Tag: Ten Commandments

The Law is Death

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Old Testament Law is death. The law killed Jesus Christ. People who could quote scripture and lived blameless in the law killed the Word — made flesh (John 1:14). Even Paul, the Pharisee of Pharisee, had to die unto himself to escape a life lived perfectly in the law. The law had to die in him for the spirit to fill him with the love of the new, better and perfect covenant. Paul tells us (Philippians 3:8) For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ. Paul is saying that his life, perfect in the law of the Old Testament, was worthless (as dung), in comparison to knowing Christ and living in His spirit. Without the law, sin is dead. (Romans 7:8) apart from the law, sin lies dead. Sin is made alive in the law but cannot exist in love!

(Romans 7:5-6)  For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

(Romans 7:7) if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin    –Apostle Paul

Life without Law

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In a genuine walk with Christ it is inevitable that we will come across those who take a legalistic view of God. They focus on the rules that must be followed to be in relation with/ accepted by God. The Old Testament consisted of rules that were meant to keep God’s people focused on Him as well as show the generations to come how impossible a perfect adherence to the law was. In God’s wisdom He fulfilled the law by becoming a perfect/ sinless human and allowing Himself to be offered as a sacrificial lamb for the sins of all who are willing to accept the sacrifice. Not only was the law fulfilled by Jesus Christ but the Ten Commandments given to Moses/ laws of the Prophets were covered in the Two Commandments of Jesus (Matthew 22:37-40). Living in a manner commanded by the Savior leaves a believer in a redeemed state where the focus isn’t law but grace. In the Holy Spirit and its fruit there is no law (Galatians 5:23). A person redeemed through Jesus has the law written on their heart, the fulfilment of law through love is in their new nature. Don’t lose sight of the redemptive work of Jesus. Allowing OT law to rule your life and take your focus away from Christ isn’t God’s desire. If we are meant to fulfill OT laws then Jesus died for nothing, His forgiveness isn’t the only way to redemption, and He was lying in (John 14:6).

Walking in the truth of God will make clear that Jesus is our way, He fulfilled the law, and was truthful in being the way to true reconciliation. I refuse to make my savior and God’s plan obsolete by looking past Jesus to a law that created a need for my Savior. Know God, know Jesus, and know that a heart that belongs to God does not require written laws!

All Things are for: GOD’s GLORY

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We live in a very selfish world. When people discuss the existence of God it is inevitable that someone stands up and says that if God existed then ‘How could He let ________happen?’ Whether it’s a death or a corrupt person gaining position, they feel that God has done wrong by their human standard and understanding. It is also inevitable that someone will say that ‘God wasn’t there for me when I needed Him.’ It all boils down to people having a human expectation of God. They expect Him to be as limited and weak as we are. God is more than any human can describe with our limited minds, experiences, or vocabulary. The way to describe God is in silence, the way to draw Him is to leave the canvas blank, and the way to understand Him is to know that you are not meant to and can’t. The only way to come close to an understanding of God is to be an open vessel that He can fill with His Spirit, which will teach you to become like Him. Only through sanctification can you begin to comprehend His person and only when you enter His kingdom will you understand: ‘I AM’.

My favorite way to be in tune with my creator is to understand that I will never understand. I praise the fact that He is more than I can ever truly absorb. That’s where faith in the fact that His representation of Himself in His word is the truth He wishes for me. Anything I need to know after that is taught to me through His Spirit which lives inside of me. It’s in the moments of silence, in fellowship with my Lord, that He leads me down a path where I can only see as far as He wants me to.

I’ve grown to understand and accept that all the things of this earth are for God’s Glory. Everything! His willingness to forgive the trespasses of those who accept His son as their sacrifice is for His glory. He sent Jesus to die for us and bring us closer to Him where we will come to the Father and worship Him. It’s all a focus on Him. His abundant grace and mercy for us is for His glory. It is because of our need for His grace and mercy that we recognize out need for Him and glorify Him. His compassion for our sinful nature is so that we have a Heavenly Father to turn to when we realize we are sojourners in this world.

