The 5th Commandment

Good Morning!! This is the fifth of the Ten Commandments, and it may be considered the centerpiece of all the commandments. The first four commandments deal with our relationship with God and the last six focus on social relationships. This one serves as a bridge from our focus on God, to our focus on interpersonal relationships. Honoring one's father and mother is a model to respect God,...and others. Honor is learned in the home and flows into other areas of respect for various kinds of authority. Children are to obey and honor their parents.

"Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you."—Exodus 20:12 (NIV)

Even though we are no longer called to obey after we enter adulthood and are living out on our own, our responsibility to honor them never ceases. If they treat us badly, we don't need to honor the wrong things they do, but we still need to honor them as our parents,...and show them respect. As they age, we can continue to honor our parents by checking on them regularly, by seeing that they are lovingly cared for, by visiting them, talking to them, and especially by listening to them. It is easy to get so busy with job, friends and other family and even church that we begin to neglect our parents. It is important to guard against that.

Even as we move through the various cycles of life, we have a duty to honor our parents,...with our time, our care, our prayers, and our love. 

Father God, we thank You for our parents. Help us to always honor them in our thoughts,...as well as our words and actions. In Jesus' name. Amen.

"Knowing that there are absolutes that define moral conduct, and ethical decisions, is essential for every believers life."

The 4th Commandment

Good Morning!! The fourth commandment focuses on setting aside a time for rest and worship,...and clearly shows that God is concerned about our time. In this day and age, time seems to be a real issue for most people. We have time management courses, and an unending stream of electronic devices to help us organize, schedule and remember. God wants us to balance work with rest and worship.

"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy."—Exodus 20:8 (NIV)

Even God set aside a day of rest,...after six days of creation. Jesus set aside times to rest away from the crowds. And so we need to learn to balance all our busy activities, with rest and worship. Sabbath means rest. God told us to set aside this time because He loves us, and knows we need it. Without a special time to rest and worship, our focus on God will become dimmer. Without rest, we tend to stress more, and start to suffer physically and emotionally,...as well as spiritually.

The Sabbath is a time to regroup for the coming days,...a time to focus on God.
It's a time to enjoy our family, and to experience rest and recreation.

God has given us this gift,...let's enjoy it!

Lord, thank You for the Sabbath, for this special time for rest and worship. Help us learn to better balance our time and activities,...and not neglect the Sabbath. Amen.

 

"Make sure that there is a witness in your spirit, so that you will know you're on the right track."  

The 3rd Commandment

Good Morning!! This is the third of the Ten Commandments and emphasizes right thinking regarding the name of the Lord. Most of us want our names to be spoken correctly and with honor and respect. God, whose name is above every name, desires,...and deserves,...his name to be used with the greatest respect and honor. Although this commandment is often and correctly, viewed as prohibiting profanity and blasphemy,...it means more than that.

"You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name."—Exodus 20:7 (NIV)

It also means we are never to take the Lord's reputation lightly. If we call ourselves Christian, we are privileged to use His name. And we dishonor His precious name every time we say or do, something that does not show honor or respect for Him,...like when we hurt or condemn, rather than showing love to others. We should be careful not to take God's name frivolously in conversation,...or lightly in worship. We should avoid movies and TV programs that use His name in profanity, or show other signs of disrespect.

 Let us use the Lord's name with reverence, and honor Him in all we say, in all we do,...and in all that we are. 

Father, help us to honor Your Holy name, not only in our speech, but in every thought,...in our attitudes and in every thing that we do. In Jesus' name. Amen.

 "Make sure that there is a witness in your spirit, so that you will know you're on the right track."

The 2nd Commandment

Good Morning!! This is the second of the Ten Commandments and shows that we are to worship only God. God forbids us to worship or use created things or even creation itself as an approach to him. Not trees, or flowers, or land. Not statues, monuments,...not even traditions. Only God. We should have no God-substitutes.

"You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below."—Exodus 20:4 (NIV)

When we look to anyone or anything other than God as our primary source of meaning, self-worth, comfort or fulfillment, we are in danger of having an idol in our lives. An idol is anything that we depend on for solutions that only God can provide. Three common types of idols are substances, behaviors and relationships that control our lives.

God doesn't want us to serve idols, because He loves us, and knows what's best for us. Let us come before Him daily, seeking His will and His plan for our lives.

