Thursday, March 19, 2009

Attending to God's Word


Proverbs 4:20-27

1.My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings.
Instead of ever altering God's Word to my lifestyle, I make the quality decision to always alter my lifestyle to fit the Word.

2.Do not let them depart from your eyes
I give my attention only to the Word, keeping it in front of my eyes CONSTANTLY!

3.Keep them in the midst of your heart
I keep the Word in my heart and refuse to be sidetracked, allowing His promised harvest to come (Mark 4:14-20)

4.For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.
Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.

Since the Word is vital to my health and to my very life, I gie no attention to things that would rob my peace and engender strife. I stay on the faith side of everything. I stay on the love side.

5.Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you.
I know that my mouth speaks out of the abundance of my heart. I put away any disobedience or unbelief from my heart - from my mouth!

6.Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you.
Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. Turn not to the right or the left: remove your foot from evil.

By attending to the Word and keeping my eyes on Jesus, I always know where I am and where I'm going. My ways are established. I will not be confused.

Father, HELP US to stay close and obedient to Your Word. HELP US to make it FIRST in our lives and mean business with all You have to say. HELP US to be established in it and live and move and have our being IN it. In Jesus' Name

Sunday, March 8, 2009

God, the Ten Commandments and Us



Most of us have at least some knowledge about what God said about the Ten Commandments in the Bible. Some might think it just to be a nice story in the Bible. Some might think that those days are past and they no longer have to do with us....and SOME might not even know about them at ALL! :)

1. You shall have no other gods before Me.
2. You shall not make for yourself any graven images.
3. You shall not take the Name of the Lord your God in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
5. Honor your father and your mother.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet anything that is your neighbors.

They are listed in Exodus 20.

The Word tells us that if we look upon a woman (or man) and lust after them - we've already committed adultery in our hearts.

Who of us have never "stolen" something - maybe even from the office, a neighbors yard, or something that we thought would not be missed?

Have any of us ever LIED, or LONGED after something that SOMEONE else has and WE WANT IT, gotta have IT?

Any of us ever HATE...the Lord understands that as MURDER in our hearts.

Disrespect a parent?

Take the Name of the Lord in vain. I've heard people swear (cuss) using God's Name, but have any of us ever prayed a prayer to the Lord, in Jesus' Name, and then turn around and speak against that prayer that we prayed (in unbelief) that we don't see it happening, and wring our hands and doubt what we even prayed ourselves. Taking the Name of the Lord in vain.

Idols.....we see them all around us. There's even television program that sports the name. eh? :)

Someone mentioned recently to me that I was not worshipping on the Sabbath....I make EVERY DAY a HOLY day and worship God EVERY Day. Which ever day in the week that any of us choose to gather together, we're to make it holy unto the Lord and remember Him. We're not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together, particularly as we see the Day of His coming approaching.

I've heard folks say that they cannot KEEP the Commandments...then I found
Matthew 22:35-40 that tells us
35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying,
36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"
37 Jesus said to him, " 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'
40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

There's great freedom in the Law of Love that Jesus is speaking about here.
If we are walking in the Love Jesus speaks of here, we will not desire to do ANYTHING that will disgrace the Lord, or disturb our love for those around us. We'll not steal from them, lie to them, murder any of them, commit adultery....etc etc. Get the picture?

The GREAT LAW OF LOVE frees us up to live in the Love of the Lord, and just DO what we're instructed to with great ease.

SO anytime our enemy (the devil) will aproach us and whisper his lies to our ears, to try to tempt us into something that we already KNOW not to be right....all we have to do is to remind ourselve that WE WALK IN THE LAW OF LOVE. The Love Walk.

Father, thank You for HELPING US to make use of Your Word, and be willing and obedient to Your instructions to us. HELP US to listen to the LOVE that You have placed in our hearts and respond to it all the days of our lives. In the Name of Jesus.