Excerpt From yesterday-
'The spiritual aspect of the law is what so many try to take out of the law and it is the spiritual aspect that MUST fill every law and Jesus wanted that Spiritual aspect to be well known.
When the Pharisees accused Him of breaking the Sabbath by healing on the Sabbath, Jesus reminded them of the SPIRITUAL aspect of the law!
Over and over Jesus was reminding everyone of the Spiritual aspect of the law because the law is Spiritual- given in love which is spiritual NOT tangible, not something you can grasp but something you must have, must believe in spiritually.'
*
Spirituality.
Some might try to argue you have to see, touch, smell, hear, or taste something for it to be considered real. Yet you can't see a feeling. You can't touch, smell, hear or taste a feeling- and feelings exist- they are real. You can't touch a thought, you can't use any of your senses. People who can't hear, see, taste, feel, or smell can still have thoughts. We call this the mental part of us, not the physical part. We call this the emotional part of us, not the physical. We call this the spiritual part of us…sometimes.
What are the gifts of the Spirit-Spiritual gifts?
1Co 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
1Co 12:2 Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led.
1Co 12:3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
1Co 12:4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
1Co 12:5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
1Co 12:6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
1Co 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
1Co 12:8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
1Co 12:9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
1Co 12:10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
1Co 12:11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
1Co 12:28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
1Co 12:29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?
1Co 12:30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?
1Co 12:31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.
Spiritual gifts for a spiritual living.
Wisdom, knowledge, miracles, prophecy, discernment of the spiritual, different languages, interpreting different languages- gifts- spiritual gifts.
Spiritual existence.
Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
In spirit-
Pro 29:23 A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.
Spiritually humble.
Ecc 7:8 Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
Spiritually patient.
Spiritually proud.
Isa 29:24 They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.
Spiritual erring.
Isa 54:6 For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.
Spiritual grieving.
Mat 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Spiritually poor.
Luk 1:80 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.
Spiritually strong.
Luk 10:21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.
Spiritual rejoicing.
Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Spiritually worshipping.
Joh 13:21 When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.
Spiritually troubled.
Rom 12:11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord
Spiritually fervent.
1Co 7:34 There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.
Spiritually holy.
1Ti 4:12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
Spiritual example.
Remember- God is spirit and we must worship Him in spirit and truth.
God's moral law has a very spiritual aspect to it and it's not a law that will ever disappear. Why people want to believe differently is Satan led.
Jas 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
More tomorrow- by the wonderful, amazing, powerful grace of God.
In His LOVE, His PERFECT LOVE!
Amen.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Please Lord help us understand Your, Love.
Too many believe that keeping the law is something separate from the love of God and it is not!
I left off yesterday's study with the above sentence and I want to pick up that same train of thought for today's study.
Separating the love of God from His laws- it's IMPOSSIBLE.
Jesus came and revealed God to us and He kept every commandment in love. If we keep the commandments thinking they will somehow save us we are incredibly wrong. Only our Savior's mercy and grace saves us. We are only saved by the thought action it takes to accept Christ. This assent to being saved is the only thing we can do. However…
Php 2:12 ... work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
And…
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Too many people like to stop reading after the 9th verse, continuing on into the 10th we read… we are CREATED in Christ Jesus UNTO GOOD WORKS….WALK IN THEM.
So here we have the admonition to work out our own salvation and then we have the wonderful announcement that we can't save ourselves and it's a gift we receive of God- however…we are CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS UNTO GOOD WORKS. This salvation gift isn't a gift we receive and then walk away and continue our lives as if nothing has changed. Remember this…
Mat 13:18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.
Mat 13:19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
Mat 13:20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
Mat 13:21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
Mat 13:22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
Mat 13:23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
After we receive the word of the gospel- the message of salvation through Jesus Christ we do NOT simply return to our old ways. Those who receive the word HEARETH the word- UNDERSTANDETH the word-BEARETH fruit.
Hear.
Understand.
Bear fruit.
Fruit-
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Why is there NO LAW against those who have the fruit of the Spirit? Because THERE is NO LAW prohibiting these things! These are those intangible things we talked about a few days ago. These are the things you can covet because these are NOT possessions, these are not tangible, these are not of the flesh in any way. We are to covet spiritual gifts- it stands to reason we'd desire spiritual fruit.
Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Gal 5:26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
When we claim Christ we claim to CRUCIFY OUR FLESH- crucify our affections and lust- that which desires the earthly possession surrounding us. If we are truly living in the SPIRIT we will live as the SPIRITUAL- desiring the SPIRITUAL- not anything we can possess of the flesh, nothing tangible, nothing we can touch, see, feel.
Imagine LIVING In the SPIRIT, truly living in the SPIRIT. To live in the SPIRIT means living in the LOVE Of GOD fully. Keeping the law of God fully IS living in the SPIRIT and not living in bondage.
We've studied each law and we've seen how not a single one is something our Savior would say is no longer relevant. We've studied and we've seen how our Savior kept the law perfectly- never sinning- never transgressing a single law. We understand that because our Savior remained sinless- never transgressing the law- that He is worthy to save us- He is without sin.
We know that there is no sin without a law, yet there is life with out a written law. The law that was given on Mount Sinai was the unwritten law written. But that wasn't the only law given then- there was a ceremonial law, among other laws to govern life yet those laws were NOT included in the ten commandments, those laws were NOT written by the finger of God, those laws were NOT written in stone. There is a difference, a big difference. For years and years and years since before Adam and Eve sinned- God's ways existed, God's love existed, God's laws of love existed. From Adam and Eve to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph…God's laws existed- how do we know? Because SIN existed. We know that sin existed, we know there were heathen, the God-less, those against God. We know that cities of these God-less people were destroyed! We know that the entire population save eight were destroyed because of sin! And WHAT is sin? Sin is a transgression of the LAW! We cannot get around that though we can try all we want. When people talk about the law being done away with- they are talking about laws that are NOT the ten commandments! Jesus said He did NOT come to destroy the law! How could He, if He destroyed the law He would be destroying love, the love He put into those laws to govern our spiritual lives.
Oh there is soooo much we can talk about with this, so incredibly much. Satan would make this very hard to comprehend - in fact impossible to comprehend but God will not allow that. Those that truly love God will have their understanding opened. We need to have our understanding opened to discern the love of God in the law of God.
There was a reason Jesus said this in clarification--
Mat 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
Mat 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
The spiritual aspect of the law is what so many try to take out of the law and it is the spiritual aspect that MUST fill every law and Jesus wanted that Spiritual aspect to be well known.
When the Pharisees accused Him of breaking the Sabbath by healing on the Sabbath, Jesus reminded them of the SPIRITUAL aspect of the law!
Over and over Jesus was reminding everyone of the Spiritual aspect of the law because the law is Spiritual given in love which is spiritual NOT tangible, not something you can grasp but something you must have, must believe in spiritually.
Oh please Lord help us..help us understand Your LOVE!
More tomorrow by HIS GRACE.
Amen.
I left off yesterday's study with the above sentence and I want to pick up that same train of thought for today's study.
Separating the love of God from His laws- it's IMPOSSIBLE.
Jesus came and revealed God to us and He kept every commandment in love. If we keep the commandments thinking they will somehow save us we are incredibly wrong. Only our Savior's mercy and grace saves us. We are only saved by the thought action it takes to accept Christ. This assent to being saved is the only thing we can do. However…
Php 2:12 ... work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
And…
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Too many people like to stop reading after the 9th verse, continuing on into the 10th we read… we are CREATED in Christ Jesus UNTO GOOD WORKS….WALK IN THEM.
So here we have the admonition to work out our own salvation and then we have the wonderful announcement that we can't save ourselves and it's a gift we receive of God- however…we are CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS UNTO GOOD WORKS. This salvation gift isn't a gift we receive and then walk away and continue our lives as if nothing has changed. Remember this…
Mat 13:18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.
Mat 13:19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
Mat 13:20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
Mat 13:21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
Mat 13:22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
Mat 13:23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
After we receive the word of the gospel- the message of salvation through Jesus Christ we do NOT simply return to our old ways. Those who receive the word HEARETH the word- UNDERSTANDETH the word-BEARETH fruit.
Hear.
Understand.
Bear fruit.
Fruit-
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Why is there NO LAW against those who have the fruit of the Spirit? Because THERE is NO LAW prohibiting these things! These are those intangible things we talked about a few days ago. These are the things you can covet because these are NOT possessions, these are not tangible, these are not of the flesh in any way. We are to covet spiritual gifts- it stands to reason we'd desire spiritual fruit.
Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Gal 5:26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
When we claim Christ we claim to CRUCIFY OUR FLESH- crucify our affections and lust- that which desires the earthly possession surrounding us. If we are truly living in the SPIRIT we will live as the SPIRITUAL- desiring the SPIRITUAL- not anything we can possess of the flesh, nothing tangible, nothing we can touch, see, feel.
Imagine LIVING In the SPIRIT, truly living in the SPIRIT. To live in the SPIRIT means living in the LOVE Of GOD fully. Keeping the law of God fully IS living in the SPIRIT and not living in bondage.
We've studied each law and we've seen how not a single one is something our Savior would say is no longer relevant. We've studied and we've seen how our Savior kept the law perfectly- never sinning- never transgressing a single law. We understand that because our Savior remained sinless- never transgressing the law- that He is worthy to save us- He is without sin.
We know that there is no sin without a law, yet there is life with out a written law. The law that was given on Mount Sinai was the unwritten law written. But that wasn't the only law given then- there was a ceremonial law, among other laws to govern life yet those laws were NOT included in the ten commandments, those laws were NOT written by the finger of God, those laws were NOT written in stone. There is a difference, a big difference. For years and years and years since before Adam and Eve sinned- God's ways existed, God's love existed, God's laws of love existed. From Adam and Eve to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph…God's laws existed- how do we know? Because SIN existed. We know that sin existed, we know there were heathen, the God-less, those against God. We know that cities of these God-less people were destroyed! We know that the entire population save eight were destroyed because of sin! And WHAT is sin? Sin is a transgression of the LAW! We cannot get around that though we can try all we want. When people talk about the law being done away with- they are talking about laws that are NOT the ten commandments! Jesus said He did NOT come to destroy the law! How could He, if He destroyed the law He would be destroying love, the love He put into those laws to govern our spiritual lives.
Oh there is soooo much we can talk about with this, so incredibly much. Satan would make this very hard to comprehend - in fact impossible to comprehend but God will not allow that. Those that truly love God will have their understanding opened. We need to have our understanding opened to discern the love of God in the law of God.
There was a reason Jesus said this in clarification--
Mat 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
Mat 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
The spiritual aspect of the law is what so many try to take out of the law and it is the spiritual aspect that MUST fill every law and Jesus wanted that Spiritual aspect to be well known.
When the Pharisees accused Him of breaking the Sabbath by healing on the Sabbath, Jesus reminded them of the SPIRITUAL aspect of the law!
Over and over Jesus was reminding everyone of the Spiritual aspect of the law because the law is Spiritual given in love which is spiritual NOT tangible, not something you can grasp but something you must have, must believe in spiritually.
Oh please Lord help us..help us understand Your LOVE!
More tomorrow by HIS GRACE.
Amen.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
The law and love
Gen 26:5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
Rom 4:3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
Abraham obeyed God's voice.
Abraham kept God's charge.
Abraham kept God's commandments.
Abraham kept God's statutes.
Abraham kept God's laws.
All that Abraham did BEFORE Moses became God's prophet. There were no written ten commandments and yet Abraham kept God's commandments. How is that possible? It's possible because God's commandments are as everlasting as He is, was, and ever will be. Seriously. Now before anyone gets all riled up think about it for a moment. Eve broke God's commandments, right? She had to or else she couldn't have sinned.
1Jn 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
She sinned. She transgressed God's law. It wasn't written but it was known. And it goes beyond the direction God gave to Adam and Eve to not eat of the tree of knowledge.
Gen 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
We've already discussed it a bit- Eve coveted the fruit of the tree- it was pleasant to her eyes, she desired the wisdom she believed she could gain from consuming the fruit. She wanted more than she needed. In what Eve did, she broke some of those ten great commandments, the laws of God. If people don't recognize that then they are blind because it's truth. God's law were written down, but before they were written down they were known. We KNOW that God can do this…
Heb 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people
God can put His laws into the minds and hearts of people.
Where do you think God's law was in those He first created? Seriously? Think about it. We need to think about this because too many people believe that laws equates legalist and legalist are not those who believe in the love of God and salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Too many believe that keeping the law is something separate from the love of God and it is not!
It's really, really not.
More tomorrow by God's amazing grace!
Amen.
Rom 4:3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
Abraham obeyed God's voice.
Abraham kept God's charge.
Abraham kept God's commandments.
Abraham kept God's statutes.
Abraham kept God's laws.
All that Abraham did BEFORE Moses became God's prophet. There were no written ten commandments and yet Abraham kept God's commandments. How is that possible? It's possible because God's commandments are as everlasting as He is, was, and ever will be. Seriously. Now before anyone gets all riled up think about it for a moment. Eve broke God's commandments, right? She had to or else she couldn't have sinned.
1Jn 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
She sinned. She transgressed God's law. It wasn't written but it was known. And it goes beyond the direction God gave to Adam and Eve to not eat of the tree of knowledge.
Gen 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
We've already discussed it a bit- Eve coveted the fruit of the tree- it was pleasant to her eyes, she desired the wisdom she believed she could gain from consuming the fruit. She wanted more than she needed. In what Eve did, she broke some of those ten great commandments, the laws of God. If people don't recognize that then they are blind because it's truth. God's law were written down, but before they were written down they were known. We KNOW that God can do this…
Heb 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people
God can put His laws into the minds and hearts of people.
Where do you think God's law was in those He first created? Seriously? Think about it. We need to think about this because too many people believe that laws equates legalist and legalist are not those who believe in the love of God and salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Too many believe that keeping the law is something separate from the love of God and it is not!
It's really, really not.
More tomorrow by God's amazing grace!
Amen.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Covet spiritual gifts
No coveting anything that belongs to others.
Exo 20:17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.
House, wife, servants, livestock, nor ANY THING.
Yesterday we discussed this some but it needs more because look at this next verse--
1Co 12:31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.
And this one too--
1Co 14:39 Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.
These gifts are what?
