Exodus 20:16 tells us that we should not bear false witness against our neighbor.
This means, whether you like someone or not, if they have not done you wrong in any way, and someone asks you for a reference of them, then that is what you should tell them. If they were a little late in paying you for a debt owed, but you think they are an awesome person, you should not let your feelings for them dictate your truthful answer.
Too many times, events are dictated by cliquish behavior. When people voice opinions based upon other people they are involved with, the truth gets clouded and the results can be disastrous.
A good example of this is in the political realm. People will vote for their party line regardless of the actions of the individual they are voting for. When you vote for someone, you are bearing witness of what you know about them. The Bible says to be a truthful witness.
Yesterday I was having a discussion with a friend about the Sabbath and I felt a conviction that I have not felt in quite a while.
It was actually refreshing. It was akin to hearing your mother chastise you for leaving your dirty clothes in the hallway.
Some of us actually wish we could hear our mothers chastise us like that again.
I thought God was done talking to me. He hadn't done it in so long. Then, suddenly, I feel this wave of...relief and joy and conviction -- the kind that makes you want to drop to your knees and say, "Thy will be done, Lord. I, your servant, am listening!" that I haven't felt in so long.
My friend asked me, "Are you preaching to me?", to which I answered, "Not since I figured out that that is what I was doing!"
I was in the process of explaining why I honored the Sabbath on Saturdays, even though - in my line of work - the busiest days are on the weekends. But, the conversation took a whole new turn. It was possibly something that both of us needed to hear.
I started talking about how God listens to those who obey Him, and takes care of them. I explained how God has always answered all of my prayers, even when the answer was "No", or "Not right now". Concerning something I had been praying for I told him, "I don't know if the answer is "No", or "Not right now." I just know that the answer is "No" right now, and I should act accordingly.
BAM. There is was. I realized I should listen to myself speak.
I went on to say, "And I am not perfect, and nor do I pretend to be so. I am still stumbling and learning. And what I know and what I do sometimes do not meet." I realized at that moment that I was starting to sound like Paul, when he was speaking in Romans Chapter 7. I finished with, "But I am not going to throw out all of it just because I am not perfect at all of it."
No. God wants me to keep trying. It is in trying that our true intentions of the heart are made manifest.
It was refreshing.
I heard God, at that point say, "Welcome home, Child."
When I was about three years old, I was attending a family reunion at a place that had a swimming pool.
The family gathering was upstairs. The building was made nearly all of glass.
The swimming area had a store in it where anyone could buy snack foods.
My cousin and I were running around chasing each other and we saw the candy bars. My cousin and I both took a few.
The attendent, who was not seen nearby, went and told our parents what we had done.
My mother spanked me right there in front of everyone and made it perfectly clear that stealing would not be tolerated.
I was ashamed. I didn't know I was stealing. I was three years old. And, I was forced to apologize to the attendent in front of everyone and give back the candy, which, thankfully, I hadn't eaten yet.
It was a lesson I learned well.
When we steal, God takes something from us. It might be our peace of mind, or our security, or our relationships...something goes missing from our lives. When we steal, we are robbing someone else of their livelihood. We are robbing someone else of their blessings, and God won't tolerate that.
But, more than that, Romans 6:23 says, "The wages of sin is death". When we sin, we are committing a slow painful suicide. The good news is that Jesus addressed this in John 10:10 when He said, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
So, if you are a thief, there is hope. Turn to Jesus as Lord of your life and, as Jesus told the prostitute, "Go and sin no more".
If you are not married to someone, you must practice abstinence. To have sex outside of marriage clouds your decision-making and gives you soul-ties that are not meant for your good. If you have been sinning in this manner, it is never too late to reclaim the purity that God intends for you to have.
Practicing abstinence outside of marriage protects you from a myriad of problems that you do not see coming. When you practice abstinence with intention, it makes you stronger, more focused on the things that are important to God, and helps you grow as a person.
Sex produces endorphins in your brain chemistry, much like drugs do, that lead to addiction of certain behaviors and poor decision making processes.
Any psychologist will tell you that drug addiction causes a stunt in emotional growth, and that when drug addicts stop taking the drugs for a length of time, their emotional growth begins again.
Anyone who has been abstinent for a long period of time who has experienced life on both sides of the sexual behavior barrier will tell you that abstinence has enabled them to see people for who they really are in a much clearer light; that dealing with problem people becomes much easier over time, and that you begin to practice much wiser discernment.
I saw an ad on Facebook about this "bracelet" that could help people become "tuned in to the universe" in such a way that it would help them become successful, and how to acquire one for one's self.
THIS is what God is talking about when He talks about "graven images" and "idols".
That picture of your grandmother that you would kill over if someone broke it? It's an image of a likeness that has become "sacred". God wants to be the only "SACRED" part of your life. Everything else is HIS to give you.
That statue of Buddha you got on your front porch. How many times have you rubbed it's belly for luck? God wants you to understand that the source of your blessings is HIM alone. Not that Buddha statue that you believe holds some power over your "luck".
*** Note: Corrections have been made as to the order of the commandments on this blog
God did not tell us to "choose a day that we want to rest". GOD chose "the seventh day".
Some people rationalize that "Well, as long as you take ONE day, it's okay." It IS okay if you are, with all integrity of your heart, doing it in honor of God. But, for those who KNOW the law and UNDERSTAND IT, it is NOT okay to just take ANY day. At that point, taking ANY day becomes willful disobedience.
God said take the 7th day. Keep it HOLY. REST. And, He even gave the reason for it:
11 For 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.
God has blessings and cursing for those who profane the Sabbath. Read Leviticus 26. Particularly verse 34>
Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths.
If you have become convicted and cannot figure a way to honor the Sabbath the way it is stated in these verses, take comfort in the Chapter of Matthew 12, but I BEG you, do not use this to RATIONALIZE that dishonoring the Sabbath is okay.
