It's never too late for you!

33 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem:

2 But did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, like unto the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel.

3 For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down, and he reared up altars for Baalim, and made groves, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.

4 Also he built altars in the house of the Lord, whereof the Lord had said, In Jerusalem shall my name be for ever.

5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord.

6 And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger.

7 And he set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen before all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever:

8 Neither will I any more remove the foot of Israel from out of the land which I have appointed for your fathers; so that they will take heed to do all that I have commanded them, according to the whole law and the statutes and the ordinances by the hand of Moses.

9 So Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, and to do worse than the heathen, whom the Lord had destroyed before the children of Israel.

10 And the Lord spake to Manasseh, and to his people: but they would not hearken.

11 Wherefore the Lord brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon.

12 And when he was in affliction, he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers,

13 And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God.

14 Now after this he built a wall without the city of David, on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entering in at the fish gate, and compassed about Ophel, and raised it up a very great height, and put captains of war in all the fenced cities of Judah.

15 And he took away the strange gods, and the idol out of the house of the Lord, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the Lord, and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city.

16 And he repaired the altar of the Lord, and sacrificed thereon peace offerings and thank offerings, and commanded Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel.

17 Nevertheless the people did sacrifice still in the high places, yet unto the Lord their God only.

18 Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and his prayer unto his God, and the words of the seers that spake to him in the name of the Lord God of Israel, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel.

19 His prayer also, and how God was intreated of him, and all his sins, and his trespass, and the places wherein he built high places, and set up groves and graven images, before he was humbled: behold, they are written among the sayings of the seers.

20 So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house: and Amon his son reigned in his stead.

We live in a day and age where most people judge someone by their past. Many has been the person who started life badly. They developed a reputation for being bad. But, watch what happens when that person turns their life around and begins to live for Jesus. Most that either know them, or know of their reputation, will usually say, "Yea, right! I have a hard time believing that one." 

In today's passage, we have a young king who took all the wrong steps. He had all the right tools. His father, Hezekiah, was a great and godly man. He led his kingdom to live for God, made much needed reforms, and did not tolerate evil. Tall shoes indeed for a twelve year old boy to fill. 

But, one thing about young boys, especially in their teen years, is that they tend to rebel against their elders. Some of them come to their senses. Some never do. As soon as Manasseh (whose name means, "causing to forget." He was named after Joseph's son who was so named for God's blessings causing Joseph to forget being sold into slavery by his brothers, wrongly accused by a harlot, and being forgotten in prison.),he began to stretch his royal wings and take the country in directions that his godly father never would've agreed with. 

His life was the poster child of ungodliness. He allowed and encouraged his country to become "multicultural." Everyone who wanted to serve their foreign idols were not only allowed to do so, but aided in doing it by the young king's government. 

"Oh how wise you are," said one of the young king's advisers. "Be more inclusive and the rest of the world will love you," said another. "If you want to show how truly great you are, and how great our nation is, you must allow people to follow the truths that they were raised to believe," said his religious adviser. "Imagine how the international community will love you if you stop all this religious exclusivity, your highness,"

Listening to these voices, Manasseh allowed all manor of ungodliness into his kingdom. Alters were built to idols in the mountains and the valleys. Groves were built. This was a place where the worshipers of Ashtaroth (a fertility goddess) could go and (for a small fee) sleep with one of her "priestesses" in order to gain a blessing for their crops and/or help their wives to conceive a child. (Makes sense, huh? Sleep with one woman in order to help your own wife become pregnant? SMH) 

They had their own version of abortion on demand, too. They threw their children in the unholy fires of Molech, seeking the blessing of the false god. (Much as America kills millions of babies every year for the "blessing" of personal freedom.)

The young king even started practicing sorcery and witchcraft! He became so full of himself that he placed altars to his own handmade idols in God's own temple! (Boy won't that preach today?) He had -and therefore the kingdom had- no fear of almighty God at all. If a nations leader(s) have no fear of God, the nation won't fear him, either.