1Co 12:28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
1Co 12:29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?
1Co 12:30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?
Apostles, prophets, teachers, miracles, healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
Are these tangible things, are these objects we can possess? No and no. A house, wife, servant, livestock, all are tangible, these are all things we can take hold of and possess. But you cannot take someone's ability to prophesize, or their ability to teach, or their ability to heal, help, govern, and speak foreign languages. You cannot take these things from someone else it is IMPOSSIBLE.
We are being told to covet that which we cannot take from someone else and we are COMMANDED by God to not covet- not lust after, not desire the things that belong to others. The next step after coveting can often be stealing, right? Thieves will tell you readily enough they stole what they did because they wanted it for one reason or another. Surely they wouldn't steal something they didn't want, that's just plain crazy- right? When we covet that desire, that lust begins in us and then it brings forth nothing good out of us. People might jump up and say that coveting things can also lead someone to want to make something of themselves so they can afford to buy the things they covet and that's true too. However we know that possessions mean nothing-we talked about that yesterday. Our possessions cannot go to the grave with us. Not a single possession we own will give us eternal life, not one. Yes, we can find in God's word - the Bible the gospel message but that message is that our Savior saves us, not the Bible. The word made flesh saves us. Not one item we own will give us eternal life and in truth it is eternal life that matters more than any thing we could ever own.
The love of God in us matters, not the car we own, not the clothes we wear, not the television we watch, not the make up we put on, not the many items of entertainment we might own, not our computers- only the LOVE of God truly matters.
It's the love of God that gives us the love we need to possess towards one another.
Coveting what others possess is a sin because it takes our mind completely off God and brings it to this earth and earthly possession making our hearts desire earthly treasures, not heavenly.
It is WRONG to covet no matter HOW ingrained it is in us from childhood on up to do so harmlessly. This is an evil, evil sin to be guilty of. Coveting has a way of entrapping us in Satan's snares and because we are told it is harmless to covet, breaking free of this sin is incredibly hard.
Of course it is ONLY through the grace and mercy of our Savior that we can break free of any sin, we can't do it on our own.
Not coveting is a commandment of our Savior's that will never ever be done away with.
None of the ten commandments are worthy of being discarded, not a single one of them. These commandments were made out of love and should be kept out of love. Our Savior kept them all and desires that we keep them all, He makes it possible for us to keep them- all through His love, His amazing wondrous love.
Amen.
Exo 20:17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.
House, wife, servants, livestock, nor ANY THING.
Yesterday we discussed this some but it needs more because look at this next verse--
1Co 12:31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.
And this one too--
1Co 14:39 Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.
These gifts are what?
1Co 12:28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
1Co 12:29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?
1Co 12:30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?
Apostles, prophets, teachers, miracles, healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
Are these tangible things, are these objects we can possess? No and no. A house, wife, servant, livestock, all are tangible, these are all things we can take hold of and possess. But you cannot take someone's ability to prophesize, or their ability to teach, or their ability to heal, help, govern, and speak foreign languages. You cannot take these things from someone else it is IMPOSSIBLE.
We are being told to covet that which we cannot take from someone else and we are COMMANDED by God to not covet- not lust after, not desire the things that belong to others. The next step after coveting can often be stealing, right? Thieves will tell you readily enough they stole what they did because they wanted it for one reason or another. Surely they wouldn't steal something they didn't want, that's just plain crazy- right? When we covet that desire, that lust begins in us and then it brings forth nothing good out of us. People might jump up and say that coveting things can also lead someone to want to make something of themselves so they can afford to buy the things they covet and that's true too. However we know that possessions mean nothing-we talked about that yesterday. Our possessions cannot go to the grave with us. Not a single possession we own will give us eternal life, not one. Yes, we can find in God's word - the Bible the gospel message but that message is that our Savior saves us, not the Bible. The word made flesh saves us. Not one item we own will give us eternal life and in truth it is eternal life that matters more than any thing we could ever own.
The love of God in us matters, not the car we own, not the clothes we wear, not the television we watch, not the make up we put on, not the many items of entertainment we might own, not our computers- only the LOVE of God truly matters.
It's the love of God that gives us the love we need to possess towards one another.
Coveting what others possess is a sin because it takes our mind completely off God and brings it to this earth and earthly possession making our hearts desire earthly treasures, not heavenly.
It is WRONG to covet no matter HOW ingrained it is in us from childhood on up to do so harmlessly. This is an evil, evil sin to be guilty of. Coveting has a way of entrapping us in Satan's snares and because we are told it is harmless to covet, breaking free of this sin is incredibly hard.
Of course it is ONLY through the grace and mercy of our Savior that we can break free of any sin, we can't do it on our own.
Not coveting is a commandment of our Savior's that will never ever be done away with.
None of the ten commandments are worthy of being discarded, not a single one of them. These commandments were made out of love and should be kept out of love. Our Savior kept them all and desires that we keep them all, He makes it possible for us to keep them- all through His love, His amazing wondrous love.
Amen.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Do not covet
Exo 20:17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.
Boy, this commandment is something isn't it? Stealing, murder, speaking falsely, adultery, dishonoring God, dishonoring parents, worshiping idols, speaking God's name senselessly, breaking the command to rest- these are Commandments we can mostly understand- right? I said mostly, because no matter what people will inevitably debate any and everything. Yet this commandment the last of the ten great commandments written by the finger of God on stone tablets and in hearts isn't one we can readily understand and why is that? Because we here in America have grown up being taught to covet. We've grown up so commercialize, so engrained with the desire to want things we scarcely can comprehend that it's wrong. It isn't stealing someone's things- it's desiring them. Stealing is wrong, desiring is not wrong, this is how we've been taught to live. Just look at our main source of entertainment- our televisions. Just look at our magazines filled with ads, listen to the radio and you can hardly escape the lengthy commercial breaks. Our smart phones and not so smart phones are filled with advertising's for the next and best thing to desire. Our mailboxes are bombarded with sales ads encouraging us to desire what we don't have. You walk through a store and they have people encouraging you to just *try* their product so you can want it even more than you did before.
It's so incredibly sad to say, but people world wide have become corrupted with coveting so much so no one would EVER think about making it a law to NOT covet.
Can you imagine being in trouble for desiring something that belonged to another? How much jail time should a person get for desiring their neighbor's car? Sound ludicrous doesn't it? Because we've been taught from our infant-hood to covet.
We'd all be in jail wouldn't we? Seriously, wouldn't we? Yet it is a law of GOD'S! And He holds our eternal lives in His hands. How could it be wrong to desire what others have? How can desiring things be a sin?
Gen 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Eve coveted the forbidden fruit. Eve wanted that fruit that wasn't hers to want.
We get so caught up in our possessions I don't think we even realize to what extent our lives are wrapped up in the things we own and the things we want to own. We often tell ourselves most of these things are necessities, but are they? We want a better this or that because it's better, it's more efficient. We tell ourselves that it is very, very, incredibly NORMAL to desire - to covet. We tell ourselves we'd have to be crazy not to want things- the necessities at the very least. We have been so well corrupted that to keep this tenth commandment seems all but impossible.
Jesus said--
Luk 12:15 ... Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
Jesus said--
Luk 8:14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
Jesus said--
Luk 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
Luk 21:35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Jesus said--
Mar 7:21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
Mar 7:22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
Mar 7:23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
Jesus said--
Mat 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Mat 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Did Jesus do away with the tenth commandment? Obviously not!
More on this subject tomorrow by the grace of God.
Please Lord, help us to comprehend fully this commandment You've given to us. We don't wish to be deceived by Satan who has a tight grip on this world, whose snares are so engrained in our lives we have begun to call evil good, and good evil. Help us Lord, please Lord all by Your grace and love!
Amen.
Boy, this commandment is something isn't it? Stealing, murder, speaking falsely, adultery, dishonoring God, dishonoring parents, worshiping idols, speaking God's name senselessly, breaking the command to rest- these are Commandments we can mostly understand- right? I said mostly, because no matter what people will inevitably debate any and everything. Yet this commandment the last of the ten great commandments written by the finger of God on stone tablets and in hearts isn't one we can readily understand and why is that? Because we here in America have grown up being taught to covet. We've grown up so commercialize, so engrained with the desire to want things we scarcely can comprehend that it's wrong. It isn't stealing someone's things- it's desiring them. Stealing is wrong, desiring is not wrong, this is how we've been taught to live. Just look at our main source of entertainment- our televisions. Just look at our magazines filled with ads, listen to the radio and you can hardly escape the lengthy commercial breaks. Our smart phones and not so smart phones are filled with advertising's for the next and best thing to desire. Our mailboxes are bombarded with sales ads encouraging us to desire what we don't have. You walk through a store and they have people encouraging you to just *try* their product so you can want it even more than you did before.
It's so incredibly sad to say, but people world wide have become corrupted with coveting so much so no one would EVER think about making it a law to NOT covet.
Can you imagine being in trouble for desiring something that belonged to another? How much jail time should a person get for desiring their neighbor's car? Sound ludicrous doesn't it? Because we've been taught from our infant-hood to covet.
We'd all be in jail wouldn't we? Seriously, wouldn't we? Yet it is a law of GOD'S! And He holds our eternal lives in His hands. How could it be wrong to desire what others have? How can desiring things be a sin?
Gen 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Eve coveted the forbidden fruit. Eve wanted that fruit that wasn't hers to want.
We get so caught up in our possessions I don't think we even realize to what extent our lives are wrapped up in the things we own and the things we want to own. We often tell ourselves most of these things are necessities, but are they? We want a better this or that because it's better, it's more efficient. We tell ourselves that it is very, very, incredibly NORMAL to desire - to covet. We tell ourselves we'd have to be crazy not to want things- the necessities at the very least. We have been so well corrupted that to keep this tenth commandment seems all but impossible.
Jesus said--
Luk 12:15 ... Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
Jesus said--
Luk 8:14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
Jesus said--
Luk 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
Luk 21:35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Jesus said--
Mar 7:21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
Mar 7:22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
Mar 7:23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
Jesus said--
Mat 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Mat 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Did Jesus do away with the tenth commandment? Obviously not!
More on this subject tomorrow by the grace of God.
Please Lord, help us to comprehend fully this commandment You've given to us. We don't wish to be deceived by Satan who has a tight grip on this world, whose snares are so engrained in our lives we have begun to call evil good, and good evil. Help us Lord, please Lord all by Your grace and love!
Amen.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Do NOT speak falsely of others!
Exo 20:16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Honor God.
Bow down to no idol.
Do not use God's name without honor.
Keep the Sabbath.
Honor your parents.
Do not kill.
Do not commit adultery.
Do not steal.
And the ninth commandment- do NOT speak falsely of another. Don't lie about another.
Is lying ever good? Seriously, is lying ever a good idea? We often believe so. And why not, rather than hurt someone isn't it better to lie? Is this what the commandment is saying? Don't speak- that means do not talk if what you are going to say is a lie- is a falsehood against another person. Don't LIE about anyone!
Have you ever told a lie about someone else?
Has anyone ever told you a lie about someone else?
Some might say it's okay to tell al lie, a falsehood about someone else if it's to paint them in a good light and not to hurt them, but is that true?
Wasn't God telling us that we are NOT to speak lies about others, period. Can't you hurt someone by painting them in a good light when it's undeserved? How many well intentioned lies have backfired on people, millions?
I'd venture to say that lying about someone is never good- because speaking falsely- speaking untruths is the opposite of what God is- the truth. Jesus said He was the truth- John 14:6.
If Jesus is the truth then who is the representative of lies and lying?
Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
The devil is the father of lying. Lying began with the devil. If lying began with the devil and lying is of the devil and the truth is of God then can it be fine with God for us to lie? How can it ever be a good thing to speak falsely against someone?
Don't tell me this is an old outdate law that Jesus did away with. Why would He ever do away with this law? Why?
Yet people daily tell falsehoods about others, people lie about others all the time and think nothing of it.
We have laws against lying about other people, don't we? Slander, defamation, libel- read more about that here- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defamation#United_States
Yet telling falsehoods about others is something that goes unpunished more often than not. Consider all the childhood school bullying where one child tells a lie about another that starts a chain of events that makes the life of the person lied about miserable. Yet rarely is anything done to stop this from happening. Some people will gossip about others embellishing on things and turning the truth into lies.
I don't have to go on and on about speaking falsely against others- everyone knows what it means to do so. We KNOW speaking falsely will NEVER be condone by God and is truly a sin.
When we break this law of God we are sinning and we must repent, we must seek forgiveness for that sin- it isn't something minor to be overlooked. Too many people believe that as long as they aren't committing what they consider to be the *BIG* sins, they're fine - no harm, no foul. God will NOT see it that way, God cannot see it that way.
By the grace of God may we understand this commandment fully, knowing that at NO time are we to EVER speak falsely about one another.
Please Lord help us with this. Help us to recognize when we are prone to doing this. It has become such an engrained part of our society that it has to many become a normal way of life. Help us Lord, guide us into all truth and keep us from the evil of false accusation, false witnessing, from any falsehood.
In Your amazing Love!
Amen.
Honor God.
Bow down to no idol.
Do not use God's name without honor.
Keep the Sabbath.
Honor your parents.
Do not kill.
Do not commit adultery.
Do not steal.
And the ninth commandment- do NOT speak falsely of another. Don't lie about another.
Is lying ever good? Seriously, is lying ever a good idea? We often believe so. And why not, rather than hurt someone isn't it better to lie? Is this what the commandment is saying? Don't speak- that means do not talk if what you are going to say is a lie- is a falsehood against another person. Don't LIE about anyone!
Have you ever told a lie about someone else?
Has anyone ever told you a lie about someone else?
Some might say it's okay to tell al lie, a falsehood about someone else if it's to paint them in a good light and not to hurt them, but is that true?
Wasn't God telling us that we are NOT to speak lies about others, period. Can't you hurt someone by painting them in a good light when it's undeserved? How many well intentioned lies have backfired on people, millions?
I'd venture to say that lying about someone is never good- because speaking falsely- speaking untruths is the opposite of what God is- the truth. Jesus said He was the truth- John 14:6.
If Jesus is the truth then who is the representative of lies and lying?
Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
The devil is the father of lying. Lying began with the devil. If lying began with the devil and lying is of the devil and the truth is of God then can it be fine with God for us to lie? How can it ever be a good thing to speak falsely against someone?
