Galatians 2:20 (NASB)
20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the [life] which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
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If I’m holding a glass, then I drop it on a hard floor, it will break. It doesn’t matter if I want it to break, it’s going to happen. After it breaks, I might really wish it wasn’t broken, but it will still be in pieces on the floor. That’s the way that life is.
We are the result of our choices. If we make good choices, we will have better consequences than if we make bad choices.
Genetics can play a role (I was never going to be tall enough to play in the NBA). It also matters who we grow up with and where. At the end of the day, though, we all are responsible for our lives.
Many people have had horrible childhoods, yet they became very happy, successful adults. Others have had everything good handed to them growing up, but they became miserable, ungodly adults.
We all have good and bad things happen to us. How we choose to address them defines who and what we will become.
One day, an expert in the Jewish law asked Jesus a question
Matthew 22:36-40 (NASB)
36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”
37 And He said to him, ” YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.
38 “This is the great and foremost commandment.
39 “The second is like it, YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.
40 “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
There are literally hundreds of commandments in the Old Testament. Jesus told this man that it can all be boiled down to these two commandments, though. God has always been showing us His love, and looking for us to love Him back. If we love someone, we will only do what we believe is good for them.
We can even see this in the Ten Commandments. The first four speak to our relationship with God, the others outline our relationship with each other. Through it all, it’s all about love.
Exodus 20 (NASB)
#1: “You shall have no other gods before Me.” (v.3)
#2: “You shall not make for yourself an idol” (v.4)
#3: “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain,” (v.7)
#4: “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” (v.8)
Notice that these are commandments, not suggestions. God expects us to keep them. If we don’t, there will be negative consequences, just like the negative consequences from dropping the glass. Some people think that God wants to keep us from being happy. It’s actually just the opposite. These commandments are here to show us how to have a truly joyful life (and eternal life).
The word “idolatry” actually means placing our main affection or desire on anyone or anything over God Himself. He wants, and deserves, to be far more important than anything or anyone else. He created us for this purpose — to love Him!
In most of the Western world today, people are not bowing down and worshiping statues necessarily. I believe the most common idol that people have made and worship is so-called “science.” They will typically claim that they believe in “science”, not God. By its definition, that is making and worshiping an idol. By doing this, people are showing their own arrogance and pride. True science, however, is based on facts, not assumptions. When someone makes the statement that they won’t even consider the existence of God, but they will believe in the Big Bang Theory and evolutionary theory instead, they actually violate a major point of true science. They are refusing to accept all possible answers to a question, even though their own theories cannot be proven.
If someone applies for a credit card or a loan using someone else’s name, it’s a crime. They used the other person’s good name and credit under false pretenses. That’s similar to what happens when someone takes God’s name in vain. It’s when someone “curses” using God’s name, but they are not actually calling out to Him. It reduces the majesty and glory of God in that person’s eyes, when He should be exalted and praised forever for His lovingkindness and goodness to all of us.
In Jesus’ day, the Pharisees and Sadducees had added numerous things to God’s law, including the Sabbath day. They actually claimed that Jesus (the Son of God) was a sinner, because he healed people on the Sabbath. This is what Jesus said.
Mark 2:27-28 (NASB)
27 Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.
28 “So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
God established the Sabbath day when He rested from creating the universe in six days. He has unlimited power and energy, so He did not need to rest; He rested to give us an example.
The next six commandments in Exodus 20 deal with our relationships with each other. If we truly love each other, these are things that we will be doing — not because we are forced to, but because we want to. Love leads us to do loving things.
Exodus 20 (NASB)
#5: “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you.” (v.12)
#6: “You shall not murder.” (v.13)
#7: “You shall not commit adultery.” (v.14)
#8: “You shall not steal.” (v.15)
#9: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” (v.16)
#10: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” (v.17)
Paul points out in Ephesians 6:2 that this is the first commandment with a promise.
Exodus 20:12 (NASB)
12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you.
Most people would like to live long, prosperous lives. This is one major way to accomplish that. As we grow up, we want to think for ourselves and not be forced to do what someone else tells us to. Our parents have lived longer than we have, so they have probably been through what we are going through right now. They also probably love us with a love that is like no other.
Some people feel that their parents don’t deserve their love, because of their actions or words over the years. Unfortunately, in some cases, that might be true. On the other hand, this might just be an opportunity to show forgiveness.
At the same time, notice the promise that God gives: “that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you.” This is a promise for the son or daughter who is honoring their father and mother.
Just as forgiving someone benefits the person who is doing the forgiving, honoring your parents benefits the one doing the honoring.
Exodus 20:13 (NASB)
13 “You shall not murder.”
As we see in other scriptures, this does not include execution after a person has been convicted of a capital crime (such as murder). It also does not include defending yourself or others, such as in a time of war.
Murder is the taking of a human life, with the explicit exceptions just mentioned. It is especially heinous, because it is destroying someone who was created in the image of God. This includes suicide. God has created each of us in His image. Life is hard, but God can give you the strength to overcome, if you trust and follow Him.