God sent prophets to warn the king and the nation to repent of their evil ways, but to no avail. 

Finally, the one, true God had had enough. 

He sent the mightiest nation in the world (and the world's first terrorists), Assyria, against King Manasseh and his country. God didn't back his people. He allowed them to be overrun and the king to be taken captive. He was stripped of his finery, placed in chains, taken back to Assyria as a captive and thrown in a dungeon to rot.  

His story could have tragically and sadly ended there. He could have died in that dark and dirty place, never to be seen or heard of again. 

But, king Manasseh began to think on his life. He remembered how things were before all of his glorious "reforms." He remembered how peaceful and wholesome things had become under his god-fearing father's reign. He recalled the truth's that his father had taught and championed and how blessed the country had become by following them. 

Slowly, it dawns on Manasseh just how foolish he had been- and just how evil his advisers advice (and his following them) had been. He remembered the prophets that God had sent to him to try and warn him to repent. 

He's overwhelmed and cries out in real repentance. 

How long this process took, we're not told. How many times the enemies whispers of "It's too late for you, king," kept him from crying out, the scriptures do not say. 

All we know is that, at some point, he makes up his mind and cries out in spite of the voices, "God forgive me!" 

If God were as harsh and unforgiving as many people try to say that he is, Manasseh would've died in his hell hole. But, rather than giving Manasseh the fate he deserves, God reaches down and forgives this ungodly man- even in his prison cell. 

Still, that could've been the happy ending of Manasseh's story. "Evil King repents, is forgiven, and dies in prison." Most of the religious folks would've have told that story of a loving God's mercy for years to come! 

But, it doesn't end there. Nope! 

God not only forgives him, but he sets him free and restores him to the same position he held before God had passed judgement on him! Oh, the forgiveness of our God! 

But, here comes the real test for Manasseh. 

The city gates are open wide. No expense has been spared. The king is returning! The streets have been cleaned. The riff-raff have been run off. The advisers have spruced themselves up. The religious leaders are prepared to thank their god's for the return of the king. 

The truly pious aren't in the mood for celebration. To their minds, here comes more of the same ungodly policies.

Trumpets blare and the king enters the city in his chariot. The people applaud!

The king waves and his feet touch the ground in his beloved city. You can almost see him fall to his face and kiss the ground he never thought he would see again. When he arises, there are tears in his eyes. He's so glad to be home! 

But, looking around as he had entered his country and now his capital, he became more and more aware of the awesome tasks that were set before him. For a truly repentant heart cannot allow things to continue as before. Changes must come. And they must come as quickly as they can possibly be made. 

The king calls his counselors together and begins to explain what he has in mind. The more he speaks, the more alarmed his counsel becomes. "Does he really want to undo and destroy all the progress we've made through the years?" 

When it becomes apparent that's exactly what he intends to do, an outcry arises. "King, you can't do this!" "My lord, the people will revolt!" A cacophony arises that is full of objections. 

The king rises to his feet and silences the room with one cry, "Silence!"

Gone is the timid boy who could be sweet talked into ungodliness. Gone is the young king who's baser instincts could be appealed to to convince him to make the reforms they wanted. 

In their place stands a man of God, full of the power of God. His mind is made up! His advisers are fired and replaced. His word is full of the wisdom of God and his will is made of iron. 

He strengthens the defenses of his nation and begins to tear down and destroy the idol places that he himself had helped to set up. 

You can almost hear the religious folks saying, "Who does he think he is? He helped set all this up." "It's true we prayed for reformation, but he can't be the one! His past is too bad to be God's man for this hour!"

If Manasseh had listened to these voices, the revival of his country wouldn't have happened. 

But, Manasseh remembered the God of Grace and Mercy that had given him a second chance when he was in his dark and cold prison cell. He remembered the voice that he heard in that hopeless place and spoke life and purpose back into his life.    

So, Manasseh ignored the naysayers. He ignored the finger pointers. He just focused on God and the task that he had been assigned. He didn't let the talk bother him. Manasseh had a mission from God and he was going to accomplish it- even if it killed him. 