Don't tell me this is an old outdate law that Jesus did away with. Why would He ever do away with this law? Why?
Yet people daily tell falsehoods about others, people lie about others all the time and think nothing of it.
We have laws against lying about other people, don't we? Slander, defamation, libel- read more about that here- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defamation#United_States
Yet telling falsehoods about others is something that goes unpunished more often than not. Consider all the childhood school bullying where one child tells a lie about another that starts a chain of events that makes the life of the person lied about miserable. Yet rarely is anything done to stop this from happening. Some people will gossip about others embellishing on things and turning the truth into lies.
I don't have to go on and on about speaking falsely against others- everyone knows what it means to do so. We KNOW speaking falsely will NEVER be condone by God and is truly a sin.
When we break this law of God we are sinning and we must repent, we must seek forgiveness for that sin- it isn't something minor to be overlooked. Too many people believe that as long as they aren't committing what they consider to be the *BIG* sins, they're fine - no harm, no foul. God will NOT see it that way, God cannot see it that way.
By the grace of God may we understand this commandment fully, knowing that at NO time are we to EVER speak falsely about one another.
Please Lord help us with this. Help us to recognize when we are prone to doing this. It has become such an engrained part of our society that it has to many become a normal way of life. Help us Lord, guide us into all truth and keep us from the evil of false accusation, false witnessing, from any falsehood.
In Your amazing Love!
Amen.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool
Pro 28:26 He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.
Job 28:28 And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.
We can't trust our own heart. Some might say if that is true then who can we trust. I don't know about you or anyone else but I know that I've disappointed myself more times than I can count. I've lived and made a lot of my decisions through my life based on how I feel about things. Some might say all we have to go on is our feelings, what we feel, what we think about what we feel and so on. Sometimes when we are made to do things for our own good that we don't want to do they end up being not quite so awful as we thought they'd be. When we were forced to NOT take our feelings into consideration but act out of duty, though we might fight against having to ignore our feelings there is a sense of doing what is right - isn't there? How many times through our lives do we trust in our own hearts? All too often, right? Do we go to God in prayer and ask for guidance as much as we need to? I know throughout my life I haven't. I've gotten something in my head about things and I'd twist things if I had to just to make them fit my desire- my heart's desire. It sounds all wrong to tell someone NOT to follow their heart because we've grown up in a world that prides itself on telling people to follow their hearts, follow their dreams no matter what. How many lives have been ruined because people have followed their hearts over wisdom? I think it's safe to say that many, many lives have been ruined. When we have an opportunity to look back and see where we've made the mistake of following our hearts it's a blessing really, isn't it? God allowing us to see our foolishness. God doesn't convict us to belittle us or make us feel a sense of despair, God will convict our hearts and allow us to see where we've gone astray in order to help us learn. If following our hearts, if trusting our own hearts has not been successful in the past why do we think it might be successful in the future? It won't be. We can't get rid of our heart it's part of us, part of who we are. Our feelings are part of who we are. How we perceive the world and every single situation that occurs in our lives is based in part upon how we feel about what's taking place. When we feel hurt we want that hurt alleviated. When we feel pain we want that pain to go away. When we feel happy we want that happiness to go on and on. When we're sad we want to be happy. We want a sense of contentment in our lives and all too often that contentment is based not upon wisdom but upon our hearts. If our hearts don't feel good about something then we immediately begin to question our lives and how to make that bad feeling go away. Wisdom tells us to measure everything by God and to do that we must know God, God must be real to us. People will say 'God first, always.' But do they mean it? Is God first when everything seems to be falling apart and nothing feels right as we seek to follow God? Yes, He can be and most likely is first because when we are following God and seeking Him first Satan wants to do all he can to make us feel horrible. Instinctively we'll want to feel better so we'll try and get rid of the thing making us feel bad- and if that thing is our walk with God- all too often we sacrifice that walk so we can feel better. We take on the attitude that if a relationship with God is filled with all this pain and heartache, with worsening life conditions, then who wants it? If someone were to tell you that your life would become filled with one trial after another, with one battle after another, with a lot of sadness and confusion, with pain and great heartache if you choose to follow God- are they making a great sales pitch for God worship? No. But God doesn't want to be pitched like a sale. God loves us and offers us His love, out of that love He offers us a way to Him that means great sacrifice. God's Son was born as Jesus and He lived and then died for us as our Savior Jesus Christ. God paved the way and it's a way of faith, not fun. Now before you start up saying how wonderful it is to follow God, how much fun you have, I'm not saying it's all heartache and pain, but we cannot depend upon fun- upon our feelings- if we are to truly be our Savior's. Life will throw you curveballs and that fun- that feeling of happiness will disappear. As you watch a loved one suffering, dying right before your eyes there is NO happiness in that, not a bit. If you depend upon feeling happiness to know you're right with God then you're setting yourself up to fail hard. Faith. Hope. Love. NONE of these have to include our feeling good, our feeling happy, our feeling fulfilled. We do NOT live by feelings, or rather we should not but we do- so much we live day in and day out by our feelings and base our relationship with God on those feelings.
Are you happy today? Are you content today? Are you miserable today? Are you sad today? Are you angry today? We can't help but feel these things because we are beings that feel, but we cannot live by our feelings, we cannot trust our own heart and what it feels. We have to live by faith that goes beyond every feeling we might have- good or bad. God does not change ever, He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Heb 13:8
Whether or not we are feeling good, and whether or not we are having what we'd call a good life- doesn't matter like we've been taught.
What matters is our relationship with God- not our feelings.
What matters is our faith in God- not our feelings.
What matters is the love of God- not our feelings.
Will we be hurt? Yes, often and in many ways, ways we don't even suspect. Does it matter? We are told it does matter so we react in that way. We are told we shouldn't be hurt and if we are we need to do something to feel better. The truth is- we can expect this--
Mat 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Mat 5:12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
This is God talking!
We will be reviled and we shouldn't be hurt by it, we will be persecuted and we shouldn't feel bad, we will be talked about evilly and falsely and we shouldn't feel bad.
All those things we think we should feel and have a right to feel because society says so, we shouldn't feel. Our reaction shouldn't be of sadness, of anger, of self-righteous affront.
We should rejoice- the complete OPPOSITE of how we naturally feel upon being set upon by others, by life's many digs at us.
Some might argue that we aren't being abused that way for Christ's sake so it's not the same, but in truth if you have given your life to Christ and have accepted Him as Your Savior then all attacks that come to you will be satan led and they are attacks meant to weaken your relationship with God by preying upon your natural, fleshy, worldly reactions.
We need to walk with God trusting in God, living for God not living for ourselves. We need to live by faith in God not faith in ourselves. We need to stop trusting in our own hearts and trust in God and His wisdom. We need to depart from the evil that comes our way striving to rip us from the arms of our loving Savior.
Please Lord, please help us to live wisely in YOU and not to trust in our own hearts which we are so incredibly prone to do.
Bless us Lord as we seek to live for YOU, through the power of Your Holy Spirit, and through no power of our own.
We choose You Lord! We want You! Please Lord keep us from the evil in this world that would keep us from You.
In Your love!
Amen.
Job 28:28 And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.
We can't trust our own heart. Some might say if that is true then who can we trust. I don't know about you or anyone else but I know that I've disappointed myself more times than I can count. I've lived and made a lot of my decisions through my life based on how I feel about things. Some might say all we have to go on is our feelings, what we feel, what we think about what we feel and so on. Sometimes when we are made to do things for our own good that we don't want to do they end up being not quite so awful as we thought they'd be. When we were forced to NOT take our feelings into consideration but act out of duty, though we might fight against having to ignore our feelings there is a sense of doing what is right - isn't there? How many times through our lives do we trust in our own hearts? All too often, right? Do we go to God in prayer and ask for guidance as much as we need to? I know throughout my life I haven't. I've gotten something in my head about things and I'd twist things if I had to just to make them fit my desire- my heart's desire. It sounds all wrong to tell someone NOT to follow their heart because we've grown up in a world that prides itself on telling people to follow their hearts, follow their dreams no matter what. How many lives have been ruined because people have followed their hearts over wisdom? I think it's safe to say that many, many lives have been ruined. When we have an opportunity to look back and see where we've made the mistake of following our hearts it's a blessing really, isn't it? God allowing us to see our foolishness. God doesn't convict us to belittle us or make us feel a sense of despair, God will convict our hearts and allow us to see where we've gone astray in order to help us learn. If following our hearts, if trusting our own hearts has not been successful in the past why do we think it might be successful in the future? It won't be. We can't get rid of our heart it's part of us, part of who we are. Our feelings are part of who we are. How we perceive the world and every single situation that occurs in our lives is based in part upon how we feel about what's taking place. When we feel hurt we want that hurt alleviated. When we feel pain we want that pain to go away. When we feel happy we want that happiness to go on and on. When we're sad we want to be happy. We want a sense of contentment in our lives and all too often that contentment is based not upon wisdom but upon our hearts. If our hearts don't feel good about something then we immediately begin to question our lives and how to make that bad feeling go away. Wisdom tells us to measure everything by God and to do that we must know God, God must be real to us. People will say 'God first, always.' But do they mean it? Is God first when everything seems to be falling apart and nothing feels right as we seek to follow God? Yes, He can be and most likely is first because when we are following God and seeking Him first Satan wants to do all he can to make us feel horrible. Instinctively we'll want to feel better so we'll try and get rid of the thing making us feel bad- and if that thing is our walk with God- all too often we sacrifice that walk so we can feel better. We take on the attitude that if a relationship with God is filled with all this pain and heartache, with worsening life conditions, then who wants it? If someone were to tell you that your life would become filled with one trial after another, with one battle after another, with a lot of sadness and confusion, with pain and great heartache if you choose to follow God- are they making a great sales pitch for God worship? No. But God doesn't want to be pitched like a sale. God loves us and offers us His love, out of that love He offers us a way to Him that means great sacrifice. God's Son was born as Jesus and He lived and then died for us as our Savior Jesus Christ. God paved the way and it's a way of faith, not fun. Now before you start up saying how wonderful it is to follow God, how much fun you have, I'm not saying it's all heartache and pain, but we cannot depend upon fun- upon our feelings- if we are to truly be our Savior's. Life will throw you curveballs and that fun- that feeling of happiness will disappear. As you watch a loved one suffering, dying right before your eyes there is NO happiness in that, not a bit. If you depend upon feeling happiness to know you're right with God then you're setting yourself up to fail hard. Faith. Hope. Love. NONE of these have to include our feeling good, our feeling happy, our feeling fulfilled. We do NOT live by feelings, or rather we should not but we do- so much we live day in and day out by our feelings and base our relationship with God on those feelings.
Are you happy today? Are you content today? Are you miserable today? Are you sad today? Are you angry today? We can't help but feel these things because we are beings that feel, but we cannot live by our feelings, we cannot trust our own heart and what it feels. We have to live by faith that goes beyond every feeling we might have- good or bad. God does not change ever, He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Heb 13:8
Whether or not we are feeling good, and whether or not we are having what we'd call a good life- doesn't matter like we've been taught.
What matters is our relationship with God- not our feelings.
What matters is our faith in God- not our feelings.
What matters is the love of God- not our feelings.
Will we be hurt? Yes, often and in many ways, ways we don't even suspect. Does it matter? We are told it does matter so we react in that way. We are told we shouldn't be hurt and if we are we need to do something to feel better. The truth is- we can expect this--
Mat 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Mat 5:12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
This is God talking!
We will be reviled and we shouldn't be hurt by it, we will be persecuted and we shouldn't feel bad, we will be talked about evilly and falsely and we shouldn't feel bad.
All those things we think we should feel and have a right to feel because society says so, we shouldn't feel. Our reaction shouldn't be of sadness, of anger, of self-righteous affront.
We should rejoice- the complete OPPOSITE of how we naturally feel upon being set upon by others, by life's many digs at us.
Some might argue that we aren't being abused that way for Christ's sake so it's not the same, but in truth if you have given your life to Christ and have accepted Him as Your Savior then all attacks that come to you will be satan led and they are attacks meant to weaken your relationship with God by preying upon your natural, fleshy, worldly reactions.
We need to walk with God trusting in God, living for God not living for ourselves. We need to live by faith in God not faith in ourselves. We need to stop trusting in our own hearts and trust in God and His wisdom. We need to depart from the evil that comes our way striving to rip us from the arms of our loving Savior.
Please Lord, please help us to live wisely in YOU and not to trust in our own hearts which we are so incredibly prone to do.
Bless us Lord as we seek to live for YOU, through the power of Your Holy Spirit, and through no power of our own.
We choose You Lord! We want You! Please Lord keep us from the evil in this world that would keep us from You.
In Your love!
Amen.
Friday, December 2, 2011
The Eighth Commandment
Exo 20:15 Thou shalt not steal.
Definition-
Steal- A primitive root; to thieve (literally or figuratively); by implication to deceive: - carry away, secretly bring, steal (away), get by stealth.
Webster's-
STEAL-
1. To take and carry away feloniously, as the personal goods of another. To constitute stealing or theft, the taking must be felonious, that is, with an intent to take what belongs to another, and without his consent.
Let him that stole, steal no more. Eph 4.
2. To Withdraw or convey without notice or clandestinely.
They could insinuate and steal themselves under the same by submission.
3. To gain or win by address or gradual and imperceptible means.
Variety of objects has a tendency to steal away the mind from its steady pursuit of any subject.
So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel. 2 Sam 15.
STEAL, v.i.
1. To withdraw or pass privily; to slip along or away unperceived.
Fixed of mind to fly all company, one night she stole away.
From whom you now must steal and take no leave.
A soft and solemn breathing sound rose like a steam of rich distilld perfumes, and stole upon the air.
2. To practice theft; to take feloniously. He steals for a livelihood.
Thou shalt not steal. Exo 20.
*******
Is stealing ever good? Some might say yes. Some might even call stealing good if done for a good cause, or if you're stealing from a thief kind of cancelling out the theft, right? Wrong.
Stealing is based upon deception, right? Of course there are some very bold people who will steal and tell the person exactly what they're doing hoping maybe in some cases to gain permission to steal so it's not really, truly stealing. Not always though, some will steal right in front of you and in doing some almost dare you to do anything about it. Unless you have permission- silent or not silent- unless you have consent to take what belongs to another it is stealing.
