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God's covenant blessings and promises would pass to Jacob but not Esau. What was the difference between these two men? What does it mean for you? ****************************************Subscribe on Youtube: use the top left icon on the video!**************************************** Now... lets cover the action and events leading up to the section of scripture I am going to take a look at: · Sarah dies, Abraham purchases a tomb for her in Canaan· Abraham plans for family succession. He arranges for a suitable wife for the son who will carry forward the covenant. He does not want him to marry into the Canaanite people. He understands that God wants the descendants of the covenant to remain separate.· Abraham's servant goes back to the land they came from to find a wife from among the extended family. He returns with Rebecca.· Abraham dies, we get a wrap-up of all his descendants. But the only one we are hereafter concerned with is Isaac. God's blessing pass to Isaac. **************************************** Get a FREE bible study guide: Transforming Your Life: The Process of Conversion ************************************* Jacob's Sons Genesis 25:19-23 two sons are conceived and born into the covenant family. But the blessing of the covenant would only pass along to one of them. Why? We know from later on in the record that Jacob has 12 sons. The blessings and promises of the covenant pass along to all of them. Why wouldn't both of Isaac's sons share in the covenant? Answer: because one of them despised it. Despise: means to regard as unworthy of one's notice or consideration, to look upon with contempt, aversion, to consider worthless. It suggests an emotional response ranging from strong dislike to loathing. God knew one son would grab hold of the blessings and promises of the covenant, and the other son would be indifferent. God didn't force the older son to feel that way. He just knew in advance that's how it would go. Genesis 25:24-34 Esau didn't care about what he was born to, and what might have been his. Hebrews 12:15-17 Esau was interested in hunting, fishing, chasing pretty women. He was a man's man, his dad loved him best, but that wasn’t what mattered to God. Esau knew abut the birthright, the promises, the covenant... he offered them as payment for a bowl of soup. He knew the truth and he didn’t care. Esau made his own decision, he chose poorly. Some people grow up knowing the truth, knowing God's plan, knowing our potential to have a place in it... and yet treat it as no big deal, they never really commit or buy in. I have watched many such people end up rejecting the truth, or resenting it because it interferes with the cares of  life they become attached to. We’ll see that Esau wanted to settle down among the Canaanites. He didn’t want to stand apart from the world around him. He wanted to fit in, be one of them, and enjoy what life had to offer.Action & Events (Genesis 26)A famine hits the land. God talks Isaac into staying in the Gerar (Gaza) instead of Egypt Genesis 26:2-6. Isaac prospers but the people of the area get jealous and keep taking his wells forcing him to move from place to place. Genesis 26:23-24 Isaac returns to Canaan and God reiterates the covenant promises.Genesis 26:34-35 Abraham had been very concerned that his son not marry Canaanite women. He knew that if they went down that path they would become absorbed into the Canaanite people and cease to be a special and unique covenant people before God. Hebrews 11:8-10, 13-16 God’s people must remain separate.  Which means you are going to stand out… people will think you are strange.Esau's starts cavorting with Canaanite women. He ends up marrying not 1 but 2 of them. He seems unconcerned or outright rebelliousness toward the whole idea of living as a separate  covenant people. God’s prophecy is starting to unfold.But, Isaac doesn’t want to face the facts. He is grie

Each year we grow in our understanding of what our covenant with God means... our growth and expansion of understanding is pleasing to God.  Today we will look at how God used the process of covenant review in the life of Abraham. ****************************************Subscribe on Youtube: use the top left icon on the video!