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(Before I start, let me encourage you again - DO NOT just skim over the verses in this post! Whose words mean more in this article, GOD's or MINE? If you skip over anything here, skip what I said and read the verses!) Exodus 20:8-11 - " Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the LORD your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days the LORD made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day He rested. That is why the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy." Stop And Rest When God created the world , He did it in six days and took one day off to rest. Why would an all-powerful, tireless, ever-working God need a day of rest? Actually, He d...

Exodus 20:7 " You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain." Most people think they know all about this commandment. But the fact is, there is a lot more to what God was saying than just cussing or asking God to "damn that". When we dig into this verse, we'll find a lot more to the third commandment. What Name? First of all, let's be clear what name we're talking about here. In the Old Testament, He revealed Himself as Yahweh - the great I AM THAT I AM. This name was (and still is) so sacred to the Jews that they refused to spell it out, even in the Scriptures. This is the same name that is sometimes translated as "Jehovah" - and is usually just written out as "the LORD".  The name of Yahweh is found inside  many common Jewish names.  Abijah - "Yahweh is My Father" Elijah - "Yahweh is My God" Jeremiah - "Yahw...

Exodus 20:5 - " You shall not make for yourself a carved image - any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. " Pagan Idolatry In The Name of "Multiculturalism" At first glance, the second commandment is very straightforward. There can be no trace of idolatry, period. Americans may call idolatry "religious diversity", "multiculturalism", or "pluralism"; but God calls it wickedness. Whether it's one of the hundreds of Hindu gods, a Buddha statue, or a crucifix - humanity has no business bowing down or praying to a statue. Genesis 1:27 tells us that we were made in God's image. Knowing this, how silly is it when a man that is created in God's own image makes his own carved   image and worships it? God actually makes fun of this kind of behavior in Isaiah 44. Listen to His mockery in verses...

Exodus 20:2-3 - " 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 God's before Me." A Jealous God This is the first of the Ten Commandments, and it cuts right to the heart of true obedience. It asks the question: Who's in charge? Do we get to decide what's important in our lives, or is that something only God has the authority to decide? Literally translated, the phrase " no other gods before Me"  means this: "Don't have any other gods in My face." God is very jealous for you - for your time, for your energy, for your devotion. In fact, two verses after this, God reveals His name as El Qanna - "The Jealous God". God is jealous for you - He refuses to share you with anything! He actually has the audacity  to tell you, " It's either all of you or nothing! " How could he be so demanding ? We think of jealousy as a bad thing...as if it were t...

Galatians 3:13 - " Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us, for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree. " This is an amazing verse. Here we see that Jesus bore the curse that comes on us for disobedience to the law. He was made a curse for us, and that has set us free from the (spiritually) legal consequences of our sin. Praise God - that is great news! A Concept That's Pulled Out Of Context Sadly, this message of the broken curse is used out of context way to often . A lot of people hear that verse like this: " Christ has redeemed me from the law! " Then they'll cite Matthew 22:37-39 (the two greatest commandments), and they'll make this extraordinary claim: " The law doesn't mean anything to us anymore. Jesus redeemed us from the law, and now all we have to do is love God and love each other. " Is this what it means to live under grace? Does the New Testament allow us ...