Taking what isn't yours.
Satan took what wasn't his and he used deception to do so. Satan took away the innocence of Adam and Eve. If Satan had never deceived Adam and Eve, if Satan had never tempted Adam and Eve, they would not have sinned.
Some might dispute that claim by saying we don't really know if they would have sinned on their own without any promptings, without any temptation to do so. One thing we don't really know is how long they were in that garden before Satan tempted them. But if we really think about it would Satan have involved himself if the pair would sin on their own? It would have been much better for him if they did it on their own, right? It'd be more proof that God was unjust- as Satan was trying to prove and had been since sin was found in him. Satan didn't wait though, he could have waited and yet he chose to tempt Eve to have his hand in the sinning. Man without Satan's prompting would not have sinned and Satan sealed his fate when he involved mankind. Until that point Satan had been found guilty but not yet sentenced to death. When Satan became instrumental in causing man to sin he was given his death sentence.
Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
There would be an end to Satan. The eternal beings that angels were created to be would no longer have eternity. The angels that chose to disobey would be put to an end, their existence would no longer be.
Satan is a thief.
God created the earth to be man's dominion and Satan stole it from man after tempting man to sin. Satan became the ruler of earth- even to the point of being able to tempt the very Creator of the earth with his possession of the earth.
Mat 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
Mat 4:9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
ARROGANT THIEF! The audacity of him!
Satan wanted to take the place of God.
Isa 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
Isa 14:13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
Isa 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
He would take God's place! THIEF!
Would stealing ever be something Jesus would condone? No. So why would Jesus do away with this commandment? He wouldn't. He would NEVER destroy this commandment, just as He would never destroy ANY of the commandments of God.
Taking something that doesn't belong to you is stealing and just as you would not want anyone to ever steal from you- stealing from another is sin- it is the breaking of one of God's ten commandments.
Stealing is something we as a society do not condone and yet so many who steal are never, ever punished, not by man. No unrepentant thief will go without punishment.
Make no mistake you don't have to steal tangible things to be a thief.
Jer 23:30 Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour.
Stealing words.
2Sa 15:6 And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment: so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.
Stealing hearts.
Gen 31:27 Wherefore didst thou flee away secretly, and steal away from me; and didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth, and with songs, with tabret, and with harp?
Steal away.
Deceptively done, wrongfully representing, taking without consent from another. How could any of that ever be a good thing? It can't.
Thou shalt not steal.
Don't try to justify taking something - the moment you have to justify taking something warning bells should sound. If something isn't yours to take, if you cannot ask for and receive permission to take something then it's stealing. If you for one moment believe the if you were to ask for something that the person would say no, they don't take it, just don't. We live in a world where it is common to take little things because it's expected. What might be expected isn't necessarily condoned. If you don't know whether or not something is proper to take- find its owner and ask.
Please God help us to realize that stealing is wrong on all levels. Keep us from stealing Lord, please…please.
In Your Love!
Through Your grace!
Amen.
Definition-
Steal- A primitive root; to thieve (literally or figuratively); by implication to deceive: - carry away, secretly bring, steal (away), get by stealth.
Webster's-
STEAL-
1. To take and carry away feloniously, as the personal goods of another. To constitute stealing or theft, the taking must be felonious, that is, with an intent to take what belongs to another, and without his consent.
Let him that stole, steal no more. Eph 4.
2. To Withdraw or convey without notice or clandestinely.
They could insinuate and steal themselves under the same by submission.
3. To gain or win by address or gradual and imperceptible means.
Variety of objects has a tendency to steal away the mind from its steady pursuit of any subject.
So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel. 2 Sam 15.
STEAL, v.i.
1. To withdraw or pass privily; to slip along or away unperceived.
Fixed of mind to fly all company, one night she stole away.
From whom you now must steal and take no leave.
A soft and solemn breathing sound rose like a steam of rich distilld perfumes, and stole upon the air.
2. To practice theft; to take feloniously. He steals for a livelihood.
Thou shalt not steal. Exo 20.
*******
Is stealing ever good? Some might say yes. Some might even call stealing good if done for a good cause, or if you're stealing from a thief kind of cancelling out the theft, right? Wrong.
Stealing is based upon deception, right? Of course there are some very bold people who will steal and tell the person exactly what they're doing hoping maybe in some cases to gain permission to steal so it's not really, truly stealing. Not always though, some will steal right in front of you and in doing some almost dare you to do anything about it. Unless you have permission- silent or not silent- unless you have consent to take what belongs to another it is stealing.
Taking what isn't yours.
Satan took what wasn't his and he used deception to do so. Satan took away the innocence of Adam and Eve. If Satan had never deceived Adam and Eve, if Satan had never tempted Adam and Eve, they would not have sinned.
Some might dispute that claim by saying we don't really know if they would have sinned on their own without any promptings, without any temptation to do so. One thing we don't really know is how long they were in that garden before Satan tempted them. But if we really think about it would Satan have involved himself if the pair would sin on their own? It would have been much better for him if they did it on their own, right? It'd be more proof that God was unjust- as Satan was trying to prove and had been since sin was found in him. Satan didn't wait though, he could have waited and yet he chose to tempt Eve to have his hand in the sinning. Man without Satan's prompting would not have sinned and Satan sealed his fate when he involved mankind. Until that point Satan had been found guilty but not yet sentenced to death. When Satan became instrumental in causing man to sin he was given his death sentence.
Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
There would be an end to Satan. The eternal beings that angels were created to be would no longer have eternity. The angels that chose to disobey would be put to an end, their existence would no longer be.
Satan is a thief.
God created the earth to be man's dominion and Satan stole it from man after tempting man to sin. Satan became the ruler of earth- even to the point of being able to tempt the very Creator of the earth with his possession of the earth.
Mat 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
Mat 4:9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
ARROGANT THIEF! The audacity of him!
Satan wanted to take the place of God.
Isa 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
Isa 14:13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
Isa 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
He would take God's place! THIEF!
Would stealing ever be something Jesus would condone? No. So why would Jesus do away with this commandment? He wouldn't. He would NEVER destroy this commandment, just as He would never destroy ANY of the commandments of God.
Taking something that doesn't belong to you is stealing and just as you would not want anyone to ever steal from you- stealing from another is sin- it is the breaking of one of God's ten commandments.
Stealing is something we as a society do not condone and yet so many who steal are never, ever punished, not by man. No unrepentant thief will go without punishment.
Make no mistake you don't have to steal tangible things to be a thief.
Jer 23:30 Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour.
Stealing words.
2Sa 15:6 And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment: so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.
Stealing hearts.
Gen 31:27 Wherefore didst thou flee away secretly, and steal away from me; and didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth, and with songs, with tabret, and with harp?
Steal away.
Deceptively done, wrongfully representing, taking without consent from another. How could any of that ever be a good thing? It can't.
Thou shalt not steal.
Don't try to justify taking something - the moment you have to justify taking something warning bells should sound. If something isn't yours to take, if you cannot ask for and receive permission to take something then it's stealing. If you for one moment believe the if you were to ask for something that the person would say no, they don't take it, just don't. We live in a world where it is common to take little things because it's expected. What might be expected isn't necessarily condoned. If you don't know whether or not something is proper to take- find its owner and ask.
Please God help us to realize that stealing is wrong on all levels. Keep us from stealing Lord, please…please.
In Your Love!
Through Your grace!
Amen.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
The Seventh Commandment
The seventh commandment-
Exo 20:14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Lev 20:10 And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
Pro 6:32 But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.
Adultery- breaking wedlock.
(Webster's-)
1. Violation of the marriage bed; a crime, or a civil injury, which introduces, or may introduce, into a family, a spurious offspring.
2. In a scriptural sense, all manner of lewdness or unchastity, as in the seventh commandment.
Marriage is a commitment - a husband towards a wife, a wife towards a husband. When one makes that commitment they have taken a vow.
Symbolically God's people are the bride, and our Savior is the groom. A commitment is made between God and His people, between the people of God and their God.
A covenant is made.
The law of God is a covenant between God and His people.
Typically when a man and woman marry they do so with much more than just the mere 'I do's.' They say things about honoring, about having no others, about loving no matter what. People taking these vows do so with the intent on keeping them, with the intent that they are true, that they are real, that they are to never be broken. Of course with any truth there is a possibly perversion of that truth. Not all who take those vows are doing so in truth. Some marry when they don't even love each other, but they're doing it for other reasons. They are making that commitment not out of love but maybe out of a sense of responsibility, or even selfishly for gain.
Once that commitment is made it is MEANT to be kept, yes?
Once God's people agreed to the covenant between God and them that covenant was meant to be kept, yes?
When a commitment, when a covenant is broken adultery has occurred. Way too many people believe that adultery is simply a married person having physical marital relations with someone other than their spouse and that's it. But honestly you can be an adulterer in a marriage without ever touching another person. You can break those vows of marriage in many, many ways. When we restrict our belief of adultery to just marital relation violations, then we are losing sight of so much more God was trying to convey to us in this commandment.
Let's read a bit from Jeremiah who talks about adultery in a sense other than the typical.
Jer 3:8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.
Jer 3:9 And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.
Jer 3:10 And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD.
Jer 3:11 And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah.
Israel committing adultery. God's chosen.
Jer 5:7 How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses.
God's people choosing to break the covenant, to seek other gods after God took care of them.
Read more, read this slowly- thoroughly.
Jer 7:1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
Jer 7:2 Stand in the gate of the LORD'S house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD.
Jer 7:3 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.
Jer 7:4 Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these.
Jer 7:5 For if ye throughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye throughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbour;
Jer 7:6 If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt:
Jer 7:7 Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever.
Jer 7:8 Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.
Jer 7:9 Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not;
Jer 7:10 And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?
Jer 7:11 Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD.
Jer 7:12 But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.
Jer 7:13 And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the LORD, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not;
Jer 7:14 Therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh.
Jer 7:15 And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim.
Jer 7:16 Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.
Jer 7:17 Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?
Jer 7:18 The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.
Jer 7:19 Do they provoke me to anger? saith the LORD: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces?
Jer 7:20 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched.
Jer 7:21 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Put your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices, and eat flesh.
Jer 7:22 For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:
Jer 7:23 But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.
Jer 7:24 But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.
Jer 7:25 Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them:
Jer 7:26 Yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck: they did worse than their fathers.
Jer 7:27 Therefore thou shalt speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to thee: thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee.
Jer 7:28 But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the LORD their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth.
Jer 7:29 Cut off thine hair, O Jerusalem, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on high places; for the LORD hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath.
Jer 7:30 For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the LORD: they have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it.
Jer 7:31 And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart.
Jer 7:32 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter: for they shall bury in Tophet, till there be no place.
Jer 7:33 And the carcases of this people shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray them away.
Jer 7:34 Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: for the land shall be desolate.
Covenants, vows, commitments- these are things that are meant to NEVER be broken.
As sinners we have a propensity towards the flesh, towards Satan. When Adam and Eve broke the covenant between them and God they opened a door to sin that made us forever there after prone towards sinning. Our flesh nature is strong, very, very strong and God knew (and knows) this. Yet God did not give up on us but rather made a way for us to overcome. We have a spiritual nature that gives us a power of choice. We all - just like Adam and Eve- must choose God. Every single one of us much choose, we must uphold the covenant with God through our Savior Jesus Christ.
No matter what anyone tries to tell you- we have to choose and choose daily to be faithful to God. We cannot commit adultery in any sense of the word - between each other or between God and us.
If we do commit adultery we are breaking one of God's commandments just as we do when we break any other of the nine.
Tell me- did Christ do away with this commandment? No. Just like He didn't do away with ANY of the commandments. Christ remained faithful to God, He fulfilled this aspect of the commandment just as He fulfilled them all. Christ also did not as a human being succumb to physical adultery with any married woman. Before you scoff at that you have to realize that Christ was tempted in ALL ways just as we are, only He remained sinless.
Heb 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
If we do break any of God's commandments we need to repent, to seek to repent, to forsake, to ask forgiveness, to GO AND SIN NO MORE.
So many people believe things are black and white in life as they look at each others lives, but in truth they are mostly shades of gray. We think we can discern the sin in other's lives but all too often we can't not really because we aren't even willing to look at the sin in our own lives.
Remember this--
Joh 8:1 Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.
Joh 8:2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.
Joh 8:3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
Joh 8:4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
Joh 8:5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
Joh 8:6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
Joh 8:7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
Joh 8:8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
Joh 8:9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
Joh 8:10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
Joh 8:11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
Did this make it okay to commit adultery? No. The woman was to go and SIN NO MORE. What this did was tell all those accusing her that they too had sins, many, many sins in their lives that would warrant even death and yet there they stood accusing rather than being accused. They could seek forgiveness but this woman wasn't given this opportunity they would rather kill her. Jesus made them look into their own sinfilled lives and feel the weight of that sin- to understand that they, just like that woman were guilty of transgressing God's law.
Please Lord help us to know and understand the truth in Your amazing laws of love. Help us to know that when we obey we are obeying the dictates of love in its purest form. Help us to realize that we are allowing Christ to be formed in us as we live as He lived- and He committed no sin, He obeyed all the commandments every single one as an example to us. We are to obey out of love, live in love for God and our fellowman. Please Lord God, help us…help us do all that we are called to do in Your love.
Amen.
Exo 20:14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Lev 20:10 And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
Pro 6:32 But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.
Adultery- breaking wedlock.
(Webster's-)
1. Violation of the marriage bed; a crime, or a civil injury, which introduces, or may introduce, into a family, a spurious offspring.
2. In a scriptural sense, all manner of lewdness or unchastity, as in the seventh commandment.
Marriage is a commitment - a husband towards a wife, a wife towards a husband. When one makes that commitment they have taken a vow.
Symbolically God's people are the bride, and our Savior is the groom. A commitment is made between God and His people, between the people of God and their God.
A covenant is made.
The law of God is a covenant between God and His people.
Typically when a man and woman marry they do so with much more than just the mere 'I do's.' They say things about honoring, about having no others, about loving no matter what. People taking these vows do so with the intent on keeping them, with the intent that they are true, that they are real, that they are to never be broken. Of course with any truth there is a possibly perversion of that truth. Not all who take those vows are doing so in truth. Some marry when they don't even love each other, but they're doing it for other reasons. They are making that commitment not out of love but maybe out of a sense of responsibility, or even selfishly for gain.
