Love God

Some people struggle with the concept that God is three in one. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. As a matter of fact, there are some who want to say Jesus was a created being or just a prophet of old, but that is not what the Bible teaches. Jesus was there at the beginning when the world was made and He was there when the Commandments were established.

How can we be sure that He was there?  We can read Genesis 1:26 which states, “And God said let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” John 1:1-3 reads, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  Then the Revelation of Jesus Christ states this, “And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God” (Revelation19:13). “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John1:14).

Now that  we have the word of God showing us Jesus was there at the beginning of time,  let’s speak about His commandments.  In John 14:15 Jesus says, “If you love Me keep My commandments.”  So which commandments are these? For that answer we’ll move over to Matthew 22 starting on verse 35 moving on through 40 which reads, “Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked Him a question, temping (testing) Him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” Many stop here and do not read the next which states “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

So what did Jesus mean by ” On these…hang all the law and the prophets”? For this we would have to go back to the Old Testament. Some churches are New Testament churches and will miss out on the teachings and the knowledge that can be gained from the Old Testament. For instance, we know Jesus was very knowledgeable of the Scripture after all He defeated Satan’s temptation in the wilderness by using Old Testament Scripture (see Matthew 4:1-11). As a matter of fact, if you read Deuteronomy 30:6, the words are almost the same as the above mentioned Matthew 22: 35-40, “And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.”

Jesus says almost the same the words, but adds “with all thy mind” because thoughts can get you in trouble (see Genesis 4:6-8; Matthew 5:27-28; and James 1:12-15). If we keep Jesus the center of our lives by studying who He is and what He has done for us, we too can withstand the temptations of this world. He has promised!

Now let’s focus on Jesus’ words to the lawyer, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and all they soul and all thy mind.” If we keep asking ourselves how do we love God with our heart, soul, and mind it will lead right to the Ten Commandments, or it should. That is why He said “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”  Think about it, the first four are about loving God and the last six are about loving our neighbor.

So how do we love God with our whole being?  Exodus 20:3 states, “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.” Who is your god that takes you away from the time spent with Him? There are many who follow actors, singers, or sports figures that take so much of their time that little is left for our Lord. Some may say, after I finish this thing or that thing, I will get back with the Lord and delve into His Word, but then other things get in the way and He is forgotten. The time to be ready is now! Look around at the state of the world today and you will see the signs of His coming really soon (See the section Choose Jesus Today, Be Ready).

Exodus 20:4-6 states, “Thou 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 waters under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, not 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; And showing mercy unto thousands of them the love Me and keep My Commandments.”

What is your idol today? Is it money, jewelry, movies, gaming or even worshiping the statues of the saints or bowing down to a human agent that is just as sinful as you are?  

This last portion is what is happening now and will be a big controversy in the last days. Who will you worship; the One who made the Heavens, the Earth, the sea, and all that is in them including us OR an impostor trying to usurp the worship of our only true God? (For more information you can click on this link and read a booklet about the last days put out by Amazing Facts or you may find the truth in this video regarding Revelation ).

Exodus 4:7 reads, “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.” Now here is an interesting one because many people think it is taking His actual name in vain. That may be a small portion of it but think about this, if we in any way misrepresent God and who He is, is that not taking His name in vain? After all being a Christian means we are striving to be Christ like, yes? If we are mean, judgmental, angry, hurtful, abusive, and other things that are not in the character of Christ and therefore not the character of the Father either; are we not taking the name of God in vain?  

Now, we come to the fourth commandment. Remember this is about loving God with our whole being: heart, soul, and mind. And Exodus 20:8-11 begins with the word “Remember” and is a part of that love for God. It reads, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy, Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work; But 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 the stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed  the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.

One of the things regarding the fourth commandment is that it is God’s seal (emblem). When we look at the past to the present, we see that a seal was a sign of authority. The dictionary defines it as “a piece of wax, lead, or other material with an individual design stamped into it, attached to a document to show that it has come from the person who claims to have issued it.” The Ten Commandments were written as an everlasting covenant and only the Fourth commandment shows Who it is that wrote it for us. A seal shows the identification of the person—God, authority—He made, and domain—heaven and earth and all that is in them. There are many verses discussing the Sabbath being a sign or seal of His and these are just a few (see Exodus 31:13, Leviticus 19: 3and 30, Ezekiel 20:12-13,20-21). I invite you search out just how many verses discuss being “sealed” by God.

