What do you love? Sports, fishing, family, pizza? Of all the things you care about, what's at the top of your list?
Those of us familiar with the Bible know that the "right" answer should
be God, but let me make it more personal for you -- do you love God
more than anything else in life, and do you show it by the way you use
your money, time, and energy?
There are plenty of things to worship these days, in fact, there always have been. In history, we find evidence of moon-worship, sun-worship, animal-worship, earth-worship, king-worship, and just about anything in between. Even more, those who do worship the Creator God often try to mold him into something tangible - to forge His image into some earthly form. The second of the Ten Commandments is a strong warning against this: "Do not make for yourselves any graven image."
Words have meaning. The way you use certain words indicates what you
feel and believe deep inside, and the way you treat the name of God
indicates the level of respect you have for Him.
Many people have made a habit of using God's name as a curse word: they
might swear aloud in anger or surprise, and instead of a 4-letter filth
word, we hear "Jesus" or "God...". Others use the phrase "Oh my God!"
in virtually every conversation throughout the day.
God designed you for a special purpose, made you to love and follow Him, and has given you life itself. As our Creator, wouldn't you say He has the right to ask us for, well, just about anything He wants?
The fourth commandment says: "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God."
The first four of the Ten Commandments all speak about our relationship
to God, the rest of them deal with our relationship toward other
people, and they hit very close to home.
"Honor your father and mother." What does it mean to "honor"?
God made life, not death. Death, according to the Bible, was the result
of people stepping outside of God's plan -- it was not part of the
original blueprint for the world. Because God values life so much, He
has issued a clear commandment: "Do not murder."
Today, we must learn not only to keep the "letter" of this law, but also the heart of it. And this is where most of us are guilty of breaking commandment six.
When God designed the world, He intended for marriage to be between one man and woman woman for one lifetime. That standard has never changed.
The seventh commandment explains: "You shall not commit adultery."
God takes sex seriously. He created sex to be a wonderful expression of love and intimacy between a man and a woman, to be experienced between those who have made a lifelong marriage commitment to one another. Sadly, many people ignore this commandment, using sex as a tool for selfish pleasure - and in doing so rob themselves of the real joy God intended.
"You shall not bear false witness" reads the ninth of the Ten Commandments. Simply put: Make sure that the things you say are truthful -- don't dishonor God and hurt others by lying.
Some people re-define the word "lie" so that it doesn't sound so bad: half-truth, exaggeration, white lie, fib, etc. Regardless of the fancy terms, you can remember that if it isn't 100% truth, it is 100% lie.
The Bible says to "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be
content with what you have..." (Hebrews 13:5). Nothing can ruin a
person's life faster than greed -- it can cause you to compromise your
morals, destroy your reputation, and hinder your relationship with God.
The tenth commandment is a warning against exactly that: "You shall not covet anything that is your neighbor's."
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