Once that commitment is made it is MEANT to be kept, yes?
Once God's people agreed to the covenant between God and them that covenant was meant to be kept, yes?
When a commitment, when a covenant is broken adultery has occurred. Way too many people believe that adultery is simply a married person having physical marital relations with someone other than their spouse and that's it. But honestly you can be an adulterer in a marriage without ever touching another person. You can break those vows of marriage in many, many ways. When we restrict our belief of adultery to just marital relation violations, then we are losing sight of so much more God was trying to convey to us in this commandment.
Let's read a bit from Jeremiah who talks about adultery in a sense other than the typical.
Jer 3:8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.
Jer 3:9 And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.
Jer 3:10 And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD.
Jer 3:11 And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah.
Israel committing adultery. God's chosen.
Jer 5:7 How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses.
God's people choosing to break the covenant, to seek other gods after God took care of them.
Read more, read this slowly- thoroughly.
Jer 7:1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
Jer 7:2 Stand in the gate of the LORD'S house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD.
Jer 7:3 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.
Jer 7:4 Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these.
Jer 7:5 For if ye throughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye throughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbour;
Jer 7:6 If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt:
Jer 7:7 Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever.
Jer 7:8 Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.
Jer 7:9 Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not;
Jer 7:10 And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?
Jer 7:11 Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD.
Jer 7:12 But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.
Jer 7:13 And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the LORD, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not;
Jer 7:14 Therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh.
Jer 7:15 And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim.
Jer 7:16 Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.
Jer 7:17 Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?
Jer 7:18 The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.
Jer 7:19 Do they provoke me to anger? saith the LORD: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces?
Jer 7:20 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched.
Jer 7:21 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Put your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices, and eat flesh.
Jer 7:22 For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:
Jer 7:23 But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.
Jer 7:24 But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.
Jer 7:25 Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them:
Jer 7:26 Yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck: they did worse than their fathers.
Jer 7:27 Therefore thou shalt speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to thee: thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee.
Jer 7:28 But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the LORD their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth.
Jer 7:29 Cut off thine hair, O Jerusalem, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on high places; for the LORD hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath.
Jer 7:30 For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the LORD: they have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it.
Jer 7:31 And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart.
Jer 7:32 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter: for they shall bury in Tophet, till there be no place.
Jer 7:33 And the carcases of this people shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray them away.
Jer 7:34 Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: for the land shall be desolate.
Covenants, vows, commitments- these are things that are meant to NEVER be broken.
As sinners we have a propensity towards the flesh, towards Satan. When Adam and Eve broke the covenant between them and God they opened a door to sin that made us forever there after prone towards sinning. Our flesh nature is strong, very, very strong and God knew (and knows) this. Yet God did not give up on us but rather made a way for us to overcome. We have a spiritual nature that gives us a power of choice. We all - just like Adam and Eve- must choose God. Every single one of us much choose, we must uphold the covenant with God through our Savior Jesus Christ.
No matter what anyone tries to tell you- we have to choose and choose daily to be faithful to God. We cannot commit adultery in any sense of the word - between each other or between God and us.
If we do commit adultery we are breaking one of God's commandments just as we do when we break any other of the nine.
Tell me- did Christ do away with this commandment? No. Just like He didn't do away with ANY of the commandments. Christ remained faithful to God, He fulfilled this aspect of the commandment just as He fulfilled them all. Christ also did not as a human being succumb to physical adultery with any married woman. Before you scoff at that you have to realize that Christ was tempted in ALL ways just as we are, only He remained sinless.
Heb 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
If we do break any of God's commandments we need to repent, to seek to repent, to forsake, to ask forgiveness, to GO AND SIN NO MORE.
So many people believe things are black and white in life as they look at each others lives, but in truth they are mostly shades of gray. We think we can discern the sin in other's lives but all too often we can't not really because we aren't even willing to look at the sin in our own lives.
Remember this--
Joh 8:1 Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.
Joh 8:2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.
Joh 8:3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
Joh 8:4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
Joh 8:5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
Joh 8:6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
Joh 8:7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
Joh 8:8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
Joh 8:9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
Joh 8:10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
Joh 8:11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
Did this make it okay to commit adultery? No. The woman was to go and SIN NO MORE. What this did was tell all those accusing her that they too had sins, many, many sins in their lives that would warrant even death and yet there they stood accusing rather than being accused. They could seek forgiveness but this woman wasn't given this opportunity they would rather kill her. Jesus made them look into their own sinfilled lives and feel the weight of that sin- to understand that they, just like that woman were guilty of transgressing God's law.
Please Lord help us to know and understand the truth in Your amazing laws of love. Help us to know that when we obey we are obeying the dictates of love in its purest form. Help us to realize that we are allowing Christ to be formed in us as we live as He lived- and He committed no sin, He obeyed all the commandments every single one as an example to us. We are to obey out of love, live in love for God and our fellowman. Please Lord God, help us…help us do all that we are called to do in Your love.
Amen.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Until Christ be formed in you
Gal 4:19 My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you
Travail in birth - until Christ be formed in you.
Painful, life is painful and you won't find any one that will tell you different. No one escapes the pain, not a single person. Some deal with the pain a lot better than others, but it doesn't mean their pain is any less. We learn from a very young age that there is pain- emotional pain involved in life. Growing up isn't easy, ask most kids and they'll tell you right off that it's not easy. Learning to behave is a trial of successes and errors. We make a mistake and we learn from the mistakes, sometimes it takes making several of the exact same mistakes before we really realize that we need to learn something. Unfortunately sometimes people never learn and keep making mistakes over and over again, the same ones even. We often learn by the degree of punishment we receive. A stern no might deter a child from touching something they aren't supposed to touch, and a stern no plus a hand tap might further deter them. A stern no and a firm spanking on the behind will get the point across even more. We all hope as parents that our children will learn from our verbal reprimands first, and even our time outs and other non-touch punishments but that's not always the case. Misbehavior and punishments go hand in hand. Mistakes and punishments go hand in hand. We all understand this as part of our growing and learning process. It's no different for our spiritual rebirth. We will suffer much as we go through our spirit birthing, and that birthing will continue until we are fully Christ's. The rebirthing process starts but won't be complete until our Savior returns.
Too many people believe the rebirthing into our new lives is instantaneous. Too many are under the impression that when they are born again they are born into this new creature that automatically abhors the old creature and all that old creatures sin filled ways. And Satan is eager for people to believe it isn't a life long process so he'll hang back and things will be amazing. You'll feel this sense of newness in your life, things will change in many ways. Then inevitably one, two months, six months, a year, maybe even two to five years later suddenly things won't seem quite the same any longer and that sense of closeness to Christ will have worn off and problems will seem insurmountable. The old man inside will be struggling to rear its ugly head and the fight is on, and all the while that impression you had of how it was supposed to be will have been obliterated and you'll begin to question everything. You'll lose faith and crash all the while wondering what happened to that new man you'd become so long ago.
The truth of the matter is- after choosing to accept Christ as our Savior we do BEGIN a new life. That new life is a LIFE LONG process of choosing Christ as our Savior no matter what we go through. Daily choosing Christ, and yes, sometimes choosing Christ moment by moment. We cannot afford to believe being a Christian is taking the smooth easy road in life, it's a life of suffering we are called to and we can find joy in that suffering because we know we are living for eternal life not for the life we have now here on earth.
Gal 4:19 My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you
Travail in birth. Such a metaphor. One we NEED to take to heart. All who are Christ's will experience this painful process… Paul did and Paul knew those he was guiding to Christ would go through it as well.
Remember this from yesterday--
1Pe 4:1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin
Suffering.
We suffer. We think we shouldn't have to suffer when we are plainly told we will suffer. We need to think ahead of time how we should handle our suffering. And even as I say that I realize that everyone has different suffering to endure, not all suffering is on the same level. In all suffering though we HAVE to keep our Savior first and foremost, don't we? From the smallest amount of suffering to the greatest suffering our Savior must come first. We cannot lose our faith as it is tried to the uttermost. We have to hang on to our hope, hang on to the promises given to us. We might not have anything even remotely close to a good life here and now, in fact we might have one of the worst lives ever and still we need to keep our hope in Christ and the promise we are given through Him.
If we could just get it through our minds some how and into our hearts that this life is temporary to eternity how much better off would we be?
No, I'm not saying that we don't want to have a good life here and now, it would be strange not to want good things instead of hard things, instead of bad things for ourselves and for others. The reality is though that we are fighting a battle, a war with Satan and he will NOT let things go easy for us, or if he does choose to let them go easy for us it's with deceptive purposes knowing that easy life can just as well lead us down his path and not God's.
Please Lord, please help us to understand your truth, help us to be Yours fully. Please Lord this life is so incredibly hard in so many ways and even while it's hard we know others have it immensely harder. Save us Lord, we cannot save ourselves without Your love, Your sacrifice, Your amazing grace! Please Lord, give us understanding, give us compassion, help us as we grow and travail as we seek to be more and more like You.
In Your love!
Amen.
Travail in birth - until Christ be formed in you.
Painful, life is painful and you won't find any one that will tell you different. No one escapes the pain, not a single person. Some deal with the pain a lot better than others, but it doesn't mean their pain is any less. We learn from a very young age that there is pain- emotional pain involved in life. Growing up isn't easy, ask most kids and they'll tell you right off that it's not easy. Learning to behave is a trial of successes and errors. We make a mistake and we learn from the mistakes, sometimes it takes making several of the exact same mistakes before we really realize that we need to learn something. Unfortunately sometimes people never learn and keep making mistakes over and over again, the same ones even. We often learn by the degree of punishment we receive. A stern no might deter a child from touching something they aren't supposed to touch, and a stern no plus a hand tap might further deter them. A stern no and a firm spanking on the behind will get the point across even more. We all hope as parents that our children will learn from our verbal reprimands first, and even our time outs and other non-touch punishments but that's not always the case. Misbehavior and punishments go hand in hand. Mistakes and punishments go hand in hand. We all understand this as part of our growing and learning process. It's no different for our spiritual rebirth. We will suffer much as we go through our spirit birthing, and that birthing will continue until we are fully Christ's. The rebirthing process starts but won't be complete until our Savior returns.
Too many people believe the rebirthing into our new lives is instantaneous. Too many are under the impression that when they are born again they are born into this new creature that automatically abhors the old creature and all that old creatures sin filled ways. And Satan is eager for people to believe it isn't a life long process so he'll hang back and things will be amazing. You'll feel this sense of newness in your life, things will change in many ways. Then inevitably one, two months, six months, a year, maybe even two to five years later suddenly things won't seem quite the same any longer and that sense of closeness to Christ will have worn off and problems will seem insurmountable. The old man inside will be struggling to rear its ugly head and the fight is on, and all the while that impression you had of how it was supposed to be will have been obliterated and you'll begin to question everything. You'll lose faith and crash all the while wondering what happened to that new man you'd become so long ago.
The truth of the matter is- after choosing to accept Christ as our Savior we do BEGIN a new life. That new life is a LIFE LONG process of choosing Christ as our Savior no matter what we go through. Daily choosing Christ, and yes, sometimes choosing Christ moment by moment. We cannot afford to believe being a Christian is taking the smooth easy road in life, it's a life of suffering we are called to and we can find joy in that suffering because we know we are living for eternal life not for the life we have now here on earth.
Gal 4:19 My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you
Travail in birth. Such a metaphor. One we NEED to take to heart. All who are Christ's will experience this painful process… Paul did and Paul knew those he was guiding to Christ would go through it as well.
Remember this from yesterday--
1Pe 4:1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin
Suffering.
We suffer. We think we shouldn't have to suffer when we are plainly told we will suffer. We need to think ahead of time how we should handle our suffering. And even as I say that I realize that everyone has different suffering to endure, not all suffering is on the same level. In all suffering though we HAVE to keep our Savior first and foremost, don't we? From the smallest amount of suffering to the greatest suffering our Savior must come first. We cannot lose our faith as it is tried to the uttermost. We have to hang on to our hope, hang on to the promises given to us. We might not have anything even remotely close to a good life here and now, in fact we might have one of the worst lives ever and still we need to keep our hope in Christ and the promise we are given through Him.
If we could just get it through our minds some how and into our hearts that this life is temporary to eternity how much better off would we be?
No, I'm not saying that we don't want to have a good life here and now, it would be strange not to want good things instead of hard things, instead of bad things for ourselves and for others. The reality is though that we are fighting a battle, a war with Satan and he will NOT let things go easy for us, or if he does choose to let them go easy for us it's with deceptive purposes knowing that easy life can just as well lead us down his path and not God's.
Please Lord, please help us to understand your truth, help us to be Yours fully. Please Lord this life is so incredibly hard in so many ways and even while it's hard we know others have it immensely harder. Save us Lord, we cannot save ourselves without Your love, Your sacrifice, Your amazing grace! Please Lord, give us understanding, give us compassion, help us as we grow and travail as we seek to be more and more like You.
In Your love!
Amen.
Spiritual Rebirth
Gal 4:19 My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you
Travail in birth UNTIL Christ be formed in you.
This is an amazing verse. People love to believe that when they accept Christ as their Savior that life from there on in will be wonderful but the truth is Satan begins to attack us and He does so in ways that we don't even imagine. Some people believe that they can recognize all of Satan's ways, they look at the blatant outrageous acts and point the finger of identification at Satan. People forget to look at the small things and notice the evil one in them, yet it will be with the small things that he will gain most of his victims.
When a woman travails in birth it is a very PAINFUL process. Paul knew this, most people do know that giving birth is an extremely painful thing to do. Paul is telling those who look to him that He is going through the painful process of Spiritual birth with them until Christ is formed in them. The PAINFUL process of travailing in birth and that birth resulting in Christ being formed in them.
We NEED Christ formed in us, don't we? Seriously. We look to Christ and in looking to Him we long to be like Him, don't we? The more we are like Him the better, He is love!
Eph 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
Col 3:13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
1Pe 4:1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin
Walk in love as Christ has loved us.
Forbear one another.
Forgive one another as Christ forgave us.
Christ suffered in the flesh- we need to suffer in the flesh-when we suffer in the flesh we are ceasing from sin.