****************************************God’s Covenant With AbrahamGenesis 12:1-3 this is the covenant Paul refers to in Galatians 3. It is a covenant graciously offered by God and based on faith…  a willingness to believe what God says and then to act upon it. It is a covenant we now know had blessings built in for all people on earth (not just Israel). It is a covenant that looks forward to the coming of the Messiah... so that by faith in Him we might receive the promise of the holy spirit... the power of everlasting life... and share in the better promises of the new covenant.You could say the new covenant is built on the foundation of this covenant of faith.However, much time and many events take place between Genesis 12 and Galatians 3. God's covenants and promises unfold, are expanded, and head in new directions.Physical Blessings For A Physical NationAbraham received his calling not long after the tower of babel incident. The people of the earth had a plan to pool their resources and challenge the authority of the Creator... to declare themselves a great nation and a mighty people. God put an end to that by confusing their languages... then proceeded to roll-out a plan to create a TRULY great nation based on BETTER priorities and ways... the nation established by God… would be called Israel.God begins by calling this man Abram. Abram was 75 years old at the time but still had many years of living to go. He left his father, people, culture, religion, and false gods to follow the living God.Genesis 12:4-7 Abraham demonstrates his willingness to step out and act on faith. God responds by expanding (or building upon) the basic promise of blessing by saying "this great nation you are to become will be given this choice land". God adds concrete realities to the previous statements. ****************************************Get a FREE bible study guide:Transforming Your Life: The Process of Conversion*************************************Action & Events in Abrams Life (Genesis 13-14)There is a drought in the land. So, Abraham travels to Egypt for the duration. While there he has some questionable interactions with the Pharaoh. Pharaoh tries to appease God's anger by giving Abram all kinds of livestock, servants (great wealth) and then kicks Abram out. The upshot is: Abram is now rich.Abram goes back to Canaan. Friction builds up with his nephew Lot. Abraham suggests they separate to different territories to keep the peace. Lot goes to Sodom where he gets into some serious trouble. Abraham comes to the rescue.  After the conflict and settling of accounts we are introduced to Melchizedek.Summary: Abraham has had some hits and some misses…  all this is interesting and exciting... but Abram is getting old by now. The situation is looking bleak. What good is God's promise of land and a great nation if Abram doesn't have a child? Genesis 15:1-4God Reaffirms Their CovenantSo... when Abram is having some doubts, questioning the plan... how does God respond? He says “let’s go over our covenant again”. (Note: deal with doubt by going back to the basic NC promises, if you believe God’s promise of eternal life everything else falls into place).Genesis 15:5-7 God reaffirms his promise of a child to whom all the promises and inheritance of the land will flow. He adds a promise that they will be a huge number of people (more concrete detail). Abram believes God can deliver on His promise, This is a big deal. Why? God wants people to believe what He says… its even more important than obedience!Consider this: If obedience was all God wanted He could force you to obey! You cou

The Sons of the Covenant Jacob had 12 sons who would share the role of God's covenant people. However, what we read about these men is a mix of violence, immorality, jealousy and deceit. The family of Jacob had a lot of problems. You might then wonder… how does our record of their exploits offer any kind of guidance or spiritual instruction? **************************************** Subscribe on Youtube: use the top left icon on the video! ****************************************You can apply that same questioning approach to most scripture. God's word is not an exposition of exemplary behavior from great men and women put on display for us to emulate. Instead, the record we have of men and women in the bible is of people with problems... BUT people who work through their problems with God's helping guidance... so that they might achieve something greater than their appointed days in the flesh. We are going to examine the lives of the sons of Jacob as they work through all that violence, jealously, and deceit to arrive at reconciliation… making peace with one another... reconciliation is not only pleasing to God... but essential to eternal happiness. You will not enter into eternal life if you do not take to roll of peacemaker and learn to resolve differences. **************************************** Get a FREE bible study guide: Transforming Your Life: The Process of Conversion *************************************Jacob's SonsJacob had been tricked into marrying Leah. He then worked out a deal to also marry his true love, Rachel. Jacob was off to a bad start that would cause a lot of hard feelings among his sons. Leah was fruitful and gave birth to Reuben, then Simeon, then Levi, then Judah. After many years wait Rachel gave birth to Joseph and Benjamin. Genesis 37:1-4 the source of trouble is Jacob's flagrant favoritism for the children of Rachel over the children of Leah and the concubines. Joseph makes things worse by acting as a tattle