True repentance is much more than saying, "I'm sorry." Real repentance is a change of heart and mind that connects the ungodly sinner to the God of mercy. It changes the sinner into a willing vessel. It opens the door for a miraculous change that will effect many more people who see the evidence of Jesus in the life of the penitent soul. 

My friends, if you are trapped in a prison created by your own sin, it's not too late for you. If you feel that your life is over and God cannot use you, you're wrong. Repent, and watch God work!

But, when the naysayers arise, ignore them. Hold on to what God has told you. Go about the work he has sent you to do. And above all else, don't let your past dictate your future. "He whom the son hath set free, is free indeed!"  

     

The Gall of us humans

Judges 17:6
In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right inhis own eyes.

Deuteronomy 29:17-19

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹⁷And ye have seen their abominations, and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were among them:)

 ¹⁸Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood;

 ¹⁹And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst:

The other day, I had a gall stone attack. In the painful process, they had to remove my gall bladder for the betterment of my health. The Gall bladder is not something we really think about a lot. It is the little organ (that looks a lot like an Eggplant- another reason for me not to eat an eggplant) that the body uses to temporarily store bile from the liver. 

The liver is the bodies impurity filter. It catches these impurities, forms them into Bile, and forces them out of our system. When we eat wrong, and bring in too many fats and things that aren't good for us, then excess Bile is made and it is stored in our Gall bladder until the body can push it out.

In the Bible, the term Gall means, "1) gall, venom, bitter, poisonous". 

So, the Gall bladder is so named because it's job is to store things that would be poisonous to our bodies, until they can be pushed out. For this reason we (emphasis on WE) need to be careful what we eat in our diets.

By the same token, we need to be very careful what we take into our spiritual man. In ancient Israel, they were told to stay away from the abominations and idols of Canaan. If they did not, God knew that these things would take root and grow into spiritually poisonous practices that would cause their destruction and their eternal separation from him. 

The New Testament boldly declares that we are "saved by Grace through faith". Yet, Grace is not a free pass or a "get out of jail free card". Grace is the name of the spiritual relationship with God that we enter into through the New Birth (John 3:3-8, Acts 2:37-39). Because of this relationship, we are to "work out (our) own salvation with fear and trembling". 

The New Testament is chock full of warnings about the avoidance of sinful acts (adultery, fornication, idolatry, etc), attitudes (pride, haughtiness, looking down on others, etc), and even dress (immodest clothing, costly array, etc). Scripture tells us to FLEE these things, to get rid of them WITH ALL MALICE, to chase after the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Why?

Sin is spiritual Gall. We are to avoid it with everything we have. It even helps to purposely plan our lives in a way that will help us to stay away from people, places, and things that tempt us. For instance, is it a good idea for an alcoholic to go to a store called "the beer palace"? or to eat at an establishment with a bar? No. He should avoid those places. He should stay away from those former drinking buddies who are still drinking, as well. Knowing full well that hanging out with them will eventually lead to his being around that substance that almost destroyed his life.

For the Christian to repent of his/her sins and then keep hanging out with people and in places that are full of those same sins, is like Israel leaving the chains of Egypt, but staying IN Egypt instead of leaving. Eventually, they would have been slaves again. By the same token, when we repent of our sins, we need to stop hanging out in places that tempt us to get caught back up in those same things. If you were addicted to porn, don't hang out at the video store or magazine rack! If you were a drug addict, don't hang out near those places you used to buy drugs (or similar places). If you tended to eat too much (gluttony), don't hang out at the Buffet!

How can we truly say we've repented of our sin, but yet we keep staying in the same places, watching and reading the same filthiness, living the same ways? This is like the crook who gets caught and says "I'm sorry". Is he truly repentant? Not usually. He's sorry he got caught. If he had been truly repentant, he'd have stopped doing it. 

