A DAY
The day the Lord has given us is created in two primary parts. We learn from the book of Genesis 1:5 that night time and day time constitute a complete day. According to the mind of God the day starts in the night and even in our current measurement of time we know that 12:00 AM (mid-night) is the first hour of the day whereas 12:00 PM is considered mid day (or noontime). It is interesting to note that this design by God was with purpose. The Lord never designs anything by accident, nor does God leave things that effect mankind to chance. The reason the Lord God created the day was to govern the affairs of men upon the earth. The Lord knew without a guideline man left to himself is most foolish. The night was established by God for rest. We know many men have enough common sense to know that working in the daytime is better because you have light. The Light of God brings life to the living organisms upon the earth. Certainly the majority of the animal kingdom works in the daytime and sleeps during the night time. A portion of nocturnal animals hunt during the night seeking to kill, steal and destroy just like those in the earth who practice mischief during the hours of darkness. It is better to avoid those who prey upon the unsuspecting by staying out of their active time of night (after mid-night until daybreak) when you could be home sleeping with God. The principle of God is sound and His wisdom for this type of complete day is unparalleled. We have now modified the simple two-part day of nighttime and daytime into basically three eight-hour segments. Those three segments are divided between 12:00 AM to 8:00 AM as the first segment then 8:00AM to 4:00PM as the second segment and finally 4:00PM to 12:00 AM as the third segment. The initial purpose of God for man to sleep during the night time is unchanged. For He is the Lord thy God that changes not. So mankind as a whole would agree when generally speaking that the hours of 12:00 AM to 8:00 AM are reserved for sleeping. This makes perfect sense when considering the next 8 hours from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM which are reserved for work. This general design by God for man to work during the day and sleep during the night is commonly followed by all people over the earth. As a matter of fact each nation across the globe follows the sun (the light) to determine when they should start working. Although man has perverted God's original plan it does not cause the Lord a great deal of concern because His guidelines are still being followed even though His principles are not. What I mean by that is the Lord placed the foundational emphasis on His day at the beginning. The beginning of everything with God determines the end and for that reason the way God starts already has inherent in it the design to finish. We know that the Lord has the end in mind when He starts His beginning. Therefore with that being said proper sleep (the first 8 hours) is critical to God. Many men upon the earth lightly esteem this principle of sleep and for that reason they squander their God given sleep time for frivolous acts of pleasure. Thus, the cycle of the day is perverted which makes this person sluggish during the second 8 hours. When the time of work comes they are dragging due to a lack of proper sleep. Some think that their body does need much sleep, thinking that only 3 to 4 hours is enough for them. They think that they have their body trained to cope with little sleep. They are deceived into believing a lie that their body is adjusted to insufficient sleep without sacrificing a higher quality of work. In the medical profession we know that they would have a hard time convincing a reputable doctor of their thesis. The medical profession, in general, agrees that the body needs around 8 hours of sleep each day to function properly. To provide some latitude we will acknowledge that some people may need a little more sleep while others may need a little less during the cycle of “A Day”. However, let there be no doubt that all people need approximately 8 hours of sleep for optimal behavior during their work time which is the next 8 hours (8:00 AM to 4:00 PM). Usually coming off a good night sleep will jump-start your workday. Even when you don't have to go into the job it is no excuse for not being productive around your house during the normal work time of the day. The Lord has promised to bless the works of our hand but we must purpose to work faithfully unto God with corresponding actions following.-Refer to Deuteronomy 2:7 We should give God our sleep to start the day with and then give God our complete work segment to gain wisdom and strength when performing our tasks. Giving to God first (first fruits) is an established principle of the Holy Bible because the majority of people (both Old Testament Saints and New Testament Christians) who were honored by God included God in their daily career. This has always been God's desire for man to sleep in peace because of righteousness and awake with strength because of joy. Sleeping under God's protecting wings at night (the first 8 hours) then serving God with all of our might (the next 8 hours) takes us to the final 8 hours. Now that we have come to the third part of our God given day we need to know what shall we do next. The answer for what to do for the third segment is rest in the Peace of God. This can be called relaxation or taking a Sabbath but it basically means this is your time to enjoy the things of God by reflection and actual experience. The major problem with the world today is that most people are not taking a Sabbath of God on a daily basis. I know men will say they are to busy working to have fellowship with the Lord God Almighty but is this not their own destruction. Sleeping with God first, then serving other people at work, leads to resting for yourself and family during the last segment of the day. When practicing this ordained pattern of God’s Will it will help you feel better mentally too because you will have a clear conscience. Many in the world today have taken for granted the first 8 hours to cause problems for the second 8 hours which leaves them very little time for the last 8 hours. The problem is once you have taken away from the last 8 hours there is nothing left to take away from. Thus, man repeats the cycle into a spiritual spiral of darkness leading them further and further away from God’s glorious Light. We must keep our physical cycle in God's divine order to enjoy the spiritual fruits of God’s Peace and Joy in our life. It is not God's Will for any man to go to sleep in worry only to wake up tired before their work day has even started. This ungodly cycle leads to being frustrated during the time of rest which further leads to a life of bondage. The third segment of Sabbath was purposefully made for man to enjoy the goodness of God without the pressures of work or sickness being in the picture. The Lord God is a good God and His Will is for all men across the face of this earth is to enjoy the plethora of blessings placed upon the earth for man's pleasure. This plan of God is flawless and should be completely understood by each person to be fully appreciated. However, multitudes go to sleep every night without inviting God into their room and awake every day to go to work without any praise, glory or honored given to God which means they don't enjoy the third segment of Sabbath. They partake of a third segment of selfishness, which means they do exactly what they want to do during that time apart from God’s Presence. Some men will pray to God at night for their sleep, few men will even praise God while they work but those who do neither will not praise God during their time of rest. If one can’t see God’s Love and Grace in the first two thirds of “A Day” they will not see God’s Peace during the end of “A Day”. The foolish man will mingle these time frames to fit his own desires not realizing when you compromise the foundational design (plan) of God you will pay a cost for it later. The body may not scream at first but eventually it will break down when age creeps upon it. The boss may not mention anything at first but when consideration comes up for promotion who will shine the brightest the rested or the weary? The children may not notice your lack of discipline when they are young but as they mature they will form an opinion or your priorities. The purpose of the this write-up is not to condemn anyone it's purpose is to shed more light on the Divine Design of God encompassed in "A Day". Amen!
In His Love, Eric & Angela Foster