tale on the other brothers. Then Joseph has a dream in which all the others bow down to him. The brothers are angry. Even Jacob is a bit put out by it. The brothers devise a plot to murder Joseph. They grab Jacob in the open field and are working on their alibis when Judah gets the brainwave to sell the boy so they make a profit on their efforts. Joseph is sold to slave traders who take him off to Egypt. The brothers go home and tell Jacob that Joseph was torn apart by wild animals. Joseph Goes To Egypt (Genesis 37-41)Joseph is a household slave to Potiphar (the captain of the guard who was also in charge of the prison). Potiphar's wife starts making sexual advances towards Joseph. Joseph refuses and she accuses him of attempted rape. Normally a rapist would have been executed but Potiphar may have suspected his wife's honesty. However he has to do something… so he puts Joseph in the prison and uses him as a sort of prisoner administrator.  Joseph remains close to God and eventually his reputation as a dream interpreter lands him an interview with the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh is so impressed he makes Joseph his second in command over Egypt. Judah in Canaan (Genesis 38)Judah separates from the family. He marries a Canaanite woman and has three sons. He gets a woman named Tamar as a wife for the eldest son. That son dies. He demands the second son take Tamar and raise up children for the dead son's inheritance. The second son refuses. The second son dies. Judah tells Tamar to wait until the third son is old enough to take her. Tamar realizes Judah is going to go back on his promise. So, she dresses up as a prostitute with a veil, entices Judah into sex, and finally conceives twins who will carry on the line of Judah.Question: Why put in all this salacious material about Judah? Answer: it shows us that Judah had gone off the rails with regard to the family, and the covenant. It also sets us up for Judah's later transformation into a man God can work with... a man willing to

Jesus Christ is our Passover and His death saves us from the penalty of death. But, that is not the end of the story! Its actually the beginning of an amazing and astounding sequence of transformation: ➤Salvation from death ➤Growth into the fullness of Christ ➤Resurrection to life everlasting spirit born life These are the steps of God's plan for humanity. A plan that begins with the Passover... but then followed up with the holy days that come afterwards and picture what comes next. There are some basic errors that keep us from fully appreciating each of the holy days as a separate and distinct event. In this video we will look at how the distinction between the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread has been blurred AND why it is important to keep them separate and distinct. If you are listening to the audio version of this message… here is a link to the info graphic used in this presentation - https://www.ucg.org/files/sermons/exoduspassover.jpg Learn More about the 7 annual holy days of God. Request our free bible study guide. ➤ God's Holy Day Plan - The Promise of Hope For Humanity Find a UCG church near you: ➤ http://ucg.org/congregations/ View this message on YouTube - The Passover is Only The Beginning

Exodus 20:8-11 God’s 4th commandment presents us with a very tangible, task oriented way to express our love for Him: spending time together. Loving God implies some sort of relationship, and I think we can all agree; good relationships take time together to develop and grow.  Our Father Creator’s 4th commandment sets apart a specific day of the week, so that we can spend time together, and develop our relationship. It is last of the first four commandments which offer  us guidance on what it means to love God with all our heart, mind, and being. *********************************You can listen to this message on YouTubeThe Fourth Commandment: Face Time With God*********************************Let's review the first four commandments in terms of a relationship:1st commandment - to make this relationship your top priority; compare to a courtship where each party wants to be the other person’s top priority. 2nd commandment - to have a true image of who and what God is; in human relationships we consider it important that the other party “get us”… the understand who we are and what we are all about3rd commandment - to show respect and honor towards God; in healthy human relationships you want the other party to treat you a certain way4th commandment - to spend time together: you want the other party to spend time with youThe Sabbath is Time Set Apart By GodGenesis 2:1-2 the day in question is the 7th day of the weekly cycleLeviticus 23:32 in God's word a "day" is reckoned    from sunset to sunset The Sabbath is actually very simple and straightforward. Yet, it is the most consistently undermined and confused by ridiculous arguments