To repent is to make a clean break with those sins. This cleanses them out of our active systems and stores them up for expelling from the spiritual man. Left there, our spiritual gall bladders will become overfull and infected- poisoning our spiritual man. 

When the blood of Jesus is applied through water baptism in Jesus name- these sins are washed out of our spiritual man. We are cleansed and made whole- a new creation! 

Then, the baptism of the Holy Ghost gives us the strength and guidance to enable us to live the way the Lord wants us too. 

Let us, as Christians, truly stand for what is right. Let's pray and ask God to show us the Bile that is in our own lives. When he does, let's truly repent of it! Then, pray and ask God to cleanse them. This will allow him to spiritually wash them away from our inner man. 

1 John 1:9

King James Version (KJV)

 ⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Shalom Shabbath: Enjoy the peace of the atonement!

Exodus 20:⁸Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

 ⁹Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

 ¹⁰But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

 ¹¹For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

In continuing our lessons on the commandments, the fourth commandment seems simple: "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy". But what does that mean, especially to the Christian? 

Do we have to keep the Sabbath? If so, what how do we do it? Can we work on the Sabbath day? There is much we need to learn about this commandment. After all, we cannot obey a commandment until we understand it. 

The word Sabbath comes from the Hebrew word Shabbath and means: 

"1) Sabbath

a) sabbath

b) day of atonement

c) sabbath year

d) week

e) produce (in sabbath year)

When we celebrate the Sabbath, we celebrate our atonement!

There has been much debate over these eight words. Some say they no longer apply, but Jesus said, 

"¹⁷Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

 ¹⁸For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

 ¹⁹Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:17-19) 

Obviously, the earth is still here and the kingdom of heaven has not yet been set up here on earth. We must, therefore, conclude that the law is still in force, to some degree. Of course some things, such as the sin sacrifices and the ceremonial aspects to the law are FULFILLED through Jesus' death on Calvary. Is the Sabbath one of them? 

The Lord's moral laws are still in force. "Looking at the ten commandments", it is obvious that these are part of God's moral laws. So, yes, we have to "keep the Sabbath day". But, how do we do this?

Some folks insist that Saturday (the Sabbath day- the seventh day) is the day we should meet and worship the Lord. They say that it was the Catholic church that changed the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday- in order to secretly worship "the sun God- Mithra". Is there any evidence in the scriptures to suggest the early church got together on the first day of the week (Sunday) to worship?

A few facts: 1) Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week. (Mark 16:) 2) Jesus appeared to the disciples on the first day of the week. (John 20:19) 3) Acts 20:7 suggests that the apostles did meet on the first day of the week. 4) 1 Corinthians 16:2 suggests that the early church met and took up offerings on the first day of the week. 5)Romans 14:5-6 says that, in essence, whatever day you wish to set apart for the Lord- do so, but don't judge your brother because they chose a different day. 

So, it would seem, that even back then, there was controversy concerning the Sabbath. Yet, there is evidence that the church did, in fact, meet on the first day of the week. It even became known as "the Lord's day" because Jesus rose on the first day of the week. Jesus appeared to John on "the Lord's day" while he was imprisoned on the isle of Patmos and showed him the book of Revelations.

For these reasons, I chose to take Paul's position in Romans 14. Whatever day you wish to make holy- do so! Just don't judge your brother who does differently than you do. 

If your group chooses to gather together on Saturday, great! There are some Apostolics who do worship on Saturday, rather than Sunday. This is the original Sabbath day. You cannot be wrong in gathering together that day to worship. Most Apostolics gather on Sunday, the Lord's day. Great! The early church seems to have done this as well. I have known some that gathered on BOTH Saturday and Sunday. Awesome! We need to "forsake not the gathering together" of the saints. I say go for it!  

So, we've settled the day issue. Is this all there is to keeping the commandment? Or is there more? 

