God's Name Holy, Detueronomy 5:11

God's name Holy

Deuteronomy 5:11 You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

Weak... many modern translations do a poor job in translation of the use of God's name. The Hebrew for the word the NIV translates into misuse actually translates to the word vain. It is unclear what it means to misuse God's name. It is much more clear to understand what it means to take the Lord's name in vain. Synonyms for vain include, worthless, useless, pointless, without purpose, and, of course, inefficacious! Basically, it is to use God's name as a by-word, an add on, or to make you sound more believable. (Another definition for vain is about one's self - narcissistic, self absorbed. I couldn't see how that fit until now.)  To use the word vain helps us understand what it means to misuse God's name.

K and A, sadly, it is way to common to hear someone swear using the name of God. Especially... I can't write it. You know what it is. That became popular by the original Magnum PI TV program and it has taken on life in abbreviated form in social media. Growing up, people would use substitutes for the word God or Jesus. Today, people say it without qualm. Only Christians use the substitutes.

Daughters, please be careful not to get caught in the trap of using substitutes words. I have seen good people write out the abbreviation on Facebook. I'll name a few word for this post that I feel uncomfortable even thinking long enough saying and writing them... OM gosh, I've seen people write. We all know what they mean. Jesus said let your yes be yes... you do not have to add to your words to make it believable. Some say they don't mean anything by it. It's just an expression, an interjection to give emphasis. Isn't that the whole point of the commandment!

God's name is Holy! We are not to use it flippantly. It is not to be used to boost our points, not to be given as a promise to swear by. He is not an expression. His name is to be as Holy as the One it represents.

Isn't it then just as wrong to use words a substitute for him and his name? Take Geez - here is what the top definition is on urbandictionary.com - Short for Jesus. Used by Christians who don't want to "use the Lord's name in vain" Check out the word Sheesh on that site too. The world knows what they mean when good people say it. Why don't Christians understand what they are saying... Should we really have a substitute for God or his name - NO!

Remember what God says - he will not hold anyone guiltless... I do not understand fully what that means, but it sure doesn't sound good! K, I understand that you haven't grown up with this teaching, and it can be hard to accept when you know so many good people who use substitute words for God. Please consider this exhortation, and treat God and his name with respect and holiness.

~Dad

Understand that although the Bible talks about  harsh words - swearing. We must understand that taking the Lord's name in vain is much worse than any 4 letter swear word we can utter!

No Idols IV: Today's Idols, Deuteronomy 5:9a

No Idol IV: Today's Idols

Deuteronomy 5:9a You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God am a jealous God,

 In thinking of this topic, we need to consider what an idol is. Specific to this commandment, it is a graven image, something made in the image of God's creation to which we bow down and worship instead of its Creator. I do not think it is wrong to expand on this concept to mean anything we place in importance or give credit to for our needs or even desires. All belongs to God and whether we have created or developed it physically or mentally, it can fall into the realm of worshipping something other than God.

So let's name some areas in life where they exist and also name some specific ones. If you think of anything else or disagree, you can make comment;

People: Spouses, Boss, TV/Movie Stars, Music groups, Sports Players, Business People, Preacher, Teachers, Self

Events: Holidays, Anniversaries, Race Day, Football, Sports, Hunting, Get-togethers Revival/Camp Meetings Church

Animals: Pets, Farm Animals, Show Animals

Things: Cars, Houses, Tools, Kitchen, Man Cave, Cabin, Camper, Guns, Clothing, Jewelry, Phone,

Other: Money Success, Education, Aptitude, Training, Abilities, Career, Physical Build, Good Looks, Sex, Drugs, Alcohol, Food, Safety

It appears that anything can become a god, if we choose to worship it other than the true God, the I Am. There is a website that is devoted to teen idols called teenidols4you.com. The most common adult idols are pornographic or sexual related, of course that could be said about the teen one in a lighter way - sexual in nature that is. There are adults idols whose names I never heard of - of the top 25 listed when I "binged" common idols of today, I heard of name 24 - Emma Watson. Not sure who she is, but I heard of her.

K and A, What idols have a tendency to creep into your life? What takes your time, what encompasses your thinking, what do you spend your free time doing, where does your money go, what do you rely on to make life worthwhile.

• TV & Movies steal time away from God, Bible reading and meditation
• Clothing/Jewelry/Makeup can rob you of true worth... your hair really isn't that important, your clothes don't have to be the latest style.
• A spouse is a partner you lift and encourage to help them succeed in serving God. God is your protector, supplier, emotional stability
• Music is crucial in worshipping God, but elevating a group or style steals from his glory
• Technology steals money and gives direct access into wickedness - twill be the death of the Amish if they aren't careful

Daughters, you know what I think of pride. It steals the glory from the Lord. It is directly related to idol worship. Idol worship is anything that we look to which brings hope in life, which give a sense of security, and an ere of satisfaction and contentment. These attributes are not to be stolen from God. He is the one who supplies what we need. Give him the credit, the glory, for what you have and look to him for what you need. He hold the keys to it all, for he owns it all! 

