The Grass is Always Greener...

10th commandment...

"You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

My neighbor has a house, and he has a wife, but I've haven't seen any servants or farm animals. I must be in good shape then. Is this really speaking about the things we covet, or is it speaking of coveting in general by stating specific things? I would lean more in the direction of the latter. The bible gives us plenty of examples of how damaging this sin can be. One good one is how it affected King David. David was a godly man, however he was just a man and sinned like any other. He saw a woman bathing from his home, he was drawn to her by his lust for her (coveting). When he lay with her (adultry) she became pregnant. Seeing that she was married, he had her husband moved to the front lines in battle so he would surely be killed (muder). He litteraly coveted his neighbor's wife and he ended up commiting 4, if not 5 more sins in the wake of this one sin. It can be very dangerous for us to want more than we have. Everything we have is given to us by the Lord. He gives us what we need and we are not here to say he didn't do good enough. Because when Christians covet, you're basically claiming that God gave me all that I have and would ever need, but I need more... I need his wife, his car and his house. God knows you better than you know you, all He wants is for you to trust Him. Remember this for tomorrow everyone, we all open gifts and we may all become guilty of this sin if we are not careful. *MERRY CHRISTMAS*

Liar!...

9th commandment...

"You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor."

Lying, one of the most commonly broken of the ten commandments and that is not just by chance. There are some people who have based their entire lives on lies. The movies often portray it as just a way of life, or that truthfulness is a thing to avoid. I'm here to say NO! Find another way. Cliche says, the truth hurts. Real life says, the truth hurts even more when it has had lies around it. Lying is responsible for most, if not all, of the evil on this planet. If lying didn't exist, I wouldn't have to blog about God's grace because we would all know that God's word was the truth. We would know for sure that we were saved by His grace. He wants us to live honestly and He wants us to live for Him. *MERRY CHRISTMAS*

If It isn't Yours, Don't Take It...

8th commandment...

"You shall not steal."

I hope everyone can see how this is God's grace at work. Taking what isn't yours is harmful to all parties involved. Most would think the theif would only receive punishment if he or she was caught. However, their problems only begin with the act. As with all sin, stealing starts in the heart and it will stay there even if the act is never carried out. The bible tells us that the sins of the father carry on to future generations, for example, Adam sinned, therefore we all are born sinners. Or when Noah cursed the children of his son. If you don't repent of your ways you may end up hurting more than yourself with all you have done. Our Lord doesn't want that for you or your children, therefore he has set this as a law so we may know what to avoid. His sacrifice on the cross is what will wash the sins away, but wouldn't it be better for us to not squander that away on the things of this world? Remember God loves you and will welcome you with open arms. *MERRY CHRISTMAS*

Look but dont touch? I dont think so.

7th commandment

"You shall not commit adultery."

I don't know how to start this one, so I'll start with myself. Without Christ's blood, I am guilty of this sin. Just like murder from my post yesterday, this sin starts in the heart. I'm not saying that the following statment is 100% true, but sadly, it may be. I don't think there is one person on this planet that has not commited this sin. "But I'm not dating anyone and I'm not married, so how could I have cheated on anyone?" Well, you may have never cheated on anyone, nor have I, however, most (if not all) people have commited adultery. Here is how. You don't have to cheat or even have relations with a person to commit this sin. Like I stated above, this sin starts in our hearts, I could look at a detestable site on the internet or dwell on how good looking someone is and be just as guilty as the man having an affair with his secretary. This is called lust, the begining of adultery. Lust will take your life and turn it on its head, it can destroy relationships, marriges and families...

The grace?

To put it as simply as I can, our God gave us this law so we may avoid this problem and keep it far from our hearts. It was not to bring us down or to take the fun out of life. *MERRY CHRISTMAS*

Define Murder?...

6th commandment...

"You shall not murder."

Its easy to see how God shows grace from this rule, right? You would think that, but people still don't follow it fully, and many don't really understand it.

Murder: to kill unlawfully and intentionally.

Jesus tells us that murder can be carried out in your heart, even if you never kill anyone. If the bible defined murder, the biblical definition would be: to have intent to kill, or to hate another -- Or, to take another person's life. That is not in the bible, but by reading it you would find this definition to be true. To hate is to murder. To desire to kill is murder. If it was done in your heart, by God's law, you already did it. We come back to how this commandment shows grace and you may find it to be a little harder to find now that you see the biblical definition of murder. His grace abounds everywhere and forever, even here. You may think that hate isn't that bad, but that is obviously false. Try and think of a time when hate made something good come about. God is protecting us from ourselves. He is telling us that our anger can make our lives very hard and miserable. He loves us very much and wants us all to love Him and one another as we love ourselves. He does not want to see us suffer the consequences of murder and hate. *MERRY CHRISTMAS*

So That You May Live Long...

5th commandment...

"Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you."

Love, respect, obedience. These are a few of God's favorite things. When He tells us to honor our father and mother, He is talking about all of those things. Some may ask,"what if my parents aren't respectable?" Or "what if the things they request of me are things I should not obey?" Love them. Show them the love that you have for them and show them the love of Christ in your life. What I love about this law is that His grace is spelled out for you. "So that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you." God wants you to have a long and abundant life and He wants you to live it while walking with Him. *MERRY CHRISTMAS*

Editor's Note: This post is a day late becaus I had no time to edit and post it yesterday. I apologize for any inconvenience.