The faith of some waivers when they compare their walk with the Lord (life) with the journey in darkness of non-believers. They see a sinful person gain fortune that surpasses their own and wonder why. It’s for God’s glory. He builds some up because He knows they must fall from a higher distance to truly come to the Father humble. That fall may be leading other around them to glorify Him as well. The fall of the sinful might bring them to repentance and dependence on God. It might also defend one of God’s servants or lead them to believe in His sovereignty.

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Some believers find themselves in times of trouble and wonder if God has turned from them when on the contrary He may be using these times to bring them closer to Him and to sanctification. Those same people may ignore God when times are good forgetting that all good things are from Him. They turn when things are difficult and expect Him to be there at their beck and call. They wonder where God has gone even though they are the ones wondering from His path. He will also bring prosperity to those He chooses among believers. He recognizes whose heart can handle that prosperity wisely and who will be brought low by it. He knows everyone’s heart and what it’s capable of under all circumstance. People want to become rich but fail to realize God knows the trouble that they would get themselves into with fortune they cannot handle.

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God’s creation is a giant network of circumstance and dealings that affect far more than we can imagine. The death of an infant may have ramifications that we cannot see in our confusion. God has a purpose for all things good and bad. Just because we cannot understand it doesn’t give us the right to humanize God and criticize His workings. We must rest assured that all of these dealings are to glorify a God that we praise and glorify as well. We serve a good God! All good comes from Him and He is completely good. Glory to God and His sovereign control of this world. I’m grateful that part of His plan included my adoption so that I might know my Heavenly Father and receive an inheritance that I will never be worthy to have.

The entire bible speaks to God’s Glory because that is what it all focuses on in its completeness. Please take time to read each verse and sit in quiet to consider each. Give God a quiet moment to speak to your heart.

Colossians 1:16-17) For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Psalm 19:1) The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Psalm 29:2) Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.

John 11:4) This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it

Acts 12:23) Immediately, because Herod did not give glory to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.

Romans 4:20) Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God

Romans 11:36) For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

1 Corinthians 1:27-29) But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him

Revelation 4:11) “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

Conclusion on Ten Commandments

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               While the death of Jesus Christ paid the debt for our sin and made the law obsolete, that only refers to our salvation. Our love and respect for God our Father should instill in us a desire to serve Him and be His means of representing His kingdom. Our actions don’t amount to filthy rags in regards to our salvation but when we realize that out creator has designed a way for us to live in this world we should rejoice in His direction. Taking into account all of His laws and using them to direct us makes our existence in this fallen world better than we could ever accomplish on our own. Following heavenly guidelines sets us apart from the darkness and allows us to grow and lead others to salvation. God’s way truly is the perfect way. As we follow Him we draw closer to Him in love and trust. We are provided a perfect father to hold our hand with grace, mercy and love that we cannot imagine with our earth-bound minds. He is so much more than we can fathom and that is something for us to rejoice in knowing that He is everything, and above all things. His commandments were written to a lost people He desired for Himself and we are still those people. We wonder aimlessly having to be guided through hardships, then fighting against the pain in those moments when we ignore His light. He stands with arms outstretched waiting for us to return. There is nothing that can separate us from that unconditional love.

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               As I walk through the gates of heaven when my time is done I can only imagine hitting my knees at the base of the throne, being washed white as snow by the blood of Jesus and hearing God say well done. I studied His word, followed His statutes and gave Him the glory He deserves while serving Him in this world with a love that fails in comparison to what He shows anyone willing to know Him. His laws were meant as a blanket in this cold world until we can stand in the fire of His presence and be warmed in His love. His word is alive then, now and forever. It is unchanging and yet never fails as the world turns upside down. Nothing compares to the comfort found in His hands, in His embrace, and in His light. I am thankful for the discernment that could only come from the Holy Spirit, alive inside me and the clarity He gives me that I know is only here because this is what He desires for me.