Science has confirmed to us that an unborn child is a human who only needs a safe place to be fed, nurtured, and grow. This is the same as a newborn child. Viewing life in this way (which is also confirmed in scripture — see Jer.1:5 and Gal.1:15), we can see that abortion is actually murder.
Exodus 20:14 (NASB)
14 “You shall not commit adultery.”
God created Adam and Eve. He created them to be married to each other for their entire lives. Some people have said that we were never intended to be married for many years. I think that Adam and Eve, along with billions of others, disprove that idea.
Remember how Jesus said that the greatest commandments were to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself. If you love your spouse, you won’t commit adultery against them. If you truly love someone else’s spouse, you won’t commit adultery with them. Loving God also means that you will keep yourself pure, no matter what our society says is okay. This means waiting to have sex until you have made the lifelong commitment of marriage, then keeping yourself only for your spouse.
This is how God created us to live, and this is how we can show true love, not what the world around us claims love is.
Exodus 20:15 (NASB)
15 “You shall not steal.”
Love wants the best for the other person. Stealing is the opposite of that love. Stealing is done by someone who only cares for himself. It can be taking someone else’s car or watch. It can also be eating a grape at the grocery store without paying for it. How much something costs is not the point. The point is taking something that does not belong to you.
Ephesians 4:28 (NASB)
28 He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.
We should be giving to others, not taking from them; generosity not greed.
Exodus 20:16 (NASB)
16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”
Just like with stealing, God doesn’t say, “It’s okay to lie as long as you think it’s not a big lie.” There is no such thing as “a little white lie.” What God is specifically saying here is saying something bad or negative about someone else that you know is not true. This could be a political “opponent”, a coworker, or a former friend. Lying might seem like the easiest or most effective tool at the time, but it’s almost always a bad decision. It’s definitely not the loving decision.
Exodus 20:17 (NASB)
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Coveting simply means to desire greatly. I learned a long time ago that I will never be the best or worst at anything. I will never be the best looking or the richest or the most popular. There can only be one best of any particular thing, and chances are you won’t be the best, either. That means that you might be tempted to be jealous of what someone else has. This can lead to anger, lying, or many other things that are the opposite of love.
Instead of jealousy, we should be happy for others when they are doing well. We should also be thankful to God for what we have. Being jealous of someone else means we are blaming God for not giving us what we think we deserve.
Paul, once again, had the right attitude.
Philippians 4:11-13 (NASB)
11 Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.
12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.
13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
Matthew 22:36-40 (NASB)
36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”
37 And He said to him, ” YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.
38 “This is the great and foremost commandment.
39 “The second is like it, YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.
40 “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
If we look at every situation in our lives as an opportunity to be thankful to God for what He has given us, as well as an opportunity to show His love to God and others, we will live the joyful, happy, content, and blessed life that He intends for each one of us.
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If you could communicate with a baby while it is still in the womb, how would you describe what was about to happen? How could you convince this child that they were about to go through something very difficult, traumatic even, and everything would change? They would no longer be always warm and well-fed. They would not hear their mother’s relaxing heartbeat all the time. They would have to leave everything that they have ever know. It will be hard, but it is definitely worth it. How would you possibly convey this to the child?
Jeremiah 1:5 (NASB)
5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
God created everything, including time. He exists outside of time. He can see the beginning, the ending, and everything in between, yet He still allows us to make our own decisions, even though He has a plan for us.
Ephesians 2:10 (NASB)
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
God loves each one of us so much that He has prepared a special “roadmap” for each one of us, with tasks designed just for us. Even though He knows everything that we will do, He never forces us to do anything. We can always choose to follow His path, or to follow our own.
Revelation 3:17-18 (NASB)
17 Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,
18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.
Jesus told the church in Laodicea that because they were neither hot nor cold for Him, but actually lukewarm, He was going to vomit them out of His mouth. They thought that they were doing really well. They had plenty of money and good clothes. They even prided themselves on their spirituality. Jesus said that they needed something better – something far more valuable – something eternal.
Matthew 16:25-26 (NASB)
25 “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
26 “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
Since we can’t see with our own eyes what actually happens after this life, we might be tempted to say that it doesn’t exist. A baby might think the same thing. They have never known anything other than their mother’s womb. It’s all going great now, so just enjoy it while it lasts.
That might work for a baby, but God expects more from us.
Luke 12:16-21 (NASB)
16 And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive.
17 “And he began reasoning to himself, saying, What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?
18 “Then he said, This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”
20 “But God said to him, You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?
21 “So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
There’s nothing wrong with having plenty of money, but if that is your main focus, it’s like buying a candy bar and paying $10,000,000.00 (10 million dollars) for it. You could do it, but why?
Your eternal life is priceless, worth more than you can even imagine. There is nothing on this earth that could even compare.