White Sabbath...

4th commandment...

"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. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy."

Right away, I see God's grace in this law. God is giving us a day off. This day is set aside for us to enjoy Him and for Him to enjoy us. Its a day to spend with your Father, your Daddy. He wants to know us so we can be with Him one day in eternity. Scripture says that God made the Sabbath holy. When people hear the word holy, they often think of angels flying and singing or a picture of a person with a halo over their head. When I think of this word I think, of the word different, or set apart. We are call to be unlike the world or "holy". Make the Sabbath important in your life, the same way you make the Lord important. *MERRY CHRISTMAS*

In Vain...

3rd commandment...

"You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name."

Many know this command but don't really understand its meaning. The NIV words it as you see above. In other translations, it is stated as taking the Lord's name in vain. This generation sees this as not to saying the name Jesus Christ in anger or to put the word "damn" after the name of God. Although it is true that doing those things is vainly speaking the name of the Lord, that is not the only way it is done. We know that the power of our words are great, and the name of the Lord is greater still, so calling on the name of the Lord with ill intention or malace could also be classified as a violation of this statute. In the New Testament, it is writen that swearing is detramental to you and can invoke a curse on you. Not swearing as in saying a vulgar word or phrase (which is also frowned on), but swearing as in saying, " I swear mom, I didn't eat the cookies" while you dust the crumbs off your shirt. Many people do this every day. For example, a man loses his wife's wedding ring and has searched for it high and low, he finally says "God please, if you let me find this ring I will never lie to my wife ever again" while in his heart he already plans on just putting his wife's ring back where it belongs so he can act like it never happened. Now, others say that they come in the name of the Lord and yet their intentions are only to benefit from what they can gain from using his name, and thus, are doing so in vain. After this it still may be hard to see how He is protecting us from something with this law. I tell you, He protected you from cursing and shaming your self and your family. He has also removed you from the wrath that will come to those who lead others astray in His name. Be glad He has given us safe gaurds from all evil, if we just obey. *MERRY CHRISTMAS*

I am a jealous God...

2nd commandment...

"You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments."

This is a complex commandment, and not just because it is longer then the others. Idolatry--it's a word that most people don't understand. It's easy to look up it's meaning, but it's hard to understand the biblical definition of the word. "An idol? Do you mean like a statue to a god?" My anwser to that is yes--and no. Making an image or an idol is usually thought of as a statue, and for good reason, a statue that is being worshiped as a god is, in fact, an idol. "But people don't really make statues to worship anymore do they? That's so old fashioned!" Actually, yes they do, just not in the same way. There are still some people that make statues to worship, but the big thing now a days is worshiping the things we own. "I don't worship my car and my TV or anything like that, so I'm okay, right?" No you may not kneel and pray before them (unless a big game is on) however some people do treat their jobs or cars or phones like they are the most important things in their life. Family members, celebrities, spouses, these can all become idols to us if we are not careful. "Then how do you find grace in a commandment where God calls Himself jealous?" We can see it by looking at what we are really putting our faith in. I ask you, don't cars break down? Don't people lie, fall short, even pass away? Or we could go back to the statues, they are just stone, no more powerful than the rocks they are made from. Now ask your self, how bad does it hurt when a close family member betrays you? Doesn't loosing a job turn your life upside down? If the anwser to any of these is yes, then you should be able to see God's grace. He is not only trying to have us serve Him and Him only, He is trying to save us from the pain that comes from putting your trust in the things of this world that will ultimately let you down. Put your trust in Him and keep no idols in your heart. *MERRY CHRISTMAS*

You Shall Have No Other...

1st commandment

"I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me."

Often times this list of rules is looked at as only a list of rules. They are rules, but there is more to it then just a set of things that are set in place to make your life harder. About a month ago, I received a revelation from the Holy Spirit. That revelation was about the grace that God shows us in all things. One of those things was about the Ten Commandments.

This is the first on the list and is considered the most important command that the Lord gives us. You may be wondering how there is grace in this rule, it is just about putting God first and it doesn't help me. God gives us this as our starting and finishing point in the law. If you follow this law you will be making God the most important thing in your life and by default you will obey the other laws. That is His grace. He made it so all we have to do is follow Him and we would be saved. If I stoped here my point will have been made. However I like details and I have 9 more days and 9 more commandments to go. So be sure to come back and read more tomorrow. *MERRY CHRISTMAS*

The Ten Days of Commandments

I was going to use the Christmas song (12 Day of Christmas) here, then I remembered my distain for that song and decided that was a bad idea. However the song is a good, kinda punny way of starting my new, ten days of blog posts. I will be making a new post every day from now until the day we wish our saviour a happy birthday. These ten posts will be covering none other then (drum roll) The Ten Commandments, and how you can find God's grace in them. They will be posted in order that they are writen in the Bible. Look for my first post later on today.  *MERRY CHRISTMAS*

*Editor's Note*
The editor of this post just so happens to thoroughly enjoy the above mentioned Christmas song... So enjoy!