But tell people to suffer in the flesh today and they jump all over you because if you think it's appropriate to suffer in the flesh then you must not believe grace is by faith and not of works- you're working to be saved. They are WRONG!
When Christ suffered was He saved by his suffering?
Christ was saved by the Father, not by His suffering and yet He did suffer.
Christ was sinless, Christ did not break a single law of God's, a law He created with the Father before He took on flesh and was begotten as the Son.
Christ suffered for not breaking the laws.
Remember Satan tempting Jesus in the wilderness? Did Christ suffer when He chose to obey God rather than listen to Satan and fall to His tempting ways? Yes. People don't want to think about that though. They think because He was God on earth that He was kept from suffering in the small ways, or in all the ways we suffered but He suffered tremendously.
So should we suffer?
Do we suffer?
What should we suffer?
Some people believe in purposely, physically inflicting pain upon themselves as if this was what was meant. It's not.
We are being reborn and this is happening while we've been born physically already. This is a spiritual rebirth and unlike a physical birth this isn't something that happens after nine months of gestation and a long hard labor. This spiritual birth is a progressive birthing, a gestation time that is undetermined.
It's hard for us to comprehend that we can be spiritually gestating, but we are, we truly are and the completion of that birthing results in our having Christ formed in us. This gestation isn't us spiritually in a warm, wet womb protected from so much and allowed to form oblivious to our surroundings. We are aware, and certainly NOT in a protected state at least not physically protected but our Savior protects our eternity.
More on this tomorrow by the grace of our Lord and Savior, all through His love!
Amen.
Travail in birth UNTIL Christ be formed in you.
This is an amazing verse. People love to believe that when they accept Christ as their Savior that life from there on in will be wonderful but the truth is Satan begins to attack us and He does so in ways that we don't even imagine. Some people believe that they can recognize all of Satan's ways, they look at the blatant outrageous acts and point the finger of identification at Satan. People forget to look at the small things and notice the evil one in them, yet it will be with the small things that he will gain most of his victims.
When a woman travails in birth it is a very PAINFUL process. Paul knew this, most people do know that giving birth is an extremely painful thing to do. Paul is telling those who look to him that He is going through the painful process of Spiritual birth with them until Christ is formed in them. The PAINFUL process of travailing in birth and that birth resulting in Christ being formed in them.
We NEED Christ formed in us, don't we? Seriously. We look to Christ and in looking to Him we long to be like Him, don't we? The more we are like Him the better, He is love!
Eph 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
Col 3:13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
1Pe 4:1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin
Walk in love as Christ has loved us.
Forbear one another.
Forgive one another as Christ forgave us.
Christ suffered in the flesh- we need to suffer in the flesh-when we suffer in the flesh we are ceasing from sin.
But tell people to suffer in the flesh today and they jump all over you because if you think it's appropriate to suffer in the flesh then you must not believe grace is by faith and not of works- you're working to be saved. They are WRONG!
When Christ suffered was He saved by his suffering?
Christ was saved by the Father, not by His suffering and yet He did suffer.
Christ was sinless, Christ did not break a single law of God's, a law He created with the Father before He took on flesh and was begotten as the Son.
Christ suffered for not breaking the laws.
Remember Satan tempting Jesus in the wilderness? Did Christ suffer when He chose to obey God rather than listen to Satan and fall to His tempting ways? Yes. People don't want to think about that though. They think because He was God on earth that He was kept from suffering in the small ways, or in all the ways we suffered but He suffered tremendously.
So should we suffer?
Do we suffer?
What should we suffer?
Some people believe in purposely, physically inflicting pain upon themselves as if this was what was meant. It's not.
We are being reborn and this is happening while we've been born physically already. This is a spiritual rebirth and unlike a physical birth this isn't something that happens after nine months of gestation and a long hard labor. This spiritual birth is a progressive birthing, a gestation time that is undetermined.
It's hard for us to comprehend that we can be spiritually gestating, but we are, we truly are and the completion of that birthing results in our having Christ formed in us. This gestation isn't us spiritually in a warm, wet womb protected from so much and allowed to form oblivious to our surroundings. We are aware, and certainly NOT in a protected state at least not physically protected but our Savior protects our eternity.
More on this tomorrow by the grace of our Lord and Savior, all through His love!
Amen.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Order our steps in THY word!
Psa 119:113 I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love.
Psa 119:124 Deal with thy servant according unto thy mercy, and teach me thy statutes.
Psa 119:125 I am thy servant; give me understanding, that I may know thy testimonies.
sa 119:126 It is time for thee, LORD, to work: for they have made void thy law.
Psa 119:127 Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold.
Psa 119:130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
Psa 119:132 Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto me, as thou usest to do unto those that love thy name.
Psa 119:133 Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.
Psa 119:151 Thou art near, O LORD; and all thy commandments are truth.
The entrance of God's words give light.
The entrance of God's words give understanding.
When we read of light in the Bible it often does refer to gaining understanding. We need to desire light over darkness. We need to comprehend the truth. We can be told the truth all day long and lack understanding. Without comprehension of what we read we might as well be reading drivel, truthfully. People can pat themselves on the backs all day long if they want to because they read their Bible, but if they do not comprehend the truth in God's words what does it matter? We can recite the Bible over and over and yet if we don't find the love of the truth in the word of God what good does it do us? Seriously, without comprehension we could read the whole Bible a million times and it will mean nothing. God's love is in the Bible, His pure love, His amazing love.
David longs for understanding and knows that the ENTRANCE of God's words give us light, give us understanding. The entrance-
Let's look up the meaning of this word- entrance.
H6608
1. opening, unfolding, entrance, doorway
- Origin: from H6605
- TWOT entry: 1854b
- Part(s) of speech: Noun Masculine
- Strong's: From H6605; opening (figuratively) that is disclosure: - entrance.
Total KJV Occurrences: 1
• entrance, 1
Psa_119:130
Disclosure- Opening- Unfolding- Doorway.
The disclosure of God's words.
The opening of God's words.
The unfolding of God's words.
The doorway of God's words.
The entrance of God's words.
We need the disclosure of God's words.
We need the opening of God's words.
We need the unfolding of God's words.
We need the doorway of God's words.
We NEED to understand God's words.
With that understanding comes the knowledge of God's Love.
David LOVES God's law.
David LOVES God's words.
David VALUES God's words more than GOLD!
Do we value God's words more than money?
Do we value God's words more than our possessions?
How important is God's Word to us?! How important is the comprehension of God's words to us? Do we feel as if a day should NOT go by without delving in to the amazing word of God available to readily to us? Do we TREASURE the words of God we do read? Do the words of God give us a heart understanding, a deeper, deeper love of God?
These are questions we need to ask ourselves. These are important words.
By the grace of God may we find this amazing LOVE. We are so incredibly blessed to have access to the love of God found in His words.
Psa 119:132 Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto me, as thou usest to do unto those that love thy name.
Psa 119:133 Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.
Psa 119:151 Thou art near, O LORD; and all thy commandments are truth.
We like David must pray- Look up on us, be merciful to us as you were to those that LOVE THY NAME!
ORDER our steps in THY WORD!
Order our steps! We need to have the blessing of God - having HIM ORDER our steps! Having HIM guide our way, our LIVES. We need GOD to help us, to NOT let ANY sin have dominion over us! This is through GOD, it must be through God and we need to realize it IS by God. ALL glory, praise and honor to GOD!
Please God, please be NEAR to us LORD.
ALL THY COMMANDMENTS ARE TRUTH!
Psa 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
We have to HIDE these words in our hearts and when God is in our hearts, when God is ordering our steps, when sin is not having dominion over us we are in God's love, His pure, pure love, in His truth!
Please Lord please….
In Your love!
Amen.
Psa 119:124 Deal with thy servant according unto thy mercy, and teach me thy statutes.
Psa 119:125 I am thy servant; give me understanding, that I may know thy testimonies.
sa 119:126 It is time for thee, LORD, to work: for they have made void thy law.
Psa 119:127 Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold.
Psa 119:130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
Psa 119:132 Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto me, as thou usest to do unto those that love thy name.
Psa 119:133 Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.
Psa 119:151 Thou art near, O LORD; and all thy commandments are truth.
The entrance of God's words give light.
The entrance of God's words give understanding.
When we read of light in the Bible it often does refer to gaining understanding. We need to desire light over darkness. We need to comprehend the truth. We can be told the truth all day long and lack understanding. Without comprehension of what we read we might as well be reading drivel, truthfully. People can pat themselves on the backs all day long if they want to because they read their Bible, but if they do not comprehend the truth in God's words what does it matter? We can recite the Bible over and over and yet if we don't find the love of the truth in the word of God what good does it do us? Seriously, without comprehension we could read the whole Bible a million times and it will mean nothing. God's love is in the Bible, His pure love, His amazing love.
David longs for understanding and knows that the ENTRANCE of God's words give us light, give us understanding. The entrance-
Let's look up the meaning of this word- entrance.
H6608
1. opening, unfolding, entrance, doorway
- Origin: from H6605
- TWOT entry: 1854b
- Part(s) of speech: Noun Masculine
- Strong's: From H6605; opening (figuratively) that is disclosure: - entrance.
Total KJV Occurrences: 1
• entrance, 1
Psa_119:130
Disclosure- Opening- Unfolding- Doorway.
The disclosure of God's words.
The opening of God's words.
The unfolding of God's words.
The doorway of God's words.
The entrance of God's words.
We need the disclosure of God's words.
We need the opening of God's words.
We need the unfolding of God's words.
We need the doorway of God's words.
We NEED to understand God's words.
With that understanding comes the knowledge of God's Love.
David LOVES God's law.
David LOVES God's words.
David VALUES God's words more than GOLD!
Do we value God's words more than money?
Do we value God's words more than our possessions?
How important is God's Word to us?! How important is the comprehension of God's words to us? Do we feel as if a day should NOT go by without delving in to the amazing word of God available to readily to us? Do we TREASURE the words of God we do read? Do the words of God give us a heart understanding, a deeper, deeper love of God?
These are questions we need to ask ourselves. These are important words.
By the grace of God may we find this amazing LOVE. We are so incredibly blessed to have access to the love of God found in His words.
Psa 119:132 Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto me, as thou usest to do unto those that love thy name.
Psa 119:133 Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.
Psa 119:151 Thou art near, O LORD; and all thy commandments are truth.
We like David must pray- Look up on us, be merciful to us as you were to those that LOVE THY NAME!
ORDER our steps in THY WORD!
Order our steps! We need to have the blessing of God - having HIM ORDER our steps! Having HIM guide our way, our LIVES. We need GOD to help us, to NOT let ANY sin have dominion over us! This is through GOD, it must be through God and we need to realize it IS by God. ALL glory, praise and honor to GOD!
Please God, please be NEAR to us LORD.
ALL THY COMMANDMENTS ARE TRUTH!
Psa 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
We have to HIDE these words in our hearts and when God is in our hearts, when God is ordering our steps, when sin is not having dominion over us we are in God's love, His pure, pure love, in His truth!
Please Lord please….
In Your love!
Amen.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
His Hands Made Us
Psa 119:73 Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.
God made Adam-
Gen 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
And David makes this claim- 'Thy hands have made me and fashioned me'
God has formed us, yes, US, each one of us. We don't want to believe this, in fact most people refuse to believe this. People will bring up those deformed at birth and ask - did God form them too? If so, why did He form them wrong? We can't know the answer to that question, God knows though and that is enough, it has to be enough because --
Deu 29:29 'The secret things belong unto the LORD our God…'
We cannot know the wisdom behind His workings. God created each one of us and man would have us believe otherwise. Man, who has taken pieces out of the bodies God has formed and manipulated them to form children in wombs otherwise barren- believe that it is they who are the author of life, they are the creators of life, they are the ones who have formed that baby in the womb- not God. They couldn't be more wrong. They DID NOT create that egg, they DID NOT create that seed. God allowed them the knowledge of joining them together but it is GOD who forms the child from those manipulated elements. All too often there are MANY manipulated elements that are supposed to take and NEVER do. God forms man- God formed the first man and God will form the very last man.
Deu 32:6 Do ye thus requite the LORD, O foolish people and unwise? is not he thy father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee, and established thee?
Deu 32:18 Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.
Job 33:6 Behold, I am according to thy wish in God's stead: I also am formed out of the clay.
Isa 43:1 But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
Isa 43:7 Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.
Isa 44:2 Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen.
Isa 44:24 Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself
Jer 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
Psa 119:73 Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.
The God who formed us, the God who created us, the God who willed us into being can give us understanding. We need understanding if we are to learn of God's commandments. God's wondrous commandments, His law of the purest love upon which we all are called to live. Our natural self will not want understanding, it will not want to learn of God's commandments. Satan doesn't want us to have understanding of God's commandments. Satan knows that when we truly understand God's commandments that we'll understand the amazing love He has for us and that is the last thing the evil one wants us to understand. God can give us understanding, we, like David, must desire that understanding, we must ask for that understanding. We MUST ask knowing that it is God who formed us, God who created us and only God who can open our hearts. We must choose God in spite of all the sensual fleshy ways our natural man would have us focus on ourselves and NOT God.
Psa 119:90 Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.
Psa 119:91 They continue this day according to thine ordinances: for all are thy servants.
No one alive today, no one who lived in the past has ever seen the earth destroyed, they've never seen the sun destroyed, they've never seen the sun not set, the sun not rise, the moon not show its many phases, the seasons never change, the ocean lose it's ebb and flow, the majestic mountains fall to nothing, the stars no longer guiding. All these things, all these undeniable and set forces were created to be that way and only arrogant man has decided they just came into existence by pure chance. God created all these things and they serve God! Yet man would have them be gods, foolish, foolish man.
Psa 119:97 O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.
Can you even begin to imagine meditating upon God's law all day? We're lucky if we can even think of God's law for a moment in a day let alone meditate upon it ALL day. The love of God's law is amazing. When we realize that it is by the law of God that we live, that we breathe, that we love how can we help but recognize the law in all we do? We've stripped the law of God's love away from our lives and put it on a pedestal or in a trash heap- either place has it's dangers because when we take the law of God out of our lives and make it inaccessible we've lost all the true meaning of God's law. When we consign the law to a trash heap and believe it no longer matters we've taken God out of life and substituted a false god for the true. God's law is love, God is love.
We lose the love of God that Jesus came to reveal to us in the flesh when we set the law aside- either making it too high to reach or too low to bother with.