What does it mean to "remember" the Sabbath day? Are we to simply say, in passing, "Ah, it's the Sabbath. I remember that now", as if we're remembering a recipe or some other lost bit of knowledge? The word "remember here comes from the Hebrew word, zakar, and means: 

1) to remember, recall, call to mind

a) (Qal) to remember, recall

b) (Niphal) to be brought to remembrance, be remembered, be thought of, be brought to mind

c) (Hiphil)

1) to cause to remember, remind

2) to cause to be remembered, keep in remembrance

3) to mention

4) to record

5) to make a memorial, make remembrance

Notice definition 5, "to make a memorial". 

Now this opens up a whole other can of worms to fish with! When we make a memorial, in our society, we set up a special place. We put time, money, and effort into that place. And we go there to visit that place to remember. 

Jesus died for US ALL! He then defeated death, hell, and the grave, for US ALL! We gather together in this place we've set aside and put our time, money, and effort into in order to REMEMBER and CELEBRATE what our Lord has done or us! The creator of all, loved us so much that he died and rose again for us. If we can get excited about anything, we can get excited about this!

This is far better than the new car, the new job, the new house, the new clothes, etc. This tells me that God loves me so much he died for me! As unworthy as I feel, he died to make me worthy! He arose to lift me up into heavenly places and experience his love and glory and to see his awesome power at work! 

Do we get to that place, simply by showing up? Is it enough to gather together in this place to take part in all what God wants for us? He said he has plans for our good for our lives. How do we take part in those plans?

In Acts 10, Cornelius is told "thy prayers and thy alms are come up as a memorial" unto God. 

Let's give to the work of the Lord, both in and out of church. God always honors giving. If we see our brother in need, and we have it to give, let's reach out and help him! 

Let's pray! Let's keep getting together to seek God. Let's keep setting aside specific times, both in private and as a body, to pray and seek the Lord- not just for what he can do, but also (and more importantly), for who he is! 

We want power with God. He wants relationship. If we have the relationship with him, the power will begin to manifest itself. Apostolic power and ministry is not based on our doctrine (though doctrine is important). Rather, it is based on developing a strong relationship with Jesus! 

A memorial is also a place to get away and rest. 

Sometimes, we just need a break from our lives. That time of prayer and study. That time spent talking things over with God! He says "Come unto me, all ye who are weary, and I will give you rest." 

Isaiah put it this way: "¹¹For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.

 ¹²To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear." (Isaiah 28:11-12)

The Lord of all that is has made the whole world and offer we should not refuse. We spend most of our lives fighting with the world, with our flesh, with family and friends (sometimes). We sometimes, in spite of Paul's instructions, DO grow weary in well doing. How do we not when we sometimes feel as if we are fighting the hordes of hell every day?

Every boxing match has a break between rounds. Jesus, in the days of his flesh, got away every day to recharge his batteries and get instructions. The reason the Lord gave us the baptism of the Holy Ghost goes WAY beyond it being part of becoming a child of God. Yes, he gives us the power to become what he wants us to be. But, he also gives us a place of rest. An unhindered access to connect with him.

Sometimes a child just needs to feel loved. Sometimes a child just needs to feel the strong arms of their daddy around them, holding them, keeping them safe. Sometimes when we fall down or get knocked down, we just need to hear daddy whisper in our ear, "Hush child. Daddy's here. It's gonna be alright. I'll see you through. I'll help you do this."

Having the Holy Ghost gives us access to: 

1) the love of God being shed abroad in our hearts (Romans 5:5)

2) the ability to speak truth and a witness to our conscience when we're right (Romans 9:1)

3) righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost (Romans 14:17)

4) a hope that is born in our hearts and brought on by God giving us hope to believe (Romans 15:13) in spite of the circumstances we face! 

5) Our offerings, be they money, time, giving to others, helping others in our labor, giving a friendly and understanding ear, bringing sinners in to the house of God, etc, are useless in our flesh, but are made acceptable by the power of the Holy Ghost. (Romans 15:16)

6) the understanding of the word of God, as well as help to teach it's precepts (1 Corinthians 2:13)

7) the understanding that we are NOT our own. That we are bought with a price and have no right to live however we wish to live. (1 Corinthians 6:19)

8)1 Corinthians 12:3 says we can't even call Jesus LORD (Supreme controller) except by the power of the Holy Ghost in our lives!

