LivethruJesus

Has anyone every told a lie about you? Lies can hurt our feelings and our reputation and their are consequences for those lies, often to the one that is being lied about, but also to the one telling the lies. God cares about truth and justice. So, either the truth will be made known or God will have it eat you upside until you confess. Ultimately, those who lie associate themselves with Satan, who is the father of lies, and those that tell the truth, associate themselves with Jesus, who is The Truth. We ultimately answer to Him for our lies. But when we tell the truth, we reveal Him to the world.

9th Commandment Exodus 20:16 & Deuteronomy 5:20

Exodus 20:15 and Deuteronomy 5:19 Do Not Steal

7th Commandment - Being Faithful - Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18

The sacred union of marriage & family were established by God in the beginning and were meant to be a blessing to us forever. The family is the foundation of society and it mirrors our relationship with God. Therefore, it is very important to Him that we honor marriage and our promises.

First we look through the Old Testament law and consequences for breaking it. They had some very strange and interesting customs, so hopefully you enjoy taking a quick look at them. God had a protection for rape in His laws and also a way to discover hidden sin.

We spend some time encouraging those who have experienced adultery in their own marriages, along with those who are divorced. God redeems and restores, so this is not a condemning message, but rather a better understanding of the purpose of marriage and why God puts so much emphasis on it.

At the end, we spend a lot of time on preventing unfaithfulness before it has a chance to divide you and your spouse.

There is encouragement for the unmarried, those who are virgins and those who are not. Obviously, there is encouragement to join to your spouse and be one as God intended, but also what to do if you have experienced adultery, divorce, or remarriage. So this is an episode for everyone, no matter what you present circumstance.

The 6th commandment says not to murder. We read that and we think 'checked that box. Good Job!' Then we keep reading and see that Jesus warns against even getting angry and we think 'Oh, maybe that's just the bear minimum. I might not doing so well after all.' Our self-righteousness fades away and humility takes its place. We are all lawbreakers and yet we have a Savior to free us and a Spirit to guide us. Love is the answer.

The 6th Commandment says not to murder and God gives instructions for the killer and the government regarding intentional and unintentional harm and death. But Jesus takes it a step further, teaching about anger and bitterness, love and hate.

Some Proverbs to read on love, hate, bitterness, and controlling our anger.

It's a high bar that we can't reach without Him.

What does it look like to honor our parents throughout our lives? Learning to honor them when we are young, teaches us to honor employers, government, and leaders as we get older. But ultimately, honoring our parents teaches us how to honor God. Our relationship with them mirrors our relationship with Him.

If we can learn to trust our parents who are wiser than us, then how much more can we trust God who has infinite wisdom and understanding? If we can learn to obey our parents who are flawed, then we can more easily obey the Lord who is perfect. If we respect our parents because of who they are, then how much more can we respect God because of who He is? If we seek to please our parents and make them proud, then why don't we do that with God? If we recognize their love and sacrifice towards us and are willing to sacrifice for them as they get older, then we should be willing to give our lives to the One that made the ultimate sacrifice for us.

But if we rebel against them and disregard their teaching and warnings, then we will do the same with God. We will develop a selfish rebellious spirit that teaches us to do whatever we want to do regardless of how it affects others or what God tells us to do.

If we learn how to trust, obey, respect, and honor our parents then we will be able to do these things in society and spiritually. There is an order to life, a structure set up by God, and we must follow it to have a flourishing society and for our relationships with each other and our God to be healthy and productive.

Fourth Commandment: "Remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy. On it you shall do no customary work." This may sound like a restriction, but it's not. It it our permission to rest. God knows we need rest to be at our best. With this special day built into our week, we can start the next rejuvenated and strong. This commandment was meant to be a blessing, not a burden.

You may be wondering how you stop every single week for an entire day, when there's so much that needs to be done and there are bills to pay. God knew we would feel like we couldn't stop sometimes unless He commanded it. If He asks us to do something, then He will make a way for us to obey. We may have to make a few sacrifices. But sacrifice is part of worship. Giving to Him what we want to keep for ourselves. He wants us to trust Him to provide instead of relying on ourselves. Our bodies, minds, and hearts will eventually shut down if we do not give them the proper rest.

So rest, fellowship, and worship the One that gives you permission and provides a way.

Loser. Ugly. Bossy. Dramatic. Pathetic. Stubborn. Liar. Hypocrite. Lazy. Mean. Snob. Stingy. Greedy. Weak. Are these names that you want to be identified with? What about these? Beautiful. Kind. Helpful. Generous. Ambitious. Hard-working. Joyful. Peace-maker. Respectful. Strong. Dedicated. Faithful. Capable. Talented. Names matter, don't they? What people call you matters. We all want to have a good name. We all want to be known as someone good. When people spread rumors about us and tarnish our good name, when they act like are a nobody, or when they use our name to disparage another, we get angry and hurt. That is how God feels when we dishonor His name too.

You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. The Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. Deuteronomy 5:11

If we really aren't talking to God or about God, then we are misusing His name and that is a serious offense. We don't want to use it flippantly or take away its value because it carries weight. By His name, we receive salvation. He places His name on us and we use it to get into heaven. When two or more are gathered in His name, He is with them. When we ask for things in His name, then we receive answers to our prayers. But if we are talking to or about Him, we need to make sure we are reflecting His true character because His names reveal who He is and we don't want to taint His good name or misuse it in any way. It is not a name to be thrown around lightly because it is The Name Above All Names.

How would you feel if you had to listen to your spouse praise another? What if they bought gifts for this person? How would you feel if they spent time with them over you, talked to them more, seemed to have more affection for them, or acted if this person could give them something that you can not? You would certainly feel betrayed, cheated on, jilted. Now, do you think that you have ever made God feel like that?

The first two commandments God gave to us had to do with putting Him first, loving Him the most, giving Him the praise and attention He deserves, serving and loving Him above all. We know what it feels like to be loved and we know what it feels like when we love someone but they do not make us feel loved in return.

Even though we may not worship other gods or carved images, the premise of these laws is the same for us today. Is He our top priority? If He were here, in front of us, would He feel like we love Him or would He see us praising, giving, serving, spending time with, talking to, or loving others more than Him?

How do you feel about rules? Do you tend to be a rule follower or a rule breaker? Do rules make you feel comfortable and give you structure or do they feel burdensome or restrictive? Are you more apt to obey when you trust the person making the rules or you understand the reason behind them? Or, maybe you like making the rules but you don’t really like to follow them. Maybe you like to virtue signal and hold the rules over everyone's head but it's really all just for appearance.

When God gave the people the Ten Commandments, He told them that obeying them would be to their benefit. They would give them wisdom and understanding like no other nation and they would be blessed in the new land. By following His rules, they would be His witnesses to everyone around them.

Because His rules were so important, there would be consequences for the disobedient. He warned them to follow every single one and not just the ones they wanted to. He also warned them not to add their own rules to His, reasoning that they had a few good ideas too.

So, we want to follow His rules, so we can become wise, witness to others, and not face the consequences of disobedience.