Tag Archives: ten commandments

mmmm deuteronomy 6 mmmm

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Mmmm Enjoyed delicious Aussie Seafood at Sydney’s Palm Beach on the weekend Mmmm

Sydney has amazing seafood that is so fresh!

But that’s not the only food that is mouth-watering.

At Bible College, I’m eating mouthfuls of Old Testament this semester.

4 Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the door-frames of your houses and on your gates.

 Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Recently, I was talking to my Jewish workmate about the Shema or verse 4 above.

It struck me how impersonal his relationship with God was.

It’s possible for Jews to follow all the Laws in the Torah (1st 5 books in the Bible)
and not really know who God is.

They can robotically observe all the Laws without having any real love towards God.

These Laws are an inconvenience as Jews get on with their ordinary lives.

These Laws are open to abuse as Jews try to find loopholes to avoid obeying them completely.

Jews probably view God as some anonymous “cosmic policeman”
who spoils their fun and enjoyment of life.

As Christians, we have a completely different view of the Torah.

Jesus summed up the whole Law with verse 5 above and
“Love your neighbour as yourself”.

Because we have a real relationship with Jesus, these Laws reflect God’s holiness
rather than repetitive rules and regulations.

Our sole purpose is to Love God as our Father with all our whole being –
he is number 1 in our lives.

We view these Laws as a general guide in our lives, not as an inconvenience.

Jesus has freed us from the punishment and consequences of the Law.

Unlike Jews who are culturally bound by the Torah,
Christians do not robotically observe the Law.

Instead our lives are characterised by Love and wanting to please God because he first loved us.

Jesus has superseded the Law and the New Testament has replaced
all of the Food, Ceremonial & Sacrificial Laws and Rituals.

Yet the Ten Commandments reflect our love for God.

We do not have to worry if we accidentally break one of them.

Instead our relationship with Jesus means that we are forgiven.

Christians are known for their love for God, families, friends, neighbours and strangers.

Do you have a close loving relationship with God as your Dad and Jesus as your brother?

If you are a Christian, can people around you see your love for God and others?

mmmm Bible mmmm

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mmmm exodus 20 mmmm

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Mmmm Enjoyed delicious Vietnamese Beef Pho with fresh chilli last weekend Mmmm

I thank God that I live in Sydney with the best authentic Asian food outside Asia!

But that’s not the only food that is mouth-watering.

I’m being nourished at Bible College with tantalising morsels of Old Testament this semester.

Honour your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour.
You shall not covet your neighbour’s house. You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.

When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, ‘Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not let God speak to us or we will die.’ Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.’ The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.

Exodus 20:12-21

This passage includes a portion of the familiar Ten Commandments.

Many think that as long as you obey these and lead a good life, you will go to heaven.

Wrong.

Our salvation comes from Jesus alone.

We do not earn our way to heaven by obeying religious rules and regulations.

Jesus saves us & makes it possible for Christians to have a real relationship with God.

These verses show the nature of our relationship with our Heavenly Dad.

We are to fear and respect our Dad because He created the whole universe & us.

The Ten Commandments demonstrate the holiness of being in the same family as God.

They were written to test our love for Him.

When we follow Jesus, we try to live our lives in a way that pleases God.

But often we stuff up and break the Ten Commandments many times in our lives.

Thankfully we don’t have to be worried that we are not good enough to enter heaven.

Because entering heaven doesn’t depend on our “goodness”.

Instead if we ask for forgiveness, God will allow us into his “house” or heaven.

After we’ve been forgiven, we live our lives in thankfulness for what Jesus did on the cross.

Christians aren’t perfect.

Christians are forgiven.

Christians are children that demonstrate their love for their Dad in a way that makes him proud to call us his kids.

Is God proud of you?

mmmm Bible mmmm