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.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)