Sunday, March 28, 2021

Law #5: Honor Your Father and Mother

Exodus 20:12

What does it mean to "honor" your father and mother?

In today's world, there are many children who have been abused and neglected. When they hear this law, they ask God "why should I?", thinking that they are to condone and support what their parents did to them, without any validation of the pain they have been through because of it.

But, while this passage refers to obedience, it is also way deeper than that.

You should treat your parents in a way that is Godly and "upright". That is honor. Regardless of what your parents do to you, you should always be the loving and kind child of God that you are. Your parents didn't choose you.

God did.

He put you where you most needed to be in order to learn what HE wanted you to learn. He put you where you are so that you can best SERVE HIM with what your environment has taught you to be.

Honor God, your Father in Heaven, first. Learn to forgive, to pray for forgiveness, and to do right in spite of it all. Remember that Jesus suffered greatly, and He endured. And, He asks us to follow Him.

Here is a great article on how to Honor your parents:

A Biblical Command We Never Outgrow: "Honor Your Father and Mother"

Monday, March 15, 2021

God's Laws: 3. Don't MISUSE God's Name!

Exodus 20:7

How many times have you come across people who profess to be Christians, but act totally opposite of Christ-like? THAT is taking the title of Christianity in vain.

Are you a child of God? "Yes, I am a child of God!" Then, why do you encourage the things that God speaks against? Things like abortion, pornography, drugs...

How many times have you "joined the crowd" that belittles God's name or place in society, yet use God's name to uphold your status in the same society?

Sure, using God in a curse-word is vain, also.

According to Bing, the word "vain" means something that is useless, coming to no result, having no meaning, pointless. It can also mean narcissistic in nature. All of those meanings are at work in this one verse.

"With God as my witness, I WILL get revenge!" Vain.
"How dare you! I'm a CHRISTIAN!" Vain
"That God-blessed thing cut my finger!" VAIN.

God's name is HOLY. It should only be used when speaking a truth (God cannot lie). It should only be used in the context of speaking of someone who is pure, unchanging, stable, solid and HONEST.

And, if you call yourself a CHRISTIAN, you should ACT like it!

Wednesday, March 10, 2021

God's Laws: 1. God is God

Read Exodus 20:2-6

God is God. There are NO OTHER GODS except God.

Here, God introduces Himself, saying, " I [am] the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage."

That way you know and understand WHO GOD IS. Where did God bring YOU out of? Was it an abusive relationship? Human slavery? Addiction? Prostitution? Pornography? Just plain meanness and cruelty? Rudeness? Crippling poverty? Sickness?

Everyone has an "Egypt". What was YOURS?

God then describes Himself. He is JEALOUS. He will not tolerate any attempt to replace Him with something in-animate, created by the creation HE established. He did not create the world and give us life and provision just to see us hold it in higher esteem than the ONE who GAVE it to you!

Has anyone ever experienced your parents catching you with a pack of cigarettes when you were younger, which was CLEARLY against their rules? Back in the old days, if a father caught his child with tobacco, he would take that child and give him a whole pack and make him smoke or chew it one after another until the child got sick.

God does that...not just with you, but your CHILDREN. The sin you commit will punish your children, and your grandchildren! God warns of this when He says, "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;"

Those "things" cannot fulfill your needs the way God desires to. And, if you continue to "worship" them, God will step back and let you do without what He desires for you to have until you realize the error of your ways. You will be made to WALLOW in the sins you commit, and your children will follow YOUR example!

However, those who, in the integrity of their hearts, and with all their ability, do whatever they can to follow after HIM, and to obey His commandments, He will honor. ("And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.")

Law number ONE: Do not make something besides GOD your GOD!