Question:

The fourth commandment has to do with keeping the Sabbath, and now we know that we are to observe Sunday, the first day of the week, as the Lord’s Day.  But so many things seem to crowd into my life.  I often put the Lord first, but am I doing wrong by doing other things on the Lord’s Day at times?

Answer:

As Christians we are not legally bound (as under the Law of Moses) to engage in only Christ-centered activities on the Lord’s Day.  However, I believe that the Lord is well pleased if we can schedule our life activities in such a way as to keep the Lord’s Day as free as possible to spend attending all of the meetings of the local assembly, doing evangelistic outreach, studying the Bible, or enjoying fellowship with other Christians.  For example, make it a habit to keep up-to-date on your school homework; don’t leave your science project or book report or term paper for the last minute, which usually means the Lord’s Day.  Don’t sign up for athletic teams that regularly practice or play on the Lord’s Day.  If you have a choice between accepting a job in which you are free on Lord’s Day and one that pays a little more but requires working on some Lord’s Days, take the first one.  Order your spending habits so that you are not required to work on Lord’s Days in order to pay your bills.