Reminiscent of Eric Liddell’s decision not to run at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris (popularized by the 1981 film, Chariots of Fire), two students from Peruvian Union University refused to compete on a Saturday during the National University Games in Chiclayo in the summer of 2016.

According to one report, “The move surprised officials as well as those on the 34 other teams competing in the annual event. Two Adventist runners were qualified for finals in the 100 meter flat races, one having beat the previous national record. While the organizers of the games attempted to accommodate the Adventist students’ schedule—surely a gracious gesture—rules dictated the events proceed as scheduled.”

Instead of competing on Saturday, the young men worshiped with others at a local Sabbath-keeping church. The next day, the Adventist team competed in the 4 x 100 meters event and won second place, receiving a silver medal. The other thirty-four teams were astonished at the Sabbath keepers who put God first.

The Bible teaches us to honor God’s holy day. One of the major problems that Isaiah the prophet addressed was the tendency for people to trust in themselves instead of in God. Note his message from the Lord which highlights honoring the Sabbath:

“If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable, and shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words, then you shall delight yourself in the Lord; and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the Lord has spoken” (Isaiah 58:13, 14).

God is honored when His people choose activities that lead them closer to their Creator on the Sabbath. The Lord asks us to set aside secular pursuits one day a week in order to acknowledge our allegiance to Him. Such Sabbath keeping is not a burden, but a delight and serves as a witness to the world.

What an inspiration to see these young Peruvian men uphold God’s Sabbath and be blessed with a silver medal. Though the award they received will someday perish, the testimony they gave will last for eternity. Surely these students ran “on the high hills of the earth” (verse 14) for the glory of God and not their own.
 
Learn more about honoring the Sabbath in this video presentation called “How to Keep the Sabbath.”

In an interesting turn of events, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed a lawsuit against a trucking company for denying accommodation for the religious beliefs of one of its employees. The allegation was made on behalf of a Hebrew Pentecostal, Leroy Lawson, who was employed in 2012 as a driver. Lawson had clearly stated before he accepted the job that he could not work on Sabbath, from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday.

However, about one month after his employment, the company required all its employees to work on a Saturday and Lawson complied. Following that day of work, he reiterated his desire to keep the Sabbath holy and stated that he would not be able to work again on a Saturday. Over a year later, when a similar situation arose, he refused to work during the Sabbath hours.

When the owner of the company heard about Lawson’s refusal to work on Saturday, he allegedly directed the supervisor to fire him. Now, several years later, the EEOC is taking the case to court in an effort to get fair compensation for Lawson. The trucking company has not made any comments on the situation at this time.

While we all love stories where the hero does all the right things, this story shares the real conflict that each of us face in making daily decisions to honor God in spite of the consequences. Abraham, David, and Esther are examples of many other champions of faith who endured the very real struggle between honoring God and meeting the expectations of men and who were victorious in the end (Hebrews 11).

The beauty of the Sabbath is that it is a reoccurring opportunity to renew our covenant with God and show our loyalty to Him.  Each week we have a new Sabbath and a new choice to make, a new chance to show the world who has first place in our lives (Ezekial 20:20). God is always faithful in keeping His promises with us. He is looking for people who will be faithful to Him and will honor Him by keeping His law.

Do you know someone who is struggling with being faithful to all God’s requirements? Take a moment to remind them that it is a daily choice to honor God and share with them this article—click here to get started.