~Dad

No Idols III: God's Love, Deuteronomy 5:10

No Idols III: God's Love

Deuteronomy 5:10 but showing love to a thousands generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

What is the opposite of punishment... LOVE. Now we know that God is love and that he loved us and gave his son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Therefor we know that he loved us before we loved him, for we could not truly love him before he took away our sin.

Wait, doesn't this verse say that if we do not love him he will not show us love? Sounds like we are in a catch 22. It looks as if it says that he won't show love to us unless we love him, but then we can't love him unless we have been saved, but that can't happen if he hasn't shown him love to us but he won't show love to us unless we love him... that make my head spin!

Daughters, God loves you and desires you. Long before you understood anything spiritual or felt the tug of the Spirit on your heart, God reached out to you. Yet you must realize now that you are a follower of Jesus, you must be obedient to him and to his Father, or he will punish you. First that is in the form of discipline, but if you refuse to acknowledge him and worship other gods, you will bear his eternal punishment! John 14:21 says that those who obey Christ's commands are the one who truly love him. Those are the ones the Father loves and Christ does as well!

K and A, The Lord loves everyone, yet wide is the road to destruction... sadly many follow it. Narrow is the way to eternal life, few find it. You have found it! Walk in it daily by following the Lord's commands and you will sense the love of the Lord in your life and later in those whom you bear.

~Dad

No Idols II: Or Else, Deuteronomy 5:9

No Idols II: Or Else

Deuteronomy 5:9 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sins of their fathers to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me.

Again, I said in the last post, it seems odd to us in the US to see someone bow down to an idol. It happens everyday, but in our circles it is not seen, even on TV we do not see it portrayed. Be assured it is happening, and it will increase in frequency. Know this, God is not pleased! He told the Israelites that he would be sure to punish them for doing so, and not only them but their decedents as well. God expects everyone to give him honor, but to those who know who he is, he expects adherence to his ways. And with those who lead his people, he demands a greater accounting.

There is a truth in the OT that we think nothing of today. Our sin does affect others. We are not an island unto ourselves. Not only do sinful escapades have direct affect on the lives of those who commit them, but when Christians sin, it often destroys the faith of others. Not only that, but this verse shows us how disturbed God is with not keeping him first in our lives... he says he will punish those that sin and also carry that punishment to their children down to their great-grand children... that seems severe! It is. Sin is not to be thought of lightly especially worshipping someone or something other than him!

K and A, determine to only worship the Lord. You cannot have two master, you cannot serve God and partake in the pleasures of sin. You must choose and God is the only real choice to make. Live for him!

~Dad

No Idols, Deuteronomy 5:8

No Idols

Deuteronomy 5:8 You shall not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on earth beneath, or in the waters below.

This commandment is specific in making idols... physical representations of gods. If you look at Greek mythology, each god has a statue, a idol. If you take a look at other religions, you will see they too have their idols. These are hand made, crafted items, some very large, others very small. Man thinks up a god, creates a model to represent it, then worships what their hands have created. We saw this happen soon after God gave the command not to make idols when the people of Israel made, then worshiped the golden calf. Foolishness!

K and A, when I grew up idol worship seemed odd, yet today we see it happening in our country. I had a student go to Mexico, and when he returned, he gave it to me for good luck... something I could hold and pray to. In your lifetime you will see idol worship increase. Remember the amulets used in 90's cartoons for special powers... many Christian parents bought them for their children or got them in McDonalds Happy Meals... Uncle John warned us of what the really were for they used them in Thailand in their cars and around children necks. They are a house for the spirits you pray to for protections etc... Be careful not to get lured into a trap of innocent looking trinkets. Satan has wriggled his way into many a home. Tomorrow we will talk more of how Satan has done this in the lives of Christians.

~Dad

No Other God's, Deuteronomy 5:7

No Other Gods

Deuteronomy 5:7 You shall have no other God's before me.

What is a god? A simple definition might be what one looks to for control over nature and the future and for moral authority. Some religions have gods for each aspect of life; Science and Arts, Weather, War, Luck/Chance, Of the Unknown, Agriculture/Food, Wine, Sexual Desire, Procreation, Of the Dead, Strength, Of Sleep/Dreams, Nature, Solar System, Oceans, Disasters/Storms, and Death and more (Greek gods and goddesses). The reason I mention these is to show areas in life where we might set up '"gods" in our lives that take the place of the one true God - Jehovah.

What do we turn to which takes the place of God in our lives? Let's name things that can become gods to us: Science, Mother Nature, Alcohol, Abortion, Lovers, Pornography, Drugs - legal or otherwise, Nicotine, Marijuana, Coffee, Doctors, Acupuncture, Psychics, Horoscopes, Dating Services, Internet - bonjour (tv commercial),  Friends, Music, Work.... I think you might get it by now. Anything can become a god in our lives to replace the one true God, I AM!

