More Than Words, Deuteronomy 5:27

More Than Words

Deuteronomy 5:27Go near and listen to all that the Lord our God tells you. We will listen and obey.

After the people of Israel heard the voice of God delivery the Ten Commandments from the out of the fire, they were fearful. Apparently the whole mountain appeared to be on fire, and they thought it would consume them. They asked Moses if he would speak with the Lord and be an intermediary for them... You listen to the Lord, then tell us what he says, and we will obey.

The people of Israel were a finicky bunch. Moaning and complaining, committed then weak, These people seemed to be committed only in word and failed to fully trust the Lord. We must learn from their example. As the Israelites heard from the Lord, they believed what he said was good, but they couldn't see that God was good and would protect them. God spoke to them, not in a vision, not through an intermediary, but thunderously through the fire. Certainly, this was an awesome sight. One that would cause you to have reverence and a degree of fear. They recognized his law was good and wanted to hear more from God, but they did not want to be close to him. That was for somebody else. They tasted the Lord and he was good, but they could not take refuge in him.

K and A, It is common for people to go to church throughout their life and never really be committed to the Lord. Any real encounter with the Lord scares them, and they do not want to "go through" with him. An association with Christ is enough for them. But you, be willing to fully trust the Lord. There have been times for me when the commitment God called me to seemed bigger than I could handle, but I have found that victory and peace comes in following his ways. Understand, daughters, that being a Chrstian is much more than just salvation. You are to go on from there unto perfection. It more than just saying, I believe in Jesus Christ.

~Dad

Spoken By God, Deuteronomy 5:22

SPoken By God

Deuteronomy 5:22 These are the commandments the Lord proclaimed in a loud voice to your whole assembly there on the mountain from out of the fire, the cloud and the deep darkness; and he added nothing more. Then, he wrote them on two stone tablets and gave them to me.

The Ten Commandments are not a set of moral codes set up by Moses for the people of Israel. These laws are commanded by God himself! He spoke them, so all who were in attendance could hear. These he also wrote down on stone tablets, so those who were not there could know them as well.

That would be us! We too have heard the Word God spoke to the Israelites. We know his commands. But is that enough? No! It is not. We are not called to just know them but to do them. Jesus said that when we obey his God's commands, it shows that we truly love him. If we obey his commands, God will love us. (Oh now, before you get all snowflakey on me, There is a love God has for us that is not dependent on our spiritual condition. I am not talking about that type of love.) God has a special love for his children which goes beyond his love for all people. There is a closeness with God that comes to those who obey the Words he has spoken.

K and A, Do you obey all the ten commandments? Or do you pick and choose. They are the voice of God given for you. Do you have the closeness to God that is possible for those that truly love him? If you are obedient to his Word, his Spirit will come close, and you will never be the same! Seek to know his Word. Purpose to carry out his decrees. You will find nothing better than following his voice!

~Dad

Do Not Covet, Deuteronomy 5:21

Do Not Covet

Deuteronomy 5:21 You shall not covet your neighbors wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor's house or land, his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

If your neighbor is anyone you meet, and you are not to covet anything your neighbor has... that about covers it. Do not covet! As the second sentence of this verse says, to covet is to desire what your neighbor has. Failure to follow this command can lead to violating many of the other commands relating to your fellow man. If you covet someone's wife, you may commit adultery. If you covet their land, you may murder. If you covet anything they have, you may end up stealing those possessions. Covetousness goes hand in hand with jealousy, and they change how people act toward one another and how they respect what others have. Great evils come from not controlling the desires of the heart.

What do we do when others succeed? Do we covet their award, their accolades? Do we get upset at them? If others get a new car, new clothes, glasses, hair style... Why are their new fads? Too often, we don't want to look out of place, or we desire what others will say, how "hip" or how fashionable we are. We must not seek such pride.

K and A, desire the things of the Lord. Desire more of him in your life. Forget chasing after the ways of the world. Seek to be acceptable to him. There is much talk about being your own person... who cares what others think. Yet, this too is not good. Instead of seeking acceptance from man, or from self, seek acceptance from God. It only matters what he thinks. When you earnestly desire him, you will become the apple of his eye. There you will find his protection and love. You will have everything you always wanted and more!

~Dad

Do Not Lie II, Deuteronomy 5:19

Do Not Lie, II

Deuteronomy 5:19 You shall not bear false testimony against your neighbor.

A little sick today so Friday's post is coming out on Saturday...

I wanted to talk a little about more about lying. In what ways do people lie?

Little White Lies These, no matter how good the intention are untrue statements and often lead to greater lies.

• Did you do your homework last night? Yes, but I left it on the table. You had never done you homework
• Are you coming to the picnic? No, I'm not feeling well. You feel fine you just don't want to go.
• Come along, Mom. We'll go to their anniversary celebration. Actually it was a surprise birthday party for her.

Lies of Protection These lies are set to protect someone, yourself or others, Similar to white lies, these are still falsehoods. Sad thing is they normally create a larger issue than they were that must be dealt with later, when it could have been settled at the beginning with minor pain on either side.

• Is your father there, says the boss on the phone. He's not here right now. Really, your dad just doesn't want to be called into work, and you are protecting his name on the call in list.
• Is Sally there? No, she had to go out to the store with her dad. Actually, she can't stand her "friend" but doesn't want to hurt her feelings.
• Do you want to go get something to eat together? No, I'm not really hungry. Sadly you don't have the nerve to tell him you can't stand him. 

