December 27, 2018

Honor the Sabbath

“Also I gave them my Sabbaths as a sign between us, so they would know that I the LORD made them holy.” – Ezekiel 20:12

“because they rejected my laws and did not follow my decrees and desecrated my Sabbaths. For their hearts were devoted to their idols.” – Ezekiel 20:16

“You have despised my holy things and desecrated my Sabbaths.” – Ezekiel 22:8

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping 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, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns.” – Exodus 20:8-10

How do you spend your Sabbath day? For most Christians, we have set apart Sunday for that day. But do you set it apart for God?

I know. There’s lots of reasons that doesn’t happen in your life. Some people work to feed their families and pay bills. Some people work to provide for the rest of us. These include doctors and hospital staff, police officers and fire fighters. But what about the rest of us?

In the area in which I live, baseball is huge. There are night games during the week. Saturdays are filled with ball games. And, increasingly, Sunday too is occupied with baseball.

Now, I love baseball. I do. But when it comes to kids and families I sometimes wonder if we’ve misplaced our priorities.

We talk a lot about putting God back into our schools and government. We’re adamant about our beliefs when it comes to what the Bible says about controversial subjects. But it’s difficult not to see the hypocrisy when it comes to how we view the Sabbath.

One parent explained that he always led a devotional for the players and coaches before the Sunday games. Besides, he continued, the kids enjoy playing so it’s not really work. My question was this: When do they rest? The hard truth he couldn’t deny is that they don’t rest.

We have become a land of busy people seeking God in all the wrong places. We make excuses when it’s something we want to do and we condemn others for doing what we think they shouldn’t do. We ignore God’s clear laws in order to chase after idols.

Please don’t try and tell me that baseball isn’t an idol. Anything – baseball, money, job, fishing, yard work – that comes before God is an idol. When you choose to ignore the Sabbath, you choose to ignore God.

Everyone needs a day of rest, whether that day is Sunday or another day of the week. We need a chance to recharge and to remember God and all that He does for us. We need time to refocus our priorities back on our Creator. It is from Him that we draw our strength, gain our wisdom, and live according to His calling on our lives.

So, what are you doing on Sunday? If the answer doesn’t involve worshipping God, you need to rethink your faith.

January 2, 2016

Speak Truth

“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.”

-- Exodus 20:16

“For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” -- Matthew 12:37

Has anyone ever lied to you? Me too. Has anyone ever told a lie about you? Me too. Has anyone ever sought to deliberately turn others against you? Me too.

Are you perfect? Me either. Have you ever lied? Stop that squirming! We all have. Everyone. Sometimes it is a lie of omission. Sometimes we are just trying to spare the feelings of someone we care about. Other times we’re trying to keep ourselves out of trouble. But a lie is a lie is a lie.

It’s not fun to be on the receiving end of someone’s lies, especially when your integrity and reputation are being destroyed. It’s difficult to remember that vengeance belongs to the Lord.

Silence is sometimes the best thing you can do. It also can be the hardest thing to do. We want to stand and fight. We want to be drawn into that never ending war of words. We want to prove ourselves.

But here’s the thing: When someone is out to get you, it isn’t about you. It’s about them. It doesn’t matter what you say or do. That person needs to lie and try to destroy you in order to justify themselves. It won’t work. It never does. The truth always comes out in the end.

Of course, don’t assume you’re always right. Search yourself for the truth. Pray diligently. Be honest with yourself and ask God to point out your flaws.

Then give it to God and let it go. You are not responsible for the words and actions of others. Do the right thing. Always remember that God is your judge and as hard as it is sometimes to stay silent, trust Him to work it all out for His glory. 　

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Focus On Jesus Not Things

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” -- Exodus 20:17

One of the dogs is barking loudly, her high-pitched frustration evident for all to hear. Her problem? She wants what her brother has.

Now before someone out there accuses me of playing favorites, let me explain. Each dog received exactly the same treat at the same time. It’s just that she wants the one her brother has and he, well, he wants both of them.

Isn’t that how we all are? We aren’t content with the blessings we have, we want the blessings someone else has too. We’re never really content, never really satisfied, because we’re always seeing what we don’t have rather than what we do have.

How sad is that?

This type of thing plays out in our lives all the time. Our neighbor gets a new car and suddenly we want a new car too. It doesn’t matter that we were perfectly content with our own car just the day before. And it doesn’t matter that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with our car. We want a new one because someone else got a new one.

The same could be said of houses, jobs, handbags, and on and on. Some of it is just plain silly. Other times the behavior becomes downright destructive. For example, when it causes you to spend money you really don’t have in order to have something someone else has but that you really don’t need.

God was just so wise when He included this in His Ten Commandments. He understood that we could never be happy while we are focused on having something someone else has. In fact, we can never really be happy so long as we’re trying to fill up our hearts and souls with things rather than Jesus.

Surely you knew it would come down to this, didn’t you? How many times have you bought something new because you were unhappy? And how long did that retail therapy work before you were unhappy yet again? Things don’t make us happy. Jesus makes us happy and satisfied and content.

When we focus our eyes on Jesus, we start thinking about others in terms of doing good rather than in coveting what they have. We reach out in compassion and kindness to the least, aware that they likely will never be able to do anything for us in return but happy to help anyway. We don’t have time to covet things because we’re too busy, and too satisfied, giving and sharing what we already have.

My dogs may never learn this lesson. Maybe their joy really comes from the dance of trying to take what doesn’t belong to them. We don’t have to follow their example. We can change. We can grow in our faith. We can focus our eyes on Jesus and off of what someone else has. We can open our hearts and our eyes so that we are so focused on Jesus that we can’t see anything else.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Actions Reflect Values

“Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting up again.” -- Deuteronomy 6:7

Moses was reminding the Israelites about God’s commandments and what God expected of them as a people and as parents. It’s a reminder we sure could use in today’s world. So many parents expect others -- such as teachers -- to instruct their kids in what is right and wrong. But if they don’t get it at home, chances are they won’t get it anywhere else.

Don’t get me wrong. There are many wonderful teachers who do the very best they can in a difficult situation. Remember public school teachers aren’t allowed to do a lot of talking about the Ten Commandments. Nor do teachers get a lot of support from parents. It’s that old thinking that if something is wrong, your child isn’t to blame and shouldn’t be held accountable.

Of course, it doesn’t do any good to simply talk about right and wrong. You’ve got to live it. Kids have an uncanny way of reflecting us to the world. That can be good and that can be bad.

What do your actions say about your values? God tells us not to covet what other people have. Do you at moan about your desire to have a new SUV like the one your neighbor just purchased? Do you constantly compare what you don’t have to what other people do have? Well, you’re teaching your children to covet what other people have.

God also tells us not to steal. Most people don’t worry about that. They have no plans to rob a convenience store or hotwire another person’s car. They forget that stealing also means “creative” accounting. Stealing means taking supplies from your employer without permission because “they’ll never know.” Stealing can even mean taking credit and praise for something you didn’t do.

Your actions reflect your values far more than your words. Are your actions teaching your children God’s laws? Are you sure?