Lord, forgive us for trying to find comfort, solutions, and happiness in things, activities or relationships. Although You may use some of these things or people, to enrich our lives and to help us,...I know that You are the source of all good things. Holy Spirit help us to stop depending on weak substitutes. Amen.

 

"Make sure that there is a witness in your spirit, so that you will know you're on the right track."

 

The 1st Commandment

Good Morning!! The Ten Commandments deal with our relationship with God and with others. The bottom line is love. Each of these commandments holds a great deal of meaning for our lives today. One of the more prevalent "other gods" in our society today is the New Age Movement. Today's scripture is the first of the Ten Commandments. It calls for an undivided faithfulness to God.

" You shall have no other gods before Me."—Exodus 20:3 (NIV)

Because we have been created in God's image, this relationship is at the very core of human need,...and affects everyone. "Other gods" usually brings to mind wooden or stone figures,...or the proclaimed god, of another religion. But there are more subtle "other gods." Anything that takes our focus off Christ,...anything that we devote more time, attention and allegiance to, than Jesus, can become our other god. It might be money, sports, or sex. It could even be our job, a relationship,...it can even be our working in a ministry.

It's good to do a periodic reality check: Am I asking God for guidance,...or doing my own thing. Am I trusting in my job, another person, or my own abilities more than I'm trusting in the Lord?

Father God, forgive us for sometimes getting sidetracked, and allowing other things or people, to become more important in our life than You. Holy Spirit help us to refocus on Jesus. Amen.

"Make sure that there is a witness in your spirit, so that you will know you're on the right track."  

The Father Speaks, Are You Listening?

Good Morning, It's a Marvelous Monday!!...And I Started It Off By Praying For Enough Of God's Grace, Mercy, Wisdom, And Strength To See Us All Through. It's important that we always keep an open, and listening, heart toward God. We may have devotions for weeks, without feeling as though God has spoken to us. We may worship and pray faithfully, and nothing special seems happen. We may even wonder if God hears us at all,...but God does listen, and speak to us,...in His time, not ours.

Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;....Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.—Proverbs 2:3, 5 (KJV)

One day we're reading the Bible and a wonderful, new insight comes to us that helps us see our situation differently. Or we're worshiping and an awesome sense of the presence of God unexpectedly floods over us. Or we are praying much as we always do, only this time a veil lifts and we are aware that we are in the very presence of God! We do not control God with our devotions, our worship or our prayers. These we offer to Him because we need to give them and because He is worthy. But they do keep us ready for the occasions when God speaks a personal word to us.

 We can't know or even anticipate when God will speak a personal word to us. But we can be listening when He does!

 The more time we spend with the Father and His Word, the more opportunity we have to hear Him speak. Amen.

"Make sure that there is a witness in your spirit, so that you will know you're on the right track." 

The Holy Spirit

Good Morning, It Has Truly Been A Great Week!! Is there a primary sign, of the presence of the Holy Spirit , in the life of an individual? First of all, let's be clear about the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a person, not simply a force or a thing. He is the Spirit of God. He is the person who spoke through the prophets. The apostle Paul introduces a quote from the prophet Isaiah by saying, " The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet..." (Acts 28:25).

 " He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. "—Luke 11: 23 (KJV)

What about today? How do we know the Holy Spirit is really behind what someone says today? After all, the Bible tells us, "Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world." (1 John 4:1). Here is a test,...outlined by the apostle Paul. It is the single most important test for identifying the presence of the Holy Spirit. "No one speaking by the Spirit of God says, 'Jesus is Accursed;' and no one can say, 'Jesus is Lord,' except by the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:3). The first test for the presence of the Holy Spirit is a heartfelt confession acknowledging Jesus Christ as the supreme Lord over the life of the individual speaking.
 

" Fear(meaning respect)brings a sense of awe and reverence toward God....

A lack of fear(respect)demonstrates a lack of understanding of who God is and what He is able to do. "   

 (The Man God uses,  Henry & Tom Blackaby, p. 14)

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" it is impossible for a man who loves God to say 'NO, Lord'

because if Christ is truly our Lord, we cannot refuse Him."

 (The Man God uses,  Henry & Tom Blackaby, p. 14)

"God's plan in redemption was that we should live life FULL of the Holy Spirit."