like:.1. All days are equal. The 7th day Sabbath is merely a ceremonial observance. Commonly expressed "we should spend time  with God every day not just on a single day of the week".2. Any day will do. we are adhering to the spirit of the commandment if we set aside one day out of seven. The Sabbath doesn't have to be on Saturday it can be on Sunday, or Wednesday. And its actually better to change the day since we don't want to be confused with the Jews. Imagine yourself in a relationship where you are rich and powerful and the other party has nothing. Everything they have they owe to you, past and present. You love them and you want to spend time together. You say “you can come and see me any time, but I would like you to always come to see me every Saturday”. They reply “I appreciate all you do for me but I think I’d rather be the one to pick when we meet. I’ll let you know what days I’ll come”. What would their words tell you about your relationship with that person?Disinformation and Confusion About The SabbathThe battle over the Sabbath is a war of deception and misinformation. Few people grasp how deeply and fundamentally humanity, society, and culture are indoctrinated by Satan.Revelation 12:9 --> 1 John 5:19 Satan's objective is to undermine, divert, and destroy the development of that relationship between you and the true God who is your Father. The fallen archangel Lucifer's great sin was to declare himself God's equal. It was Lucifer who first said "I will make myself like the most high". Lucifer, want3ed to be equal (or above) YHWH. He wanted to Rule over all the  created beings (stars of God) Isaiah 14:12-14 this Lucifer (Satan, evil one) is insanely jealous, angry, and resentful that God is creating in humanity a new class of spiritual beings who will be of greater importance than angels.Hebrews 1:5-7, 13-14 the angels are beneath the spirit born sons of God. This is not only a subordination of angels to Jesus but a subordination of a angels to the spirit born children of God.Hebrews 2:6-7, 11-13 while we are yet in the flesh we do not rank above angels, but that is our destiny. We are to be raised to spirit life with the full rights of son-ship in God's family. No longer “a little

A couple a months ago we reviewed the Sermon On The Mount which is Matthew’s overview of a typical sermon from Jesus on ethics and behavior. *********************************You can listen to this message on YouTubeThe Healing Ministry of Jesus Christ*********************************Yet there was more to Jesus ministry just words about how we ought to live, or prophecy or judgment. A large part of His ministry involved walking among people like you and me… healing the sick, casting out demons, restoring eyesight to the blind and hearing to the deaf. In chapters 8 & 9 Matthew has grouped together a number of examples of Jesus healing ministry interspersed with short examples of how people reacted and responded to what the saw and experienced. There are a number of different themes running through these examples… such as his compassion, His care for those who were outcast. But I would like to draw to your attention to healings as examples of Jesus authority over body, life, forces of nature, forces of the spirit realm, authority over sin and authority over death… and talk briefly about what that authority means for us today.Matt 8:1-4—Jesus heals a leper The Jews had lots of man-made rules about leprosy that went way beyond scriptural rules of quarantine. The leper was not just exiled from the community… he was hated, he was sin personified, people would throw stones at them not just to keep them away but to show contempt. Just by getting within 6 feet of a leper Jesus was breaking the regulations of the Jews… let alone touching the man. But with the theme of authority in mind notice two features in the record: The leprous man worshipped and addressed Jesus as Kurios – the supreme authority. He knew Jesus had the power to cleanse him if He desired. Which of course Jesus did. After cleansing him Jesus sent him to the priests to be officially recognized as cleansed according to the rites outlined in Lev 13. This healing would go on record as a testimony of the cleansing and of Jesus power and authority to cleanse.Matt 8:5-13—Jesus heals a gentile soldier’s servantThis man had a military background… a Centurian understood authority and he knew it when he saw it. This section is the most obvious recognition of Jesus act of healing as an expression of His authority. However, let’s never consider that Jesus did what He did to show off His power (however this is the effect they have)… these are acts of love… Jesus’ heart went out to these people in their needs… remember the people came to Him beseeching Him for help… after all He had spoken to them of love, care. Compassion… how could He respond other that how He did? Without the healing part of Jesus ministry all we would have