Ten Commandments On Your Heart

God did not want just memorization or regulated obedience to rules; He wanted the wisdom of these words to be on the peoples’ hearts, to understand who God is.

How were they to keep the ten commandments?  In Deuteronomy 6.7-9:

–          Teach them diligently to your children

–          Talk of them when you sit in your house

–          Talk of them when you walk by the way

–          Talk of them when you lie down

–          Talk of them when you rise

–          Bind them as a sign on your hand

–          Bind them as frontlets between your eyes

–          Write them on the doorposts of your house

–          Write them on your gates

Have the commandments around you ALL the time, because you are easily distracted, tempted, and led off into evil ways.  (Deuteronomy 6.10-15)

Do what is right and good in the eyes of the LORD. Don’t put God to the test, to see how he will react when you disobey. (Deuteronomy 6.16-19)

Be ready to give good reasons and testimonies of the faithfulness of God, including his just and loving commandments. (Deuteronomy 6.20-25)

Ten Commandments

When given the phrase “holy list”, this is probably the one that most people think of; certainly it is the most famous.  They are enduring, just, loving, and fit with the way God made us to be.  Found in Deuteronomy 5.6-21:

I am the LORD your God.

–          You shall have no other gods before me.

–          You shall not make any idols.

–          You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.

–          Observe the Sabbath day.

–          Honor your father and your mother.

–          You shall not murder.

–          You shall not commit adultery.

–          You shall not steal.

–          You shall not lie.

–          You shall not covet.

Careful What You Eat

When he was coaching football at Indiana University, someone asked Lee Corso about the uneaten, anonymous gift of a fruitcake that had been in the office several days.  He replied, “When your team goes 2 and 8, you don’t mess with an unsigned fruitcake.”

Why Take More Time Praying?

It can be tempting to cut short the prayer time at the beginning of a meeting.  I know in my personal prayer times, I can feel some resentment toward the people I am praying for if I feel like my “important” tasks for the day are being delayed.  So it is with the vital agenda items that await the group; the worry is that the prayer time will just make the meeting adjourn later.

BUT, please remember the One True God for whom the ministry is being conducted, the Creator of the universe who has promised to be with you when you pray, the source of all wisdom and revelation who wants you to get to know Him (not your issues) better.

Just as God promises that you cannot out-give him materially (Luke 6.38), so he promises to give wisdom abundantly if you ask (James 1.5).   If you don’t believe it, keep track of it. 

First, pray for wisdom at the beginning of the meeting.  Go through the agenda, asking for God’s input on the topics.  Concentrate on asking God, and let His thoughts increase your understanding.

Then during the meeting, keep alert to moments when good ideas pop up, sound words are spoken, a new option presents itself.  Jot down the findings and give thanks at the end of the meeting (Colossians 4.2).

If you cannot see answers to your prayers for wisdom, then you probably have a bigger problem than long meetings (see James 1.6-7).

Cool Number Dates 7/7/13 – 7/13/13

This is a great week for cool number days.

Three All Prime days:  7/7/13, 7/11/13, 7/13/13.

And the middle one is three CONSECTIVE prime numbers!  The last one of those was 5/7/11, and the next one is the last one this century: 11/13/17.

Bonus this week – Wednesday, 7/10/13 is an additive sequence.

Delicious opportunity this week on the consecutive primes day – Free Slurpees on 7/11 at 7/11.

 

Youth Group Ministry

The second chapter of second Kings kicks off a series of miracles performed by Elisha, the Lord’s prophet who has succeeded Elijah.  In 2 Kings 2.23-24, Elisha is walking past the city of Bethel when he is accosted by a band of boys who jeer at him, calling him a “baldhead.”  Elisha turns around and curses them in the name of the LORD, causing two bad bears to come out of the woods and maul 42 of the boys.

This story always gets a good laugh when it is noted that this is the first recorded biblical instance of youth group ministry. 

Unfortunately, there are darker undertones to the story.  Bethel was one of the sites where Jeroboam had constructed golden calves (1 Kings 12.25-13.10) to lead Israel astray.  Subsequent kings of Israel were judged on this particular standard – they did not take down the idols called the “sin of Jeroboam the son of Nebat” (2 Kings 3.3).