God knew that we humans would need a day of rest. Jesus says in Mark 2:27-28, “And He said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.” This is a time to come to Him and worship Him as our creator, to gather together as we see Jesus did when He came in to the synagogue on the Sabbath days. Luke 4:16-21 reads, “And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up: and, as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto Him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the LORD. And He closed the book, and He gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on Him. And He began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.”

Some might say but the Sabbath is of the Jewish nation, but I beg to differ. When was the seventh day Sabbath blessed and hollowed? In the very beginning of Earth’s history (see Genesis 2:1-3). Another might say, but how do we know this is the same Sabbath day? First I would ask; how powerful is our God? Don’t you think He would be able to keep the Sabbath in its rightful spot? That would be a big YES, but you can research back in history to find the answer if you want and it is the same. The Seventh day has not changed. If you look up the change of Saturday Sabbath to Sunday you will find answers such as this “The Sabbath was never changed from Saturday to Sunday by Christ or the apostles. Sunday became the day of rest and worship for mainstream Christianity through the Catholic Church claiming authority to overrule Scripture, through pagan influences and through Antisemitism. Click here for more information”

We believe who we worship will be the deciding factor of who lives eternally with Jesus or dies at the end of time. After all the  Angel is shouting for us to worship God, the one who made heaven and earth, the sea and the flowing waters (see Revelation 14:7). And have we heard this before? Yes, with the fourth commandment, the only commandment that shows us the Author of the Ten Commandments!

 This song is so wonderful I thought I would share: Temple Made of Time.

Love Your Neighbor

Let us now focus on the last six commandments that deal with loving your neighbor.

Exodus 20:12 reads, “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.” Have you noticed the switch in how mothers and fathers are shown in today’s entertainment? Some depict the father as clueless as is the mother and the children seem to be manipulative to get their own way. Or maybe you know parents who are having a hard time with their children because the children are rebelling.

Jesus said in Matthew 24:12, “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many will wax cold.”  And 2 Timothy 3:1-5 says this, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent (no self-control), fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, high-minded (conceited), lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof (they will say they believe in the Lord but they don’t know Jesus and their actions will show it): from such turn away”(emphasis added).  So when looking at this list, we can certainly see that is what is happening now. It is so much more prevalent and Jesus says it will continue to get worse. The only protection we have is through Jesus Christ.

Exodus 20:13, “Thou shalt not kill.” Many think that this is a simple straightforward command. But remember Jesus said He came not to do away with the law and prophets but to fulfill (Matthew 5:17). In so doing, he expands the notion of killing by stating this, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill: and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgement: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without cause shall be in danger of the judgement: and whosever shall say to his brother Raca (worthless), shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire” (Matthew 5:21-22). In the next two verses, Jesus says to be reconciled to you brother before coming with an offering (Matthew 5:23-24).  

We can reason out why reconciliation is paramount. If we go back to Genesis 4:6-7, “And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? And why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.”  In other words, when evil thoughts are trying to penetrate the mind, we have the chance (a choice) to rid ourselves of them. After all God said if he did well Cain would be accepted. But Cain did not let it go and ultimately killed his own bother. Cain allowed jealousy and anger to control him. An interesting note is that Cain was mad at God but took it out on his brother (shades of Satan being angry at God and taking it out on his children don’t you think).

This brings us to forgiveness. Some say it is the hardest thing to do. But Jesus says this, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you (I would like add something here. Be careful of the version of the Bible you have, because some verses are missing and in some I have seen the next verse missing, and it is an important one): But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will the Father forgive your trespasses”( Mathew 6:14-15).

Some might say why so harsh a statement. Think about this. If you do not have forgiveness in your heart where does that lead? It leads to resentment or anger that will fester like a wound. That is what happened to Cain. So anger is a sin that can totally separate you from God, because God cannot be where sin has taken hold.  

Exodus 20:14 commands, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Again Jesus expands on this one. He says this, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”  Once again we have the mind involved with this situation. If we fully let God have control, He will work to keep those thoughts from coming near us. “Lead us not into temptation” (lead us away from temptation) and “deliver us from evil” (protection by our Father) are from the prayer Jesus was teaching His disciples (Matthew 6:9-13).  He promises these things to us throughout the Bible if we only let Him lead.