would be a rather cold lesson in ethics and proper behavior. Here we see the emotion of our creator in action.Matt 8:14-17—Jesus heals manyNot only does Jesus heal the outcasts and the unclean gentiles… He also heals those within his inner circle of disciples and followers. Plus, here we get the first mention of casting out of demons. But what we want to take some time looking at here is the quotation of Isaiah 53:4 which reminds us that the healing ministry of Christ is a fulfillment of prophecy. But there is more…Isaiah 53:4-5 also introduces a connection between Christ’s sacrifice as being for our sins/transgressions as well as that which makes possible our healing. In case you were thinking that making such a connection is reading too much into a poetic analogy… Here are several NT verses that connect sin and sickness: James 5:14-16 / I Cor 11:24-32 / 1 Peter 2:24Is Our Sickness Caused By Some Sin In Our Lives?These verses lead some to conclude that all illness is caused by sin… and that repentance from that sin is necessary for healing. I think from scripture we can say that illness caused by sin is always a possibility but we cannot say that every (or even most) sickness is caused by personal sin. For example: Paul had an ailment he begged God to

Matt 9:35-38 A Message of Truth & Hope********************************* You can listen to this message on YouTube Jesus Sends Forth The Church ********************************* Jesus heart went out to the people He encountered. Without the truth of God their lives and minds were filled with all sorts of false ideas that gave them little hope and little purpose in their lives… mostly just burdens and fears. Jesus responded emotionally. He wants people to hear the truth, He wants people to have hope, and He wants His disciples to continue His ministry after He is gone and feel about it the way He did. This introduction to Jesus sending forth of His followers to carry on His work tells us about the heart of our Lord plus it contains a practical instruction for our prayer life so we might have that same emotional engagement … Jesus tells us part of ourprayers to the Father should concern the continuation of Jesus ministry through the church, with an emphasis on those who are specifically sent into the field to proclaim the truth.Matt 10:1-7 The Commission And The AuthorityThere are three elements to Jesus’ command to “go forth”: Grants them authority – not a blank check so they can do whatever they want however they want… they cannot draw upon the authority He has given apart from faith and prayer – Matt 17:20, Mark 9:29 Gives them some limitations: go only to Israel conforms to God’s general pattern Rom 1:16 – an expression of God’s unfailing love and commitment to Israel even to the very end when Christ returns Romans 11:26-28 / Zechariah 8:23 the disciples were from a Jewish background – they were ill equipped to deal with the sophisticated and cynical people of the Greek and Roman world… it would take a person like Paul to go toe to toe with the philosophies of the Greeks Tells them what to say: The Kingdom of God [KOG] is near – the word near can refer to either time or proximity and is used both ways interchangeably in NT… they were near Jerusalem, or the time to leave was near… Time – the idea of time is problematic for us today because the KOG clearly has not come. Trying to reconcile the time idea with reality leads some to say that the KOG is a spiritual event that takes place in the hearts of people who accept the H.S. Thus the KOG began in 31 AD when the spirit was poured out. This also leads to the idea that the KOG is the church. Proximity – the KOG is close by in the person of Jesus who is the king of the kingdom… He is also the embodiment of everything the KOG stands for. Note: subsequent scriptures show us that Jesus will leave and later return to bring the rule of God / Kingdom of God to earth at a future time. That is why we (UCG) proclaim the KOG as something coming and not yet here (Jesus makes this understanding very clear in several of His KOG parables) Note: the KOG is referred to as a future event in Acts and the Epistles by the leaders of the church.What Did The Disciples Think The KOG Meant?Acts 1:3-6 – right up until the moment He leaves them the disciples were still thinking of the nearness of the KOG in terms of time.Also, at the time the disciples received these first instructions to go forth and preach the KOG they still considered the Messiah and His kingdom to be a Jewish thing (restore the kingdom to Israel)… they did not know that the Messiah was a universal savior and a universal ruler.Later on they got a much more developed view of what the KOG was all about. For now they had only the most basic understanding of what the KOG meant. Their purpose at that moment was to proclaim the presence of the king among the people. Perhaps it was the healing of sicknesses and driving away of evil spirits would teach the people about the KOG in ways the disciples were no yet prepared to do… providing an objective demonstration of the power of the king and His kingdom and its spirit of mercy and compassion.12 Are SelectedChrist had quite a number of followers but here He selects 12 from among them an