9)We can commune with God only through his spirit (the Holy Ghost) being in us (2 Corinthians 13:14)

10) The ability to walk uprightly as an example to others, and the power to minister to others comes only from the Holy Ghost living within us and working through us. (1 Thessalonians 1:5)

11) joy in the struggle (1 Thessalonians 1:6)

12) The ability to stay right with God and complete his will for our lives comes only through the Holy Ghost (2 Timothy 1:14) 

13) Our salvation comes through the Holy Ghost (Titus 3:5)

14) When God chooses to, miracles and signs and wonders can be done through the power of The Holy Ghost. (Hebrews 2:4)

15) Guidance comes through the Holy Ghost (Hebrews 3:7)

16) The Holy Ghost is how God writes his laws on our hearts! (Hebrews 10: 14-16)

17) The Holy Ghost allows us to prophecy. (2 Peter 1:21)

18) We can build up our most holy faith by PRAYING in the Holy Ghost! (Jude 1:20)

What is the Christian Sabbath? It is the Holy Ghost! It is God dwelling in us. 

How do we access that needed rest? How do we grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? Through praying in the Holy Ghost! 

For the christian EVERY day can be a Sabbath of rest! For, in essence, the Holy Ghost IS our relationship with God almighty! The Holy Ghost IS the power and love of God in our lives. 

What am I saying? If you need rest, healing, help, etc, the answer is found in a relationship with our Lord and Savior. When we Obeyed acts 2:38, we were born again. But, we need to actively work at our relationship with him to stay right. And we do this through the power he places in us out our new birth- the Holy Ghost. 

The Holy Ghost is NOT a person. It is the power, the connection with God that enables us to be used by him. This power is accessed through prayer. It is the phone line through which God almighty speaks with us and teaches us. It IS the Christian Sabbath! 

Shalom, Shabbath, dear friend! May the peace of the Sabbath (the joy of the Holy Ghost) be in you! 

A look at the commandments: Part 1

Exodus 20

 ¹And God spake all these words, saying,

 ²I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

 ³Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

 ⁴Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

 ⁵Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

 ⁶And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

Many of us have seen the "10 Commandments" movie, or seen them posted on a wall somewhere. Many of us have at least heard them at some point of our lives, or even read them a time or two. But, have we ever truly studied them? Perhaps we should take a closer look and see what nuggets of truth are there for us to dig up and treasure!

First of all, GOD spoke the 10 Commandments. These were not man made rules. God said for us to follow these COMMANDS! I was a soldier once on man's Army. The commands from my superiors were called ORDERS. We had to obey the orders of our superiors whether we liked them or not. How much higher a superior can there possibly be than God? When HE issues orders (commands), we need to follow them to the letter.

He next says for us to remember what he's done for us- and especially WHO DID IT for us. If you have been biblically born again (Acts 2:38), then you are no longer in bondage! You have been brought out of the sin you were once in and have been allowed to walk in freedom in his marvelous light! Why? Because you (or I) were so great and awesome? NO! 

Psalm 23

 ¹The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

 ²He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

 ³He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

He did it because he loves us and to show forth the Glory of HIS name! He is the awesome and great one! We don't deserve even the smallest of his blessings. He reached down and drew us (not made us to- we had a choice) out of our hog pens, cleaned us up, and set our feet upon the rock that we might be able to stand to show forth HIS glory!

Because of what he's done for us, he has a few rules he'd like to lay down for us to follow. These are not suggestions. We belong to him. We were bought with his precious blood and belong to him. He has a right to command these things from us. 

