Love Is The Summation Of The Law

Exodus 20:1-17 KJV; 3rd Sunday of Lent; The ten commandments remind us to love God above all other gods and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

A Peculiar People

Exodus 19:2-8; 1 Peter 2:9 KJV: In spite of our sinful natures, God has still called us to be his peculiar people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation.

Give God The Glory

Revelation 14:6-7 KJV; Reformation Sunday; Give God the glory for He is the one true God; the creator of heaven and earth.

The Way To Freedom

Exodus 14:19-22 He led the Israelites to freedom. He will also lead you.

Swearing: Using God's Name In Vain

 

Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. (Exodus 20:7 KJV)

"The Second Commandment.

Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord, thy God, in vain.

What does this mean?-

-Answer.

We should fear and love God that we may not curse, swear, use witchcraft, lie, or deceive by His name, but call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks."

                                               (http://bookofconcord.org/smallcatechism.php)

I confess that every now and then my lips will release a word or maybe two or three that should not be spoken. I am very aware that I have sinned as soon as something slips out of my mouth that ought not to have.

It is troubling though, that so many do not even seem to recognize when they have taken God's name in vain. I know many love Him; but, for some reason they don't always recognize when they are speaking against Him. Sometimes, it needs to be brought to their attention.

Yes, sometimes I find myself asking others not to be swearing. No, I do not always ignore it when people take God's name in vain; when they blaspheme His Holy Name. I will ask them to please not take my God's name in vain; to not blaspheme against my God. I usually stress "my God" in attempts to make it clear that because of their language they have made it evident to me and others who might be around us that He is not their God; that they do not worship Him. If He were their God, they would not be using His name in such a manner and so very often.

There have been times when I've been in discussions (usually with younger people) and I've gotten responses like "OMG" or "Oh My G_ _!" (Father, forgive me for even writing it as an example.) My response to that is usually "I am not your God" and I walk away.

I find the language today atrocious. There is very little respect for one another and definitely not for God in many conversations. His name is thrown around like it was something cheap and disposable. It is even called upon when used to bully others; to persecute them.

I have also been known to use the phrase "speak with integrity" on rare occasions. Admittedly, the lies have to be pretty bad before I do that. Sometimes you have to let people know that if they want me others to understand what exactly is going on they will have to get their stories straight. Sometimes stories get so twisted, in order to justify one's own actions, that it can be difficult to glean the truth from the tale. This lack of truth-telling also blasphemes the Name of God when the one who is speaking claims to bear the name of Christ.

His Name is above all names and it is eternal. It ought not be used in rampages meant to hurt others or to justify our own sinful ways. It can and should be called upon for the healing of the nations. Use it wisely. 

May the Lord our God bless the words of our lips that we might glorify His Holy Name in all that we say and think and do.

God's Peace - Pr. J

He Frees His Children

And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them:

And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.

And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. 

                                                                              (Exod 14:19-22 KJV)

Pharaoh had let the people go and then had a change of heart. His army pursued the Israelites to bring them back into slavery. But, God had another plan. He intended for His people to be set free. The Lord parted the Red Sea so that His children could pass through unharmed and then He drowned Pharaoh's army when they tried to pursue them.

God intends for His children to be free; to be free to worship Him; to be live in freedom from bondage to those who would use and abuse them. If you feel trapped at the present time know that there is a path to freedom. God who parted the Red Sea for His people to pass through will also open up a path for you. The enemy of God's children will not prevail. 

Trust Him and follow in The Way that He has shown you. Trust His Way who is Jesus the Christ!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Remember the Sabbath

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

My husband and sons were logging together. Logging can be a pretty expensive business. We sometimes joked that it was just a hobby as it often felt like they were paying to work rather than earn livings since equipment breakdowns can get pretty expensive. On occasion, they would decide that they needed to work on Sunday morning rather than worship in order to make up for time lost due to the weather or equipment breakdowns. Every time they decided to do this they would have another piece of equipment break down on that Sunday morning. Do I think that God was punishing them for working on Sunday? No. I think that because they did not heed His word to rest on the seventh day that they were exhausted and when we work tired and troubled; accidents; problems occur. God does not give us the commandments so that He can punish us. The commandments are for our own good.

 

It has been many decades since I realized what this holy-day of rest meant for me. I can get pretty cranky at times. During a particularly trying period of my life I came to realize that if I did not attend worship on Sunday (or maybe Saturday evening) I was pretty difficult to live with the rest of the week. By Friday, nobody, including myself, wanted to be around me. I need to receive the means of grace, the Word and Sacrament of Holy Communion, in order for me to be a bit more graceful towards others. I need to be able to find rest in Christ in order to be refreshed for the upcoming days.

 

Thanks be to God, He has given us the gift of the holy-day to gather with the saints and hear His sacred Word.

 

God desires good for you. Receive the good gifts of His Word and the Sacrament of Holy Communion. These gifts are available, without cost, for you at your local place of worship. Do yourself, your family, and your friends a favor; go and listen to Him; receive His Word; receive the Lord in the Sacrament of Holy Communion! Join others in worship every seventh day, no matter which day that happens to fall on.

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Follow In The Way He Leads You

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.”  Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the Lord swept them into the sea. The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.

But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.  
                                                                                                               (Exodus 14:21-23; 26-29 NIV)

Slave to the Egyptians; the Lord was finally leading out of their bondage to a land of promise and hope. But, they were not going easily. The enemy close at their heels they found themselves trapped. How often have we felt cornered and trapped by an adversary? Even as the Lord parted the seas so that the Israelites could pass through unharmed; so shall He always find a way for all of His children. The enemy of God's children could not follow on the same path. They could not overtake them. The Lord closed the road and destroyed the enemy. There may be times when we feel like we might be overtaken and destroyed. But, God's children will never be destroyed for through Jesus Christ we have the hope of eternal life in the promised land; in His eternal Kingdom. He will make straight the path so that we might follow in the way that we must go no matter what might threaten to overtake us.

God's Peace be with you all - Pr. J

Do Not Insult The Spirit Of Grace

Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three

witnesses. How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Hebrews 10:28-31

It astounds me how anyone who knows about God would blaspheme His name with words too unimaginable to mention here. The Spirit of God is a Spirit of grace. God wants only good for all people. Yet, many will never accept Him; many will never get to know this Spirit of grace. They may know about Him; but, they refuse to get to know Him. 

Personally, I am really tired of hearing God's name taken in vain. I am really tired of hearing such horribly vulgar language. But, it doesn't matter that I am offended. It is a grave matter, though, to offend and fall into the hands of the living God. To use our Lord, Jesus the Christ's name in conjunction with such vulgarity is really asking for trouble to be brought upon one's self. Does no one really understand that it is not a good thing to blaspheme the Lord's name? It is a very dangerous thing! "You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name." Ex 20:7

Let us pray for all who would treat the Lord as nothing; even less than nothing.

God's Peace - Pr. J