Start off by reading Matt 26:31-35 Setting the Scene:Jesus had just inaugurated the New Covenant with the 12 and gave them the new signs of the Passover (the bread and the wine) as a remembrance of His blood which would be shed and His body which would be broken. The Old Covenant would be finished out within the next 24 hours with the execution of Jesus in Jerusalem. ********************************* You can listen to this message on YouTube How Did Jesus Prepare Himself for the Passover? *********************************After the Passover meal Jesus promised them gifts of peace, joy, contentment, and comfort. He told them about the coming of the Holy Spirit, the very power of God, that would come to each of them to strengthen and guide them along with the word of scripture. He warned them of persecution, but promised their ultimate deliverance from it. He prayed with them for their unity, and for the unity of those who would come later. (John 14-17)Then they sang the traditional hymn and went out from the upper room. It’s here that we picked up the verses we read earlier. Perhaps this is what they discussed walking down the festive streets of Jerusalem, out the gate, across the Kidron brook and then up the Mount of Olives to a private (probably walled) garden called Gethsemene or (The Olive Press).Jesus’ conversation during the Passover meal had been mostly positive, encouraging filled with promise… now, He began to discuss some of the harsh realities of the dark hours that were just ahead. Let’s use this section of scripture to create an outline for personal self examination prior to the Passover this year! -----------------------------------------------------

What is wisdom? Definition:l the quality of having experience [Karen has been with the company 20 years, she has a great deal of wisdom regarding actuary statistics]l soundness of actions or decisions - sometimes this is a natural ability but most often it is gained through experience and applying that experience or knowledge [Karen's decision to use the new actuary tables in the Wilson case was a wise decision]l a body of knowledge written/oral that develops within a community - the advice of those who had wisdom codified for the benefit of others [Karen has written an orientation handbook for newly hired actuaries, its a great way to pass along the wisdom she has gained and help newbies avoid common mistakes] We are going to discuss all three senses of wisdom, but we are not going to talk about actuary statistics:l The body of knowledge is the holy scriptures "able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus"l Soundness of action and decision is godly living through obedience, good works, and following the lead of  the Holy spiritl Experience is your perseverance and endurance unto the endWisdom in the BibleDeuteronomy 4:5-7 God’s word as a body of knowledge codified for your benefit so you can avoid common mistakes. The Hebrew word is khokmawThis khokmaw is the same word used for the wisdom of Solomon. When Solomon was made king. One night as he was praying:God said to Solomon, "ask Me for what I should give you". Solomon said, "I lack experience, please give me an understanding heart [mind] so I can better govern as king and make sound judgments that rightly discerns between good and evil"God said, "Good request, better that wanting riches or long life! I am going to give you a wise and discerning mind like none before you and none who will follow".Did you know you can make the same request of God? Did you know that He says if you ask for it I will certainly grant your request?James 1:5 many of us have probably gotten on our knees to pray and asked for this very thing! We usually ask when we are faced with a tough decision, a course of action we are unsure of, we find ourselves between a rock and a hard place… then we cry out for wisdom. What should I say or do... tell me please... give me wisdomWho is telling me the truth... give me wisdom to discernShould I demand my rights... or should I let it go and forgive?