Exodus 20:15 reads, Thou shalt not steal. Although Jesus did not expand this one, we can guess that the thoughts can play a major role in this one, too.  Have you ever thought you can get away with something because no one is watching? Or maybe you’re on a job and thought you can clock out early and fudge the numbers? Or maybe a simple thought such as they won’t miss it because they have other things?  Remember that sin lies at the door when thoughts like that come into your head. We need the strength that Jesus provides to bring us through. I will say this, we are a work in progress (Philippians 1:6) so never get discouraged because our all-powerful Jesus has overcome and He can help us overcome the world, also (John 16:33).

Exodus 20:16 states, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” This is an important one because Revelation 21:8 says this of the wicked, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, will have their part in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”  And Revelation 22:15 says”…and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie” will not be in Heaven. Several things come to mind with this commandment. The first is when I think about the so called entertainment we have now. Do we even know how many shows endorse lying as a way to get ahead or to get what we want? The other is the lies we tell children from the very beginning of their lives. These, I believe, can lead to compromising your principles in adult life where “little white lies” don’t hurt anyone (I thought that myself for years). I am thinking about things like the Easter bunny and Santa Claus being real. Are these lies as harmless as we want to believe?

Exodus 20:17, “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s.” When we covet, wanting what another has we can never be satisfied with what we have and will continue to strive for more. This can be stressful for some, the thought of not having enough as compared to others. When we put other things ahead of God; we will never be satisfied. Paul wrote, “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know how to be abased and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

The other part of this equation is the question of who is your god or idol. Who do you put first in your life things or God?  If it is God, then things of this world will not matter because this old world will become new. “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered the heart of man, the thing which God hath prepared for them that love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

Who Is Our Neighbor

These are the commandments that show how to love our neighbor. But just who are our neighbors? This question was asked of Jesus.

Luke 10:25-26 starts out in this manner, “And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted (tested) Him, saying Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?” 

Remember, we mentioned above in John 14:15, Jesus says, “If you love Me keep My commandments.” This is the commandment law Jesus is referring to. Some may say the commandments were nailed to the cross. Really? Does that mean we can steal and kill? They say don’t be silly, those are still in effect. Okay so, if they are still in effect, wouldn’t all of them be in effect?  (To know more: reference Colossians 2:14 and Deuteronomy 31:26) The ordinances that were against the children of Israel were the ones written by Moses that included the ceremonial laws like the sin offering. These were the one nailed to the cross. The sacrificial system was done away with because Jesus took our sins. Our Jesus is the only one who can save us because as He said, “…I am the way the truth and the life: no one cometh to the Father but by Me” (John 14:6). And 1 Timothy 2:5-6 says, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time” because as Hebrews 4:15 states,” For we have not an High Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”

When Jesus died on the cross he took all our sins. He is “…the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8).  So what happened to the Ten Commandments written by the hand of God?  Moses put them in the Ark of the Covenant under the mercy seat in the most holy place of the tabernacle (read Deuteronomy 10:4, 5). Did you catch that the commandments are under the mercy seat? This shows permanency.

Continuing on in Luke 10:27-29 the lawyer answers Jesus, “And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself. And He said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor?”

 From this question, one may conclude that the Holy Spirit may have been working on his heart and he may have been feeling a bit uncomfortable in how he was treating his own people. But Jesus goes a step further by telling this parable to the lawyer. Luke 10:30-32 reads, “And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down to Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.” The priest in this story saw and knew someone was in need, and just walked away. The Levite, however, came to look on the man, maybe to see if he knew him before taking any action. And because he did not know the man, he too passed on by.

Continuing with Luke 10:33-37, “But a certain Samaritan, as he was journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Which of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.”

Jesus used the Samaritan on purpose. In this time, the Samaritans were not well liked to put it mildly. And to have a Samaritan do what the others did not must have stood out to the lawyer. This story can have so many different aspects to it. Do we sometimes have such blinders on that we don’t see or want to see someone who may be hurting or need help such as the priest who walked by? Or do we, when we see someone hurting think someone else will take care of them such as the Levite who looked but didn’t do anything? Or maybe we are the ones who are supposed to take care of the ones that are given in our care like the innkeeper but have not been doing so. Or maybe we feel that we do not know how to open the conversation when we see someone hurting (sometimes it can be as simple as a text or asking if there is something we can do to help).

In any case, that is why this parable is so important because we can see for ourselves where we fit in this story and ask for the Lord’s help in helping others.