Direct Lies These lies most people believe are wrong yet some do them anyway.

• Anyone see my hacksaw? George, did you see it? No, I don't even know what it looks like. You stole it while he was at lunch.
• Did you tattle on me? No! Liar, Jordan said you told him and that you were going to tell the boss! He's lying. I didn't say that! You are caught but you make up other lies to cover it up.

K and A, there are all kinds of lies. I just wanted to spark your mind into thinking about the things you have said, or heard others say. Remember that all liars have their place in the lake of fire! That is an important truth we cannot deny. As I said in my last post, we don't have to blabber all the brutal truth, but when we are confronted directly, we must never tell an untruth!

~Dad

Here is an example of not telling the whole truth yet being honest to keep from saying an untruth...

I once was working for a farmer. He needed a special breaker I did not have and was a special order item. Later, when I went to his place to work he asked if I had the breaker... I had not ordered it, but I should have y then. So, trying to protect myself I said, it is not in yet. That is not untrue, but when he asked did I order it... I had to say no, I hadn't. Doing otherwise was certainly a lie that God would held me accountable for! Be careful not to lie, eternity depends on it. You may save face now but loose your soul forever!

Do Not Lie, Deuteronomy 5:19

Do Not Lie

Deuteronomy 5:19 You shall not bear false testimony against your neighbor.

But who is my neighbor? said an expert in the law to Jesus. Although this commandment does not specifically specify lying, to bear false testimony is lying. And as Jesus said through the parable of the good Samaritan , our neighbor is anyone we meet. We must not take someone down by making up a story about them. It is the Christian's duty to encourage and lift those whom we meet or are in acquaintance with. To tear them down, is contrary to God's character and ours!

Now lying is very similar. We may not be tearing someone down, but we are certainly trying to keep others from seeing the truth. We are altering the truth by creating a false picture. We may be seeking to protect our character or hide something from others. What ever the reason, we must keep in mind that the Lord said that all liars have their place in the lake of fire!

K and A, lying for any reason is wrong. There certainly are cases in which it is wise not to tell everything we know. I have heard people say, well, to be truthful..., in backing up what they say (let your yes be yes and your no, no). It is as if they are saying, at other times I am lying. Better to say something like, well, to be completely open...  I am certainly not open with everything I talk about. You don't have enough time to hear it all anyway. Live above the temptation of lying for any reason. White lies are just as black as regular lies.  Even when you find that the truth may hurt you, even when you feel it may hurt the person you are talking to, it always hurts less than the trouble a lie creates! Remember that honesty is always best.

~Dad

PS. I never said you should be brutally honest. Remember we are to encourage and lift others. Sometimes, it is best to keep our mouths shut!

Do Not Steal, Deuteronomy 5:19

Do Not Steal

Deuteronomy 5:19 You shall not steal.

When people desire to have what another has and their hearts are evil, the steal it. At work, people have stolen items worth hundreds of dollars. People also steal lost cost items of only a few dollars. Recently, we were set to have a picnic and the main gas grill was missing. No one knew where it had gone. Apparently, it must have vanished into thin air?!

Are things the only way to steal. We had a pastor once who remembered a sermon he had heard over 50 years earlier preached on stealing people's time. There's a thought. What other things can we think of... stealing honor, someone's credit, stealing glory from God, stealing someone's self-esteem... Taking what belongs to another without their permission is stealing. We must be careful, we must be honest with ourselves.

K and A, I try never to steal... but I have taken some things that belonged to others thinking they would thrown out and as the Lord kept bothering me, I took them back. One was an old  pencil sharpener from a jobsite. It would have gone in the dumpster, so I unscrewed it from the counter before the counter was discarded. Later the banker, Mr. Singer if I'm not mistaken, came and asked if anyone saw the pencil sharpener... I never said a word, until months later well after the job was complete... I returned with the sharpener and asked for Mr. Singer... I explained what I had done and asked for forgiveness. He said it was okay, and that I could keep it. I remember telling him to keep it. The point: when the Lord convicts you, do as he asks and clear your conscience, before it gets seared! Otherwise, you won't mind sinning any more. Repentance helps build our faith and trust in God.

~Dad

Do Not Commit Adultery, Deuteronomy 5:18

Do Not Commit Adultery

Deuteronomy 5:18 You shall not commit adultery

Having sexual intercourse with a married person is considered adultery. It could be a person who is married having intercourse with a person who is not married, or two married persons who each have spouses. Two unmarried person having intercourse is considered fornication and is against God 's law as well, but is not specifically covered by this commandment.

Jesus, in the Sermon on The Mount, toughened this commandment. As with murder, he took it back to where it starts, in the heart and mind. He says, if anyone looks lustfully on a woman, he has already committed adultery in his heart. Lust is to adultery as hate is to killing! It begins in the heart and mind and pervade the parts of your body. As another example, Jesus says that what comes out of the mouth started in the heart and defiles the man.

K and A, there are two things that I heard often  over the years... when speaking about swearing, oops that slipped, I don't talk that way - what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart. It's okay to look, just so you don't touch - you already committed adultery in your heart. Sexual sin is rampant today. Whether married or single, sexual sin and temptations are real. It has been a problem throughout all generations. TV and movies, the internet are full of it. When you begin to minimize the issue, it begins to suck you in and soon you'll be caught. So stay far from it... I have saved a post... it applies to married and unmarried alike entitled, I Kept My Virginity but Not My Purity. Stay far from the boundary of sin! It can happen to you if not vigilant.

~Dad