[Jean-Luc Picard example]We all want wisdom and guidance when we are in a tough spot, but we also need wisdom and guidance to answer life's bigger questions.l to understand and discern what is important in lifel to rearrange or balance our priorities with eternal goals in mindGetting this right is the substance of making right choices and character... Godly character... and the only thing that matters in the end is the character you build.God wants you to become wiseScripture tells us that if we ask for something according to God's will we can have every confidence we will receive it. It is within God's will that you have wisdom.Godly wisdom has benefits for eternity... and it has benefits for TODAY.Proverbs 3:1-4 These words are spoken from the viewpoint of a father to his child. Notice that the foundation or base on which wisdom is built are the Father's commands. There are benefits for your physical life... longevity and peace.The word translated peace is shalom. Its a little word with a lot of meaning packed in to it. The general sense of the word is completeness, wholeness, sound in body, prosperous, quietness and tranquility, contentment, fellowship. Well being that is physical, financial, and social.Godly wisdom is meant to bring you all these various blessings. Note: some people don't want these, preferring excitement, intrigue, or domination over others.Godly wisdom is inner integrity, converting who you are from the inside, so Godly perspectives and attitudes be written on the tablets of your heart [which sounds like what's meant

Matthew 22:35-38 when Jesus was asked what is the most important thing in life He answered to “love God”. Jesus is quoting Deuteronomy 6:5. In Deuteronomy, the verse comes directly after the second proclamation of the 10 commandments in the 5th chapter. In its original context the verse served the same purpose Jesus used it for... establishing love towards God as your top priority.It is very common for folks to quickly jump to the second greatest command which is “love towards your fellow human beings”. But think about Jesus' answer... He did not place love toward other people as your top priority He said love for fellow man was only your 2nd priority. Ask for a FREE copy of our ebook The Ten Commandments. Its a great way to begin your personal study of all God's commandments. The 10 commandments give us the broad outline of what it means to love God and love other people. Commandments 1 though 4 provide the essentials of love towards God. Commandments 5-10 provide the essentials of acting out love towards our fellow human beings. Notice the prioritization... love toward God is spelled out first... it is the top priority. Then comes showing love towards other people. These first 4 commands address: 1. How do we think about God2. How do we represent God3. How do we talk about God4. How do we come into His presenceThe 1st Commandment Establishes Right PrioritiesEstablishing and maintaining a positive, lasting, satisfying relationship with God is the primary focus of scripture and the primary focus of the commandments. Exodus 20:3 The supreme being who caused these words to be recorded  is our ideal, He is everything we consider worthy, He is what we aspire to be like. We desire to be in His presence and feel His love towards us. Nothing less is enough. The beginning of right thinking about God is to acknowledge Him as creator of all things. That's how the bible begins in Genesis 1. "Hi, I'm the creator of everything you see around you. I made all this. I made you as well". He wants you to know this and acknowledge it, privately and publicly (Sabbath keeping is a public acknowledgement of the act of creation).He wants you to know that as creator He has power and control over all things, He knows all there is to know, and He cares for you and has plans for you. Isaiah 40:26-31 If we have this outlook and understanding we should trust Him and honor Him. Only the creator can promise you an eternal future and ensure that it comes to pass.The only reliable secure future we have is with our Creator... He is living, thinking, creating, feeling... He is real, and He is the only one. Worshiping the Creation Over GodGod made the planet which supplies our needs, He made our bodies. All are good for what they are designed to accomplish IE. survive until our allotted days are complete. This whole thing we call "life" is really nothing more than a classroom. It is a temporary and passing state designed for the purpose of preparing us for real life... which we don't receive until resurrected unto spirit. Your Creator wants us to graduate from this school and take up a place and position within His family.Who wants to stay in school forever! God wants us to learn, grow and become mature, like a child who becomes an adult, and then moves on to a life of their own! Problem: Some people (many?) fall in love with the temporary, with nature, the creation, the planet, the stars, planets... with our own bodily processes like sex or eating. This exaltation of nature has formed the basis of idolatrous religion in ancient times and in our own time. God drew Abraham and later Israel out of cultures which had messed up priorities. Egypt, Sumeria (Babylon), Hittites, Canaanites.... all of these had religions that worshiped elements of the world around them rather than the one who made their physical environment. On some levels such an approach makes sense. Humans see the wonder in the physical world, the intr