K and A, be careful you do not place the trust for your health and welfare, whether physical or spiritual, in any person or thing but only in God. He is your source for moral authority. He defines what is right and what is wrong. No one can give stability in your life besides Jesus. When you turn to other things, they will at some point fail you. Only God does not fail; he will not fail you    nor forsake you! Place your faith and trust in him alone. Make him your God. Have none besides him!

~Dad

I Am, Deuteronomy 5:6

I Am

Deuteronomy 5:6 I am the Lord your God who brought you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

In a discussion or for a sermon based on this verse, we could go in a few different directions; The Lord - Your God, What is your Egypt, or even No Longer A Slave to Sin. For today, and for the discussion in the context of the Ten Commandments... I want to focus on the phrase I Am.

Remembering where the phrase came into use, we know that God was declaring his authority. "Who should I tell them sent me?" asked Moses. "Tell them, I Am sent me to you," the Lord replied. Moses was afraid to go speak to his people, because he felt he had no authority, and he was right. God, the creator, the one who was, who is and who always will be - the I Am has the authority to declare what is and what will be! It was true for the Hebrew people, it was true for Pharaoh, and it is true for us today!

K and A, The Ten Commandments are given to you by God, the I Am. He has the authority to declare them. Right and wrong is determined by him. Man cannot create his own set of morals. God sets morality! Murder - wrong, Homosexuality - wrong, Sex outside of marriage - wrong, Lying - wrong, Coveting - wrong... Never yield to the pressures of the world or of the circumstances around you. I Am determines your eternal destination!

~Dad

The Ten Commandments, Deuteronomy 5:4...5

the Ten commandments

Deuteronomy 5:4...5 The Lord spoke to you face to face out of the fire on the mountain... and he said:

Again I want to stress the importance of the Ten Commandments. They are under assault in the United States. This is true not only in our society and court system but also in our churches. These commands to the Israelites were not just good ideas. They were and still are the actual words spoken by God for his people to live by.

K and A, as we take another look at these commands of God from the book of Deuteronomy, keep in mind they are Gods words to you. Paul told Timothy that they are good for training in righteousness. He could use them to teach, rebuke, and correct those in the church. Now remember, although these can lead you to salvation, doing them will not actually save you... our faith in what Christ has done on the cross, the acceptance of his sacrifice for our sins, is what cleanses us from sin. The Scriptures, which include the Ten Commandments, are God words to you which train you how to live as God desires (righteousness). Christ is the only way to rid our lives of sin, and the Spirit is the only was we will ever live out his commands.

As in all my posts - this is an overview of what I believe God wants me to tell you, not an exhaustive study... you can do that on your own.

~Dad

Inscribed By God Himself, Deuteronomy 9:10

inscribed By God

Deuteronomy 9:10 The Lord gave me two stone tablets inscribed by the finger of God. On them were all the commandments the Lord proclaimed to you on the mountain out of the fire, on the day of the assembly.

The commandments of God to the people of Israel were part of the covenant he had designed for them. He had promised to take care of them, if they would be obedient to his commands. They would be his people, and he their God. Try to grasp the special arrangement the God of the universe was making: If you obey me, I will be your God... they could have the true God on their side, protecting them and supplying for their needs! That is amazing; the Creator of all things would choose a people for himself, his own treasured possession

Yet there was a catch, they had to obey his commandments. How would they know what he wanted them to do... He would proclaim it to them and give to them a written copy. God took a stone and made two stone tablets and inscribed on them the commandments they were to follow. These were the words of life itself, the words of life eternal!

K and A, The Ten Commandments are poo pooed today as just a set of guidelines for us. Even in the church we are often told that these are part of the old covenant and do not apply to us. I beg to differ! They are still the words of life to us if we follow them. Certainly, they are incomplete as far as forgiveness of sin, they were in Moses' day as well. They are not salvation, but they are the character of God in written form. People like to say... the commandments are to love God and your neighbor. They are right - even Jesus said so, but what many fail to recognize is that the Ten Commandments along with others written in the OT are how we carry out the command to love! These commandments are not just good words used as a guide to living, they are the way to life God desires to inscribe on your heart.

~Dad

Fix Upon your Heart, Genesis 11:18

Fixed upon Your Heart

Genesis 11:18 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds. Tie them as symbols on your hands, bind them on your foreheads.

Another school year is upon us! K, you are long done taking classes. Your classes are now learned in the school of hard knocks... but I hope you start back up on your nursing training. A, student teaching, wow. It makes me happy that music part of your life, but may you never march to the beat of the world.

Again I will attempt to write to you... will this be the last of my posts to help you in your walk with the Lord? I hope not! I am not sure what you think. But, I pray God has used them over the past 4 years to help you grow strong in your faith and consistent in your living for him!

Notice the words of this verse... Fix these words of mine, I hope you follow my word and count them as sound teachings, but I want you to fix on your heart and minds the words of God. Read, study, memorize, and review what God has written for us, for you! They will bring fullness of life and satisfaction to the soul! Find ways, no! create ways for the word to be before you to remind you of his love and his expectations. He has come to give life and that, to the full! (John 10:10), So fix your minds on serving God and you will find true satisfaction!

~Dad