Please God, you who fashioned us in the womb, you who knew us before we were born, help us to understand and learn Your amazing commandments. Help us to find the love in them that guides us every single day of our lives. You are revealed in Your law, Jesus lived Your law perfectly, let us not set aside something so incredibly important to our Savior- He did not come to destroy the law.
Open our hearts and our minds to You Lord, let the Holy Spirit come down and comfort us, teach us, help us in all ways.
All through Your grace!
Amen.
God made Adam-
Gen 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
And David makes this claim- 'Thy hands have made me and fashioned me'
God has formed us, yes, US, each one of us. We don't want to believe this, in fact most people refuse to believe this. People will bring up those deformed at birth and ask - did God form them too? If so, why did He form them wrong? We can't know the answer to that question, God knows though and that is enough, it has to be enough because --
Deu 29:29 'The secret things belong unto the LORD our God…'
We cannot know the wisdom behind His workings. God created each one of us and man would have us believe otherwise. Man, who has taken pieces out of the bodies God has formed and manipulated them to form children in wombs otherwise barren- believe that it is they who are the author of life, they are the creators of life, they are the ones who have formed that baby in the womb- not God. They couldn't be more wrong. They DID NOT create that egg, they DID NOT create that seed. God allowed them the knowledge of joining them together but it is GOD who forms the child from those manipulated elements. All too often there are MANY manipulated elements that are supposed to take and NEVER do. God forms man- God formed the first man and God will form the very last man.
Deu 32:6 Do ye thus requite the LORD, O foolish people and unwise? is not he thy father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee, and established thee?
Deu 32:18 Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.
Job 33:6 Behold, I am according to thy wish in God's stead: I also am formed out of the clay.
Isa 43:1 But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
Isa 43:7 Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.
Isa 44:2 Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen.
Isa 44:24 Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself
Jer 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
Psa 119:73 Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.
The God who formed us, the God who created us, the God who willed us into being can give us understanding. We need understanding if we are to learn of God's commandments. God's wondrous commandments, His law of the purest love upon which we all are called to live. Our natural self will not want understanding, it will not want to learn of God's commandments. Satan doesn't want us to have understanding of God's commandments. Satan knows that when we truly understand God's commandments that we'll understand the amazing love He has for us and that is the last thing the evil one wants us to understand. God can give us understanding, we, like David, must desire that understanding, we must ask for that understanding. We MUST ask knowing that it is God who formed us, God who created us and only God who can open our hearts. We must choose God in spite of all the sensual fleshy ways our natural man would have us focus on ourselves and NOT God.
Psa 119:90 Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.
Psa 119:91 They continue this day according to thine ordinances: for all are thy servants.
No one alive today, no one who lived in the past has ever seen the earth destroyed, they've never seen the sun destroyed, they've never seen the sun not set, the sun not rise, the moon not show its many phases, the seasons never change, the ocean lose it's ebb and flow, the majestic mountains fall to nothing, the stars no longer guiding. All these things, all these undeniable and set forces were created to be that way and only arrogant man has decided they just came into existence by pure chance. God created all these things and they serve God! Yet man would have them be gods, foolish, foolish man.
Psa 119:97 O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.
Can you even begin to imagine meditating upon God's law all day? We're lucky if we can even think of God's law for a moment in a day let alone meditate upon it ALL day. The love of God's law is amazing. When we realize that it is by the law of God that we live, that we breathe, that we love how can we help but recognize the law in all we do? We've stripped the law of God's love away from our lives and put it on a pedestal or in a trash heap- either place has it's dangers because when we take the law of God out of our lives and make it inaccessible we've lost all the true meaning of God's law. When we consign the law to a trash heap and believe it no longer matters we've taken God out of life and substituted a false god for the true. God's law is love, God is love.
We lose the love of God that Jesus came to reveal to us in the flesh when we set the law aside- either making it too high to reach or too low to bother with.
Please God, you who fashioned us in the womb, you who knew us before we were born, help us to understand and learn Your amazing commandments. Help us to find the love in them that guides us every single day of our lives. You are revealed in Your law, Jesus lived Your law perfectly, let us not set aside something so incredibly important to our Savior- He did not come to destroy the law.
Open our hearts and our minds to You Lord, let the Holy Spirit come down and comfort us, teach us, help us in all ways.
All through Your grace!
Amen.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Man brought death into the world, not God.
Exo 20:13 Thou shalt not kill.
KJV-
Mat 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
Mat 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
Mat 5:23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
Mat 5:24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
Young's Literal Translation-
Mat 5:21 `Ye heard that it was said to the ancients: Thou shalt not kill, and whoever may kill shall be in danger of the judgment;
Mat 5:22 but I--I say to you, that every one who is angry at his brother without cause, shall be in danger of the judgment, and whoever may say to his brother, Empty fellow! shall be in danger of the sanhedrim, and whoever may say, Rebel! shall be in danger of the gehenna of the fire.
Mat 5:23 `If, therefore, thou mayest bring thy gift to the altar, and there mayest remember that thy brother hath anything against thee,
Mat 5:24 leave there thy gift before the altar, and go--first be reconciled to thy brother, and then having come bring thy gift.
International Standard Version-
Mat 5:21 "You have heard that it was said to those who lived long ago, 'You must not murder,' and 'Whoever murders will be subject to punishment.'
Mat 5:22 But I say to you, anyone who is angry with his brother without a cause will be subject to punishment. And whoever says to his brother 'Raka!' will be subject to the Council. And whoever says 'You fool!' will be subject to hell fire.
Mat 5:23 "So if you are presenting your gift at the altar and remember there that your brother has something against you,
Mat 5:24 leave your gift there before the altar and first go and be reconciled to your brother. Then come and offer your gift.
Did Jesus negate this commandment- Thou shalt not kill - ? NO.
People everywhere generally agree this is an acceptable commandment. How do you dispute it, really? Everyone knows murder is inherently wrong- right?
Purposely taking away life.
Recently we had to put our beloved cat to sleep and I'd never had to do anything like that before, and it was so heartbreaking. Did we murder our cat? This is a question that has reared its ugly little head and not for me alone, but for other members of my family. We purposely ended our cat's life. One moment he was alive and the next he was dead all because of our actions. We console ourselves over and over again with the fact it was done purely out of mercy for the cat, he had no real quality of life left and was having numerous problems as he was wasting away to nothing. It was merciful, truly merciful and it would have been selfish of us to keep him alive in the condition he was in. Was it murder though? No. We did not senselessly take the life of our precious cat.
In the above Jesus talks about how it is not only a sin to murder but it's a sin to be angry WITHOUT cause. It's a sin to be filled with rage, and to slander others, just as sinful as murder. Seriously. We've spent so much time labeling sins and degrees of sinning that we tend to overlook the very real fact that the wages of any sin- is death. Outrageous, you cry?! Unfair, you scream?! A tiny sin shouldn't warrant death, only the gravest of sins should to that. You know whose thinking that is? Man's, not God's. Man loves to excuse sin rather than confess and repent of it. Mankind loves to deem sin acceptable so they no longer have to feel the weight of their sin. That little white lie you told a few days ago, well it warrants death whether you want to face that fact or not. We can jail every single murderer we come across - we can condemn every single murderer- but we dare not choose to be deceived into thinking that our non-murderous sins are going to warrant us eternal life and the freedom that affords. While a murderer might be locked up in a cell and become labeled as being a sinner for life, we need to examine our own lives closely because we are ALL labeled sinners. We are all jailed in Satan's prison and condemned to eternal death, to be wiped out of existence forever. Only Jesus can pardon us and set us free, only Jesus can save us and remove the label 'sinner' from us.
Murder will forever be wrong and never be acceptable even is it's sanctioned by the highest court. Taking another person's life, ripping from them that which God gave to them is no one's right. Some people love to point out that God sanctioned a lot of murder, that He's a murderous hypocrite of a God. How often throughout the old testament was God fine with having His people take the lives of many? He ordered His people to destroy the godless-- those ONLY He could ever know would never be His, something WE have no way of knowing.
Never did a single person die under God's command out of murder. Never! People can try all they want to convince me otherwise, but I won't believe them. Murder goes against everything God stands for, everything. Yes, people were allowed to die but it was their own eternal decision that allowed for that result.
If we want to get technical - couldn't those people who claim God is a murderer say that every single death is a murder by God? I know my sister has had a really hard time dealing with the death of her husband and I know she's blamed God and become angry at Him on many occasion, even though she truly does understand that all death is a result of the sin brought into this world by Satan, not God. God created man to live forever- every single human being was to live forever and ever and ever- it was man who chose to sin- it was man who chose to accept the penalty of death for that sin. God NEVER wanted man to experience death. All death is a result of that sin, and NOT GOD. We are BLESSED to have God who has created a way for us NOT to have to experience the second death, the permanent death.
Man brought death into the world.
Jesus brought life into the world.
Studying our God's loving commandments, His amazing, wondrous laws we know that none of them will ever be done away with, not a single one, murder included.
By the grace of God may we keep ALL our God's commandments.
May we realize that commandments encompass much more than just our actions- but our thoughts as well. If we are guilty we must confess and we must repent, choosing by the grace of God to sin no more.
All through His amazing LOVE!
Amen.
KJV-
Mat 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
Mat 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
Mat 5:23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
Mat 5:24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
Young's Literal Translation-
Mat 5:21 `Ye heard that it was said to the ancients: Thou shalt not kill, and whoever may kill shall be in danger of the judgment;
Mat 5:22 but I--I say to you, that every one who is angry at his brother without cause, shall be in danger of the judgment, and whoever may say to his brother, Empty fellow! shall be in danger of the sanhedrim, and whoever may say, Rebel! shall be in danger of the gehenna of the fire.
Mat 5:23 `If, therefore, thou mayest bring thy gift to the altar, and there mayest remember that thy brother hath anything against thee,
Mat 5:24 leave there thy gift before the altar, and go--first be reconciled to thy brother, and then having come bring thy gift.
International Standard Version-
Mat 5:21 "You have heard that it was said to those who lived long ago, 'You must not murder,' and 'Whoever murders will be subject to punishment.'
Mat 5:22 But I say to you, anyone who is angry with his brother without a cause will be subject to punishment. And whoever says to his brother 'Raka!' will be subject to the Council. And whoever says 'You fool!' will be subject to hell fire.
Mat 5:23 "So if you are presenting your gift at the altar and remember there that your brother has something against you,
Mat 5:24 leave your gift there before the altar and first go and be reconciled to your brother. Then come and offer your gift.
Did Jesus negate this commandment- Thou shalt not kill - ? NO.
People everywhere generally agree this is an acceptable commandment. How do you dispute it, really? Everyone knows murder is inherently wrong- right?
Purposely taking away life.
Recently we had to put our beloved cat to sleep and I'd never had to do anything like that before, and it was so heartbreaking. Did we murder our cat? This is a question that has reared its ugly little head and not for me alone, but for other members of my family. We purposely ended our cat's life. One moment he was alive and the next he was dead all because of our actions. We console ourselves over and over again with the fact it was done purely out of mercy for the cat, he had no real quality of life left and was having numerous problems as he was wasting away to nothing. It was merciful, truly merciful and it would have been selfish of us to keep him alive in the condition he was in. Was it murder though? No. We did not senselessly take the life of our precious cat.
In the above Jesus talks about how it is not only a sin to murder but it's a sin to be angry WITHOUT cause. It's a sin to be filled with rage, and to slander others, just as sinful as murder. Seriously. We've spent so much time labeling sins and degrees of sinning that we tend to overlook the very real fact that the wages of any sin- is death. Outrageous, you cry?! Unfair, you scream?! A tiny sin shouldn't warrant death, only the gravest of sins should to that. You know whose thinking that is? Man's, not God's. Man loves to excuse sin rather than confess and repent of it. Mankind loves to deem sin acceptable so they no longer have to feel the weight of their sin. That little white lie you told a few days ago, well it warrants death whether you want to face that fact or not. We can jail every single murderer we come across - we can condemn every single murderer- but we dare not choose to be deceived into thinking that our non-murderous sins are going to warrant us eternal life and the freedom that affords. While a murderer might be locked up in a cell and become labeled as being a sinner for life, we need to examine our own lives closely because we are ALL labeled sinners. We are all jailed in Satan's prison and condemned to eternal death, to be wiped out of existence forever. Only Jesus can pardon us and set us free, only Jesus can save us and remove the label 'sinner' from us.
Murder will forever be wrong and never be acceptable even is it's sanctioned by the highest court. Taking another person's life, ripping from them that which God gave to them is no one's right. Some people love to point out that God sanctioned a lot of murder, that He's a murderous hypocrite of a God. How often throughout the old testament was God fine with having His people take the lives of many? He ordered His people to destroy the godless-- those ONLY He could ever know would never be His, something WE have no way of knowing.
Never did a single person die under God's command out of murder. Never! People can try all they want to convince me otherwise, but I won't believe them. Murder goes against everything God stands for, everything. Yes, people were allowed to die but it was their own eternal decision that allowed for that result.
If we want to get technical - couldn't those people who claim God is a murderer say that every single death is a murder by God? I know my sister has had a really hard time dealing with the death of her husband and I know she's blamed God and become angry at Him on many occasion, even though she truly does understand that all death is a result of the sin brought into this world by Satan, not God. God created man to live forever- every single human being was to live forever and ever and ever- it was man who chose to sin- it was man who chose to accept the penalty of death for that sin. God NEVER wanted man to experience death. All death is a result of that sin, and NOT GOD. We are BLESSED to have God who has created a way for us NOT to have to experience the second death, the permanent death.
Man brought death into the world.
Jesus brought life into the world.
Studying our God's loving commandments, His amazing, wondrous laws we know that none of them will ever be done away with, not a single one, murder included.
By the grace of God may we keep ALL our God's commandments.
May we realize that commandments encompass much more than just our actions- but our thoughts as well. If we are guilty we must confess and we must repent, choosing by the grace of God to sin no more.
All through His amazing LOVE!
Amen.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Grace that would come
1Pe 1:10 Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you
*
Prophets inquired.
Prophets searched diligently.
Prophets knew of the grace that would come.
*
Gen 49:10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
Dan 2:44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
Zec 6:12 And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:
Zec 6:13 Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both
Mat 13:17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
Act 3:22 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.
Act 3:23 And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.
