbath to His people so they can know Him intimately. Idolatry, scattering, and captivity are the natural consequences of Sabbath-breaking.

In the Gospels, questions about the Sabbath center on how to keep it, not whether it should be kept. The way Jesus approached the Sabbath gives us an example.

Jesus magnified the Sabbath, giving principles by which to judge our activities. Each time Jesus taught about the Sabbath, He emphasized some form of redemption.

Isaiah 58 is like the foreground of a picture puzzle. But it only really becomes clear when we add the background—the edge pieces—found elsewhere.

Central to ongoing growth is self-control—a Spirit-enabled mastery of thoughts, desires, and actions that supports all other fruits of righteousness.

Jesus taught that fasting is an internal, spiritual good work, done in the inner self. Any other kind of fasting has little or no spiritual value.

Even though individuals do not necessarily practice spiritual fasting for physical reasons, the physical benefits supply types that teach us spiritual things.