 

Ten Commandments (10)

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21 “‘And you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. And you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.’

God gives to each of us our rightful portion. God gives us enough to survive but not so much that we lose focus of Him. It is not our responsibility to focus on what God has desired to provide growth in our neighbor. When we desire what belongs to them we lose sight of the work of God and think that we might know better. Looking toward our neighbor’s path leads us away from our own. We live life in the fullness of God’s desire for us when we follow the unique light that He shines on our path to guide our steps. Striving toward the position of someone else leaves us open to trying to create a shortcut in our own journey which is design to bring us into the fullness of God’s plan for us. We should take joy in God’s provision for our neighbor and help him to take care of what belongs to him as we rejoice in what God provides for our sanctification without comparison which could only hinder our ability to show our neighbor the love God has told us we are to provide for everyone.

(Proverbs 19:2) 2 Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.

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Ten Commandments (9)

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20 “‘And you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Bearing false witness speaks to far more than false testimony. It refers to making a liar of yourself and speaking when the truth is not in your words or heart. You are not only looking to destroy another person, the speaker is actually destroying their own reputation and revealing the uncleanliness that lies within their heart. It is not the place of a believer to hurt another either physically or otherwise in this case. The ultimate command to love your neighbor as yourself is directly violated when you look to harm them. False witness not only destroys one life but both involved as well as defiling the will of God in both lives. (Proverbs 19:5) 5 A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will not escape.  

Ten Commandments (8)

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19 “‘And you shall not steal.

God give to each as He sees fit. God also takes away as He sees fit. A loving God uses difficulty to draw us closer to in so that we might take refuge in Him and grow in spiritual maturity and trust. Stealing is an example of man’s way of working around God. God allowed us free will which includes the ability to self sooth and avoid His work in our lives. One of the things that fallen people do is try to bypass God’s lessons and take the glory from God. The example of theft could easily be expounded upon and related to excessive alcohol and drug use. These also fall into the category of things people use to avoid reproof and hide from the pain experienced from living outside the light of God. (Ephesians 4:28) 28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

Ten Commandments (7)

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18 “‘And you shall not commit adultery.

Marriage was established as a covenant with God between a couple that defines the marriage as a three strand rope which is exponentially stronger than the two strand rope so common in today’s society. Marriage was design to represent the unconditional love of and for God on this earth. The love of God is founded in trust. Adultery is a breaking of a covenant through the breaking of trust. A relationship designed for the partners has been violated and trust has been destroyed. The sin of the world floods people with selfishness. People move toward self-fulfillment and artificial pleasure to escape the pain of a Godless life. That kind selfness manifested in a marriage can turn into a cancer that eats the marriage from the inside and destroys the marriage. Adultery destroys more than the other partner but has far reaching effects on all people exposed to the relationship. Marriage founded in God should be an example of His power and guidance in the life of the husband and the husband’s guidance of his wife. Adultery is the worst offense in a marriage by instantly destroying its foundation. Adultery could also be taken as any wrong doing that violates God’s will for a husband and wife toward each other. A man loves his wife as she honors her husband. Moving away from God’s design for marriage leads to difficulty that can be best corrected when centered on the guidance of God as the third strand in the marital rope.(Proverbs 6:32) 32 He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself.

Ten Commandments (6)

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17 “‘You shall not murder.

Murder in this case refers to unlawful, immoral, or negligent taking of life. God created life and thus is also responsible for taking it away. Murder is an example of taking over a responsibility designated for God. Vengeance is left for the Lord. It is not our responsibility to take vengeance but to show love to our enemies and hand responsibility for reprimand to God. God’s word professes unconditional love and loving our enemies and neighbors like ourselves. This ultimate command leaves no room for murder.

(Romans 12:17-21) Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If  your enemy is hungry, feed him if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.