It is therefore sad but not surprising that young people from apostate Bethel would be so disrespectful toward adults. A pack of fifty or more unsupervised, name-calling, older children roaming the region reflected poorly on their parents and probably presented a safety concern to all travelers.

Even worse, their insolence toward a prophet of God was to dishonor God himself.  Hopefully the swift response to the curse “in the name of the LORD” woke up some of the youth, letting them see that the One True God is not to be trifled with.

As Surely As

Jesus named two sacraments – baptism and communion – defined as signs and seals of God’s grace to us.  Remember the gospel good news of Jesus Christ is that even though we are sinful, unholy, wrong-doing people, the substitutionary death of Jesus on the cross washes clean all the guilt of those who repent of their sins and believe Jesus (John 3.16, Romans 5.6-11).

The “sign” of a sacrament is a physical reality that points to a spiritual truth.  The Heidelberg Catechism uses a great phrase – as surely as – to describe the logic involved.  As surely as “this” physical event occurs, so surely does “that” spiritual truth hold.

For baptism in Heidelberg Question and Answer #69:

Q. How does baptism remind you and assure you that Christ’s one sacrifice on the cross is for you personally?

A. In this way:  Christ instituted this outward washing and with it gave the promise that, as surely as water washes away the dirt from the body, so certainly his blood and his Spirit wash away my soul’s impurity, in other words, all my sins.”

Summary: Water washes away dirt.  Just as surely, Christ’s blood washes away sin.

 

For communion, in Heidelberg Question and Answer #75, there are two phrases.

Q. How does the Lord’s Supper remind you and assure you that you share in Christ’s one sacrifice on the cross and in all his gifts?

A.  In this way:

Christ has commanded me and all believers to eat this broken bread and to drink this cup.  With this command he gave this promise:

First, as surely as I see with my eyes the bread of the LORD broken for me and the cup given to me, so surely his body was offered and broken for me and his blood poured out for me on the cross.

Second, as surely as I receive from the hand of the one who serves, and taste with my mouth the bread and cup of the LORD, given me as sure signs of Christ’s body and blood, so surely he nourishes and refreshes my soul for eternal life with his crucified body and poured-out blood.

 

Summary: I see the bread and the cup.  Just as surely, Christ’s body was broken and his blood poured out for me. I receive and taste the bread and cup.  Just as surely, he nourishes and refreshes my soul with his crucified body and poured-out blood.

Surely it is so!

Which Way?

Here is another great short-term job provided by God. After my freshman year at MSU I returned to Webster Groves, Missouri and worked for the Street Maintenance section of the Public Works Department. I knew it was a great job the very first day.

Our four-man crew consisted of head man Big John, a permanent employee named Mosey, a college student named Dan, and me. Our first assignment was to break up and replace several sidewalk sections that had been shoved aside by tree roots.

We arrived at the spot and spent several minutes looking at the sidewalk before Big John and Mosey decided they needed to get the “sludge.”  Dan and I were left to guard the sidewalk and wonder what the “sludge” was – probably some water powered pressure device for cleaning out the concrete.  When they returned with a good sized sledgehammer, the mystery was solved and Dan and I were assigned to bust up the sidewalk. 

Then we used an axe to carve off the offending roots (we did not have to “ax” for permission), put down a frame of two by fours, placed steel reinforcement bars in the cavity, and mixed and poured concrete. 

The final step was putting up a make-shift barrier to alert people to avoid the new cement. We put four re-rod poles on the corners and John handed Mosey a rope to connect the poles.  The quote of the summer was delivered by Mosey after staring intently at the site.  He had attached the rope to one pole and then asked while gesturing clockwise and counter-clockwise, “Big John, should I take the rope around this way or that way?” 

It turns out it did not matter which way Mosey went because a huge storm tore through town that night, knocked down that tree, and pulled up all of the new concrete that we just laid down. We went back the next day to take away the debris and do the whole sidewalk thing over again.

Twin Tale

A poor woman gave birth to twins but had to give them up for adoption.  One was sent to an orphanage in Mexico and named Juan.  The other was adopted by Egyptian parents and named Amahl.  

Years later the birth mom wanted to connect with her boys; she received a picture of Juan and told her husband how much she also wanted to see her other son.  Her husband replied, “They’re twins.  If you’ve seen Juan, you’ve seen Amahl.”