The first one seems simple enough: 

 ³Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

So what does it really mean? Does he mean that it's OK to have other gods, as long as he is number one on our list? Sounds ludicrous doesn't it? How many folks actually live that way, though? We give God a portion of our lives- maybe even the best parts- but do we give him our all? We sin on Saturday and serve him on Sunday. We check the blocks of Christianity:

A) Prayer: check (we said prayers with our meals and at bedtime)

B) Bible study (We read a verse or two this week)

C) Helping others (We bought a soda for our coworker)

D) Witnessing (we agreed with someone that God is real)

E) Gathering together with other saints (We went to church Sunday AM)

F) Modesty (we don't dress too much like the world)

G) Godly conversation (we didn't cuss this week)

H) Godly living (we don't smoke and drink. The shows we watch and the things we read aren't too bad- are they?) 

But, is that all God expects from us? Jesus said the greatest commandment is: 

Mark 12:30
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, andwith all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

What does he mean? 

The heart is our emotions. We are to love God by submitting our emotions to him! God is an emotional God. He gets happy and sad. He loves and he hates. He is judgement and mercy. God expects us to love him by submitting our emotions to him. Emotions are wonderful things- if used within the guidelines of scripture. But, they are terribly destructive things if they are left uncontrolled! Be angry and SIN NOT, we are told. LOVE, but don't love the wrong person in the wrong way. HATE sin, but love the sinner. WITH MALICE, we are to throw away our sins as something we abhor- but don't have malice for your brother or sister. Let God have control of our emotions and they work wonderfully. If we retain control- it can be deadly.

The soul is who we are. Many believe that man is: spirit+body+soul=man. This is not what scripture teaches. We don't have time to break it all down today, but suffice it to say that the real computation is: body+spirit=soul (man). The soul is the sum totality of who we are. And we are to love God with ALL of who we are! ALL of us- not some of us- belongs to him. He demands our all. He deserves our all. He bought our all. There is no room for any other god or any small piece set aside just for us. It's ALL or nothing with God.

The mind is our thoughts. You mean he even wants our deep thoughts and desires? YES! Why? Our emotions are primarily guided by our thoughts. If our thoughts are under control, our emotions will be. Our actions follow our emotions. So is we have Godly thoughts, our emotions will stay under Godly control. Then, our actions will be Godly. If our thought life is NOT submitted to God, then our emotions get out of control. Then, our actions can go haywire! This is why scripture warns us: 

Philippians 4:8
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise,think on these things.

Finally, what is our strength. These are the things that we are good at. The gifts that God has given us to benefit our families, society, and his kingdom. But, like anything else, our gifts can become a curse if they are not submitted to God and used in Godly ways. How many pop singers were "discovered" singing in a church? Yet, they were pulled out and began singing ungodly songs. They made millions! But, their lives are in shambles. And how many of their fans were led astray by following them? 


It's easy for us to trust and submit to God in the things we are not good at. We pray, "God help me". But, when it's something we are confident at because we are good at it, we tell God: "Stand back, Lord. I can do this." It may go good for a while, but it will fall apart and cause damage at some point if we don't give our strengths-and their uses- to Jesus!


³Thou shalt have no other gods before me.


So what does this mean? Look at the words BEFORE ME. In the Hebrew in means IN HIS PRESENCE. So where is his presence?


Psalms 139

⁷Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

 ⁸If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

 ⁹If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;

 ¹⁰Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

 ¹¹If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.

 ¹²Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

God is omnipresent! He is everywhere. There is NO PLACE where God is not!So what do we do with this commandment? 

This is not simply placing God at the top of the list and we can do what we want with the rest. This is making God our end all be all. It's about giving him complete control. It's about handing HIM the pen and paper of our lives and saying: "I trust you Lord. I am yours. YOU make the list. YOU do what you feel is best for my life. 

There is NO room for all the little gods our society says are so important. God needs to be our focus- our all in all.

So, whatever little gods we may have been hanging on to- we need to throw them away, repent, and give our ALL to the one who died for us- Jesus! He is the whole list! He is the first and last, beginning and the end. He is the single most important being in the universe! He is all powerful, all knowing, and everywhere. Why would we hesitate to give him control of our lives? He loves us. He died for us. He shed his own blood for us. He gave his all! Why would we not give our all to him!