Act 3:24 Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.
2Pe 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
2Pe 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
2Pe 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
*
Heb 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Heb 11:39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
Heb 11:40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
*
We've talked about this before- how in reality from Genesis to Revelation the Bible is a book of prophecy. Too many people believe that there are only small sections of prophecy in the Bible, they don't realize the entire book is filled with prophecy. Yes, there is wonderful history in the Bible, and a lot of that history involves prophetic messages.
Grace is promised to us. A reward is promised to us. Through faith we will receive this promise and we have to realize that almost ALL of the prophets, almost all of the holy men of God, those beloved of God have NOT received the promised reward. We want to believe they have, but in truth almost all of the beloved of God are dust, they went to their sleep and their breath of life returned to God. All of them will receive their reward when Christ returns- just as we will- THIS is TRUTH.
*
1Pe 1:11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
1Pe 1:12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
PREACHED the GOSPEL unto you with the Holy Ghost- SENT down from heaven- Which things angels desire to look into.
Angels desire to look into these things! We are so incredibly blessed. We've been given the gospel of the kingdom and the promise of the Holy Spirit. We are so blessed.
*
1Pe 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ
We need to gird up the loins of our minds.
When a loin is girded it is protected.
We have to protect our minds.
We have to be sober.
We have to HOPE to the end for GRACE that is given to us when Jesus Christ is revealed to us.
Oh, please Lord, please help us to gird up the loins of our minds as we live in such a time that minds everywhere are kept unprotected.
Please Lord bless us, help us! We need You so desperately, we need the HOPE we can only find in You. We need the FAITH You provide! Please Lord, help us, bless us as we look forward towards YOU -revealed at YOUR second coming.
Thank you for Your amazing love, love that is everlasting.
In You Lord always.
Amen.
*
Prophets inquired.
Prophets searched diligently.
Prophets knew of the grace that would come.
*
Gen 49:10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
Dan 2:44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
Zec 6:12 And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:
Zec 6:13 Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both
Mat 13:17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
Act 3:22 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.
Act 3:23 And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.
Act 3:24 Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.
2Pe 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
2Pe 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
2Pe 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
*
Heb 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Heb 11:39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
Heb 11:40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
*
We've talked about this before- how in reality from Genesis to Revelation the Bible is a book of prophecy. Too many people believe that there are only small sections of prophecy in the Bible, they don't realize the entire book is filled with prophecy. Yes, there is wonderful history in the Bible, and a lot of that history involves prophetic messages.
Grace is promised to us. A reward is promised to us. Through faith we will receive this promise and we have to realize that almost ALL of the prophets, almost all of the holy men of God, those beloved of God have NOT received the promised reward. We want to believe they have, but in truth almost all of the beloved of God are dust, they went to their sleep and their breath of life returned to God. All of them will receive their reward when Christ returns- just as we will- THIS is TRUTH.
*
1Pe 1:11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
1Pe 1:12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
PREACHED the GOSPEL unto you with the Holy Ghost- SENT down from heaven- Which things angels desire to look into.
Angels desire to look into these things! We are so incredibly blessed. We've been given the gospel of the kingdom and the promise of the Holy Spirit. We are so blessed.
*
1Pe 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ
We need to gird up the loins of our minds.
When a loin is girded it is protected.
We have to protect our minds.
We have to be sober.
We have to HOPE to the end for GRACE that is given to us when Jesus Christ is revealed to us.
Oh, please Lord, please help us to gird up the loins of our minds as we live in such a time that minds everywhere are kept unprotected.
Please Lord bless us, help us! We need You so desperately, we need the HOPE we can only find in You. We need the FAITH You provide! Please Lord, help us, bless us as we look forward towards YOU -revealed at YOUR second coming.
Thank you for Your amazing love, love that is everlasting.
In You Lord always.
Amen.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Believing in the unseen is our Salvation.
1Pe 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
1Pe 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1Pe 1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
1Pe 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
We are KEPT by the POWER of GOD- through FAITH-unto salvation that will be revealed at Christ's second coming.
Whose power keeps us? GOD's!
How are we kept by God's power? Through FAITH!
What does being kept by God's power through faith bring- SALVATION.
We are NOT kept by our own power!
We have to BELIEVE and yet so many find it incredibly hard to believe, to have faith. They find it hard to believe in something they can't see. They find it hard to hope.
People call other people fools for believing in the unseen. They want to have that tangible proof so they aren't considered to be among the foolish. Yet we are called to have FAITH. We are called to believe in the unseen.
By faith we are to believe in God.
We are not to consider the things we see, the things we touch, the things we hear, the things we taste, the things we smell…gods. People worship the sun- something they see. People worship the moon- something they see. People worship other people- something they can see, touch, hear, and yes, taste and smell. People will worship just about anything as long as it is something they adore. People will worship- the act of worship more than God. Seriously, they will! They'll get all caught up in the motions of worship and lose sight of God's love.
God alone- our UNSEEN God- He alone is to be worshipped, He alone is the ONE we need to have FAITH in. That great leap of believing in the unseen, of having hope in the unseen is FAITH.
*******
1Pe 1:6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations
In HEAVINESS through MANIFOLD TEMPTATIONS! This is the story of our lives is it not-- TEMPTATION!
And it is extreme heaviness of our spirit when we face temptation after temptation, seemingly endless temptations. We all know what it is like don't we? We who understand what sin is by seeing our sin in the light of God's law of love, can see clearly the sin in our world, in our lives and in the temptation to sin- it is so alive, so real, and so awful.
1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
The TRIAL of our FAITH! Yes, there is a TRIAL of our FAITH! Faith isn't something simple, our faith is tried as we are tempted and it's tried often and always. And yes, our FAITH is more precious than gold.
We who are found faithful will be ready for our Savior when He returns!
1Pe 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory
We LOVE Him even though we can't see Him.
We have FAITH and we rejoice with JOY UNSPEAKABLE!
1Pe 1:9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
The end of our believing in the unseen is our SALVATION!
*******
All by the grace of God!
In His love!
Amen.
1Pe 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1Pe 1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
1Pe 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
We are KEPT by the POWER of GOD- through FAITH-unto salvation that will be revealed at Christ's second coming.
Whose power keeps us? GOD's!
How are we kept by God's power? Through FAITH!
What does being kept by God's power through faith bring- SALVATION.
We are NOT kept by our own power!
We have to BELIEVE and yet so many find it incredibly hard to believe, to have faith. They find it hard to believe in something they can't see. They find it hard to hope.
People call other people fools for believing in the unseen. They want to have that tangible proof so they aren't considered to be among the foolish. Yet we are called to have FAITH. We are called to believe in the unseen.
By faith we are to believe in God.
We are not to consider the things we see, the things we touch, the things we hear, the things we taste, the things we smell…gods. People worship the sun- something they see. People worship the moon- something they see. People worship other people- something they can see, touch, hear, and yes, taste and smell. People will worship just about anything as long as it is something they adore. People will worship- the act of worship more than God. Seriously, they will! They'll get all caught up in the motions of worship and lose sight of God's love.
God alone- our UNSEEN God- He alone is to be worshipped, He alone is the ONE we need to have FAITH in. That great leap of believing in the unseen, of having hope in the unseen is FAITH.
*******
1Pe 1:6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations
In HEAVINESS through MANIFOLD TEMPTATIONS! This is the story of our lives is it not-- TEMPTATION!
And it is extreme heaviness of our spirit when we face temptation after temptation, seemingly endless temptations. We all know what it is like don't we? We who understand what sin is by seeing our sin in the light of God's law of love, can see clearly the sin in our world, in our lives and in the temptation to sin- it is so alive, so real, and so awful.
1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
The TRIAL of our FAITH! Yes, there is a TRIAL of our FAITH! Faith isn't something simple, our faith is tried as we are tempted and it's tried often and always. And yes, our FAITH is more precious than gold.
We who are found faithful will be ready for our Savior when He returns!
1Pe 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory
We LOVE Him even though we can't see Him.
We have FAITH and we rejoice with JOY UNSPEAKABLE!
1Pe 1:9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
The end of our believing in the unseen is our SALVATION!
*******
All by the grace of God!
In His love!
Amen.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Open my eyes!
Psa 119:18 Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.
Wondrous things.
When we think of wondrous things rarely do we think of finding anything wondrous in the law, right? Seriously, how often do people equate wondrous things with the law? In my limited experience, not often.
When we talk of having our eye opened what are we REALLY asking for? Understanding, comprehension, the ability to learn, to know all that we need to know.
People think it's as simple as reading- comprehending, but how often do we read something without fully understanding what it is saying?
Why would David want his eyes opened to understand a law that was plain to understand? A lot of Do's and Don't's, right. Do this, don't do that, what's so hard to understand? Yet David wanted to have his understanding opened even further, David wanted to behold all that the law had to reveal. He wanted to understand the AMAZING things the law was saying. He wanted to understand more than the simple do's and don't's. Why? Because there is so much more to understand.
If we, by the grace of God, by the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit are blessed with full comprehension of God's law what a miracle that is. Understanding the wonder of the law, understanding the love of the law.
If we can find even one of the ten great commandments that is no longer valid then we are ripping apart the fabric of God's love. We've already talked about how Jesus kept the law perfectly not transgressing in a single point and this gave Him the right to be our Savior, to save us from our sins, to save us from our transgressions against the law of God. Without that law of God's to keep there is no sin.
Remember, Adam and Eve were commanded NOT to eat of that one tree. They broke that command and the result was sin.
The law of God is wondrous and we NEED our understanding open so we can see this wonder, so we can see the amazing love in the law. We aren't to make up our own laws and call them good, yet many people do that, they create their own versions of God's law and they believe as long as they live up to their own set standards everything will be just fine. The very unfortunate thing about creating our own standards is we base them on our sinful nature, not God's pure perfect nature.
We have to understand that we are CREATURES! I'll say it time and time again, over and over and over because it is so true and it's as if we turn our minds from God a few moments from now after reading this and we quickly forget- WE ARE CREATURES! We were CREATED. We will FOREVER be created beings, owing our very existence to our Creator. Just as we are to honor our mother and father- those who have given us life by their joining - two becoming one so that we could be created, we are to honor our heavenly Father who gave life to us all by giving life to our first parents. Life givers- life from created beings, there is an honor due to those who create life- though nowadays you would scarcely know it. We so easily get abortions - scraping newly created life from our bodies as if that life that was created meant absolutely nothing at all. The fact you yourself are alive and able to create life is the only miracle you need to fully comprehend in order to realize how truly amazing it is to be able to create life. People just don't want to understand, Satan has blinded them into believing they are their own person in need of NO god, in fact they themselves have become gods because they now know what good and evil are. In being gods themselves they have the right to deny life, to destroy life. Too many people are completely caught up in believing they have the RIGHT to be their own gods. They live their lives under that assumption and have NO need of God or His laws.
Once again I'm going to refer to the book- 'Mere Christianity', the book starts out explaining HOW it is that there is a natural law in existence and it leads into how there had to be a Creator of what we call a natural law. It's so worth reading if you haven't read it yet.
More tomorrow on the commandments of God. May our eyes be opened just as David prayed that His eyes be opened, may we pray the same and by the grace of God may it be so that we behold wondrous things out of His law!
All to the glory of God!
Amen.
Wondrous things.
When we think of wondrous things rarely do we think of finding anything wondrous in the law, right? Seriously, how often do people equate wondrous things with the law? In my limited experience, not often.
When we talk of having our eye opened what are we REALLY asking for? Understanding, comprehension, the ability to learn, to know all that we need to know.
People think it's as simple as reading- comprehending, but how often do we read something without fully understanding what it is saying?
Why would David want his eyes opened to understand a law that was plain to understand? A lot of Do's and Don't's, right. Do this, don't do that, what's so hard to understand? Yet David wanted to have his understanding opened even further, David wanted to behold all that the law had to reveal. He wanted to understand the AMAZING things the law was saying. He wanted to understand more than the simple do's and don't's. Why? Because there is so much more to understand.
If we, by the grace of God, by the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit are blessed with full comprehension of God's law what a miracle that is. Understanding the wonder of the law, understanding the love of the law.
If we can find even one of the ten great commandments that is no longer valid then we are ripping apart the fabric of God's love. We've already talked about how Jesus kept the law perfectly not transgressing in a single point and this gave Him the right to be our Savior, to save us from our sins, to save us from our transgressions against the law of God. Without that law of God's to keep there is no sin.
Remember, Adam and Eve were commanded NOT to eat of that one tree. They broke that command and the result was sin.
The law of God is wondrous and we NEED our understanding open so we can see this wonder, so we can see the amazing love in the law. We aren't to make up our own laws and call them good, yet many people do that, they create their own versions of God's law and they believe as long as they live up to their own set standards everything will be just fine. The very unfortunate thing about creating our own standards is we base them on our sinful nature, not God's pure perfect nature.
We have to understand that we are CREATURES! I'll say it time and time again, over and over and over because it is so true and it's as if we turn our minds from God a few moments from now after reading this and we quickly forget- WE ARE CREATURES! We were CREATED. We will FOREVER be created beings, owing our very existence to our Creator. Just as we are to honor our mother and father- those who have given us life by their joining - two becoming one so that we could be created, we are to honor our heavenly Father who gave life to us all by giving life to our first parents. Life givers- life from created beings, there is an honor due to those who create life- though nowadays you would scarcely know it. We so easily get abortions - scraping newly created life from our bodies as if that life that was created meant absolutely nothing at all. The fact you yourself are alive and able to create life is the only miracle you need to fully comprehend in order to realize how truly amazing it is to be able to create life. People just don't want to understand, Satan has blinded them into believing they are their own person in need of NO god, in fact they themselves have become gods because they now know what good and evil are. In being gods themselves they have the right to deny life, to destroy life. Too many people are completely caught up in believing they have the RIGHT to be their own gods. They live their lives under that assumption and have NO need of God or His laws.
Once again I'm going to refer to the book- 'Mere Christianity', the book starts out explaining HOW it is that there is a natural law in existence and it leads into how there had to be a Creator of what we call a natural law. It's so worth reading if you haven't read it yet.
More tomorrow on the commandments of God. May our eyes be opened just as David prayed that His eyes be opened, may we pray the same and by the grace of God may it be so that we behold wondrous things out of His law!
All to the glory of God!
Amen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)