Matthew 6:19-21 (NASB)
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
20 “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;
21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Jesus is saying that there is a way for us to store up treasures in heaven – like a heavenly bank account. We would all love to have a bank account where we could get money whenever we need to, as much as we need. How about a bank account in heaven that lasts forever? That sounds like a deal. How do we open this heavenly bank account?
Matthew 6:33 (NASB)
33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
The Christian life is filled with paradoxes. If we want to live a truly abundant, joyful life, one that will last for eternity, we have to die to ourselves and our own selfish ways. If we want true riches, we need to diligently seek after what God wants, not what we want. That is how we make deposits to our eternal savings account.
John 14:1-3 (NASB)
1 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.
2 “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.
3 “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.
Ever since the Garden of Eden, God has wanted to spend time with us, to “hang out” with us. Jesus said that He went to prepare places for us to live with Him forever. This sounds like a great neighborhood!
So, how do we get started?
Romans 10:9-10 (NASB)
9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
We have all made mistakes – so many mistakes that we could never make them right. Only Jesus, Who lived a perfect life, then died for our sins, could forgive them. He then overcame death, so that we could, too.
Today, I invite you to start this new life, if you haven’t yet. If you have, remain strong in living for Jesus, enjoying each day that you have with Him, now and forever.
You can start by praying this prayer right now:
Lord Jesus, I know that I have sinned and made mistakes. I know that You died to take my place on the cross. Please forgive me now and make me clean, so that I can live with You forever. Thank You for Your promise to do this. Thank You for Your love. Help me to live only for You and with You forever, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
If you just made this commitment, or you recommitted your life today, please let us know. We would love to get to know you and encourage you. Click here to contact us.
We are about to start a new calendar year. Many people make resolutions – “this year I will get in shape”, or “this year I will study harder”, or “this year I will be nicer.” What if we went to the extreme and said, “this year, I will be a new person – the person that God created me to be?”
Romans 12:1-2 (NASB)
1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
God is calling us to offer ourselves, not as physical sacrifices, but as spiritual sacrifices. This is our spiritual, or rational, or logical service of worship to Him. This is one of the paradoxes in the Christian. A sacrifice in the Old Testament always died, but we are called on to be a “living and holy sacrifice.” Jesus told us that each one of us needs to “deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23).
In our own strength, this is impossible, but if we focus on Jesus and make Him the most important Person in our lives, and serving Him the most important task in our lives, He will give us the strength to see it through. Verse 2 above is one of the keys. We need to not “go with the flow” (“do not be conformed to this world”). Going along to get along is easy. It’s like floating in the middle of a river – you just let it take you wherever it goes. God has called us to do the hard thing – swim against the current. The word “holy” means separate. We are called to be separate from the ungodly things in the world, and separated to and for God Himself.
Many times, our opinion of ourselves is not accurate. We might feel like we are better/more capable than we are (the young boy above). We might feel like we are less capable than we are. Knowing and accepting who we are and where we are is important. God has created each one of us with special gifts that should be used for His glory.
Romans 12:3 (NASB)
3 For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.
God has given each one of us “a measure of faith.” Your faith might be enough to move mountains (Matthew 21:21). Maybe you are asking God for faith to believe in Him. A humble heart is what He is looking for. We need to not be prideful; we should not think “more highly” of ourselves than we “ought to think.” Jesus showed us incredible humility. He left His place as creator of the universe and came to live with us, being born as a baby, completely dependent on His earthly parents, then offered Himself up as a sacrifice for our sins. Throughout His life, He walked humbly among us, never sinning, showing us the way to live.
Philippians 2:5-8 (NASB)
5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
A humble person is next in line, but lets someone else go first.
A humble person might tell the boss that their coworker deserves the promotion instead of them.
A humble person sees someone else doing well and is happy for them, not jealous.
A humble person thanks God for all of their blessings, even if they don’t have much.
A humble person know that without Christ, they can do nothing.
A humble person shares what they have, knowing that all good things come from God.
A humble person recognizes that God created them, just as they are, because God loves them. A humble person will look for God’s will and purpose in their life, because they are grateful for the opportunity to be of service to the Creator of the Universe.
Matthew 20:25-28 (NASB)
25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them.
26 “It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant,
27 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave;
28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Jesus didn’t just tell us how to serve each other; He showed us. He gave His life, so we could live. Don’t look to control other people. Look for ways to help them, to serve them.
Ephesians 5:1-2 (NASB)
1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;
2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.
Every new birth begins with a new life. A man named Nicodemus came to Jesus with questions. Jesus told him that he needed a fresh start. He needed to be “born again.”
John 3:3 (NASB)
3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Being born again is when a person decides to live the rest of their life for Jesus, and give Him control (make Him Lord) of their life. They understand their own sin, and that Jesus willingly paid the penalty for their sin.
This is a new life, and a new way of living. It starts now and continues into eternity, with Jesus, in heaven.
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