Whenever we contemplate the mysteries of the great “I AM” (Exodus 3:14), it is important to remember that the Trinity of the Father, The Son (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit is all about life. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the Creator of all things and the giver of all life – also eternal life. He wishes to bless those who honor Him and for us to live effective and fulfilling lives.
“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you.” – John 15:12-14
With these words Jesus indicated that the greatest gift one person can give to another, is the gift of life. A longstanding differentiating characteristic of western society is that the life of each individual matters. This notion was birthed from Judeo-Christian principles. Jesus illustrated this truth by sacrificing Himself for all man-kind and set us free from sin, should we accept His gift of life.
We continue God’s life-principles from the 3rd commandment (Exodus 20)
“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain”
The first thought that comes to mind for most upon hearing this commandment would probably be profanity – utilizing God’s name as a curse-word. Profanity has become common place in movies and television shows. The name of Jesus, is favorite amongst the media complex to use and abuse as they please. It is treated in the same way as the F-word in most cases. Why is that? Clearly evil really dislikes ONLY Jesus. That should tell you something… To see how far we have fallen in this regard, have a quick look at pluggedin.com and see how few movies receive 3 or more stars for family-friendliness.
Profanity is only a symptom of an underlying issue – a lack of respect for God and/or a lack of understanding regarding whom He is and off-course Satan’s hatred of God. By not rejecting the material presented to you, it is inevitable that your mind will be softened-up to blasphemy until you take part yourself.
God is Holy and His name should be treated as such. If you consistently use God’s name in vain, how can you possibly respect Him as Creator, Lord and Savior? If you feel no remorse, I would argue that you have no understanding of who God really is or in your heart you reject Him. How can you expect God to intervene in your life when you need Him, when most of the times that you call out His name it is used in a demeaning way?
It is easy to fall into a bad habit. A bad habit by repetition changes your thought patterns and needs to be dealt with in a quick fashion.
We all need to choose our words wisely and if needed remind ourselves of God’s majesty. We cannot belittle God continuously and then wonder why He did not intervene when disaster strikes our lives.
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” –Proverbs 18:21
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates… therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”
The Sabbath is intended to be a rest day, but one that is observed in remembrance of God. It is a day that carries God’s blessing. By observing the Sabbath day, we acknowledge and honor the fact that God is our provider. The Bible states in John 3:27 that “a person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.”
The Sabbath is also a day to kindle our relationship with God through engaging in worship, reading scripture and prayer. It is a day of encouragement and refreshment in the presence of the Holy Spirit as we meet with other believers at church.
When Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath, the Pharisees criticized Him and accused Him of working on the Sabbath. Jesus responded as follows:
And he said to them, “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?” – Luke 14:15
Some cunning believers use this verse to justify treating the Sabbath as another work day. This is a horrible ill-intentioned interpretation. God is not religious; He understands if an unexpected matter arises that has to be dealt with. This is completely different from intentionally utilizing the Sabbath as a day for sports, entertainment, landscaping or doing work that should have been done during the week.
The vast majority of activities that are conducted on a Sunday can wait or be scheduled differently. What is more important than honoring God by keeping the Sabbath? Even when Jesus was crucified and placed in the tomb, those whom knew Him as the Son of God, kept the Sabbath and did not return to treat His body until the day after. They were blessed to find an angel at the empty tomb, declaring that Jesus had risen.
“The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.” – Luke 23:15-16
In my personal experience, keeping the Sabbath, as with tithing releases the Lord’s blessing in one’s life.
To be continued….