Read the Rules!

Read the Rules!
By Shirley Mitchell

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
Matthew 22:36-40

My daughter Mikayla plays on a select soccer team. We enjoy the mother/daughter time when we get to travel to her games out of town. We especially love the tournaments because we get the whole weekend together. We recently went to a tournament in Nashville, TN. After a team dinner at the Rain Forest Café that weekend, the girls on the team went shopping in the café's store. Mikayla and her teammate McKenna brought back rock candy sticks to ask their parents for permission to buy them. I turned to McKenna's dad with a "Oh, let's just spoil them this time" look, but playing tough in front of them I said, "Why don't we buy one bag with two sticks in it and they share instead of each have two sticks each. McKenna's father agreed to the plan and to spoil our little angels who had played so well that day.

Well, regrettably both of our little angels have braces on their teeth. In the time that it took to walk from the restaurant's side of the mall to where our cars were parked, Mikayla had broken one of the brackets of her braces. In the two months that she has had braces, this was her second incident. When she told me the bad news, we faced each other and said simultaneously, "We have got to read the rules!" Neither of us remembered that rock candy is not allowed by the orthodontist.

Sometimes, we need to go back to our Rule Book, too. We may have learned the rules when we were a child or perhaps when we first became a Christian. However, it is easy to forget the rules, and we need a refresher course at times.

Jesus summarized the rules for us in Matthew 22. After He silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees confronted Him, trying once again to attack Him. One of them, an expert in the Law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Jesus summarized the Ten Commandments, the Law of Moses, and all that the prophets told the people, in other words the Old Testament by these two commandments. This summary is about relationships - our relationship with God and our relationship with others. When I pray with my children every night, I pray for them to love God with all their being - their heart, soul, mind, and strength. If they will put Him first, then I know their lives will be blessed. They will have His presence, strength, and comfort through their darkest days. They will have everlasting joy and satisfaction that the world can't take away. They will have discernment and wisdom for the decisions they must make.

This first and greatest commandment of Jesus summarizes the first four of the Ten Commandments. Since we are refreshing our memory on the rules, let's talk about each one of them. The first commandment is to have no other gods before God. Other gods can also be relationships, work, money, knowledge, sports, food, body image, worry, TV, internet, identity, our children's activities, pleasure, lust, sex, or a dream. The second commandment goes hand in hand with the first. It is to not have any idol - or a god that we can see in this world. While our idols may not be made of stone, wood, metal, or precious jewels, they are whatever masters us, whatever owns our hearts, whatever we trust, whatever we fear, or wherever we focus our energy. It is the root of our motivations. Why are we motivated to participate in this or choose this thing? It is anything that substitutes for God. These things can be good, but when we want them too much and more than we want God, then we are figuratively hiring a goldsmith to make a god for us to carry around.

The third commandment is to not take the name of God in vain. This means that we are to speak of His name as holy and to not defile it. It also means that since we are a people of His Name that we should conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of carrying the family Name. The fourth commandment is to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. I go to my mother's house almost every Sunday afternoon. Recently, she was ill and couldn't do her usual housework. So I told her since I was there that Sunday that I would vacuum for her. She wouldn't let me because she didn't want me to work on Sunday. It surprised me because even though I try to guard Sunday and won't work in the workplace on that day, I had become desensitized to giving God a day out of the week.

We'll talk about the rest of the Ten Commandments next time. As we leave each other for the day, let's take this refresher course on God's commandments to heart while making sure that we don't fall into the stronghold of legalism. Let's live by His rules out of the motivation that all we really want in this life is Him.

Pray with me: Oh, Lord, we exalt You. Help us to be people who know Your rules. Don't let us become desensitized to them. As generations move away from You and what becomes acceptable for some, let's remember what is acceptable to You. At the same time, may we be motivated by love and not legalism. You never desire for us to come to You doing all the right things without a passion for knowing our God. It's in the Name above all names, in Jesus' Name, Yeshua's Name, we pray. Amen.

Copyright 2009 © Christ Compels

You are Mine!

You Are Mine!

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ ”

Psalm 91:1-2

I told you previously my story about God speaking to me and rejuvenating me at a Christian event by telling me that I had an “is-to-come.” God has more that He wants to do to glorify His name in my life. I have more works than just writing and videotaping Jesus Lives.

So of course, I started looking for another word regarding my is-to-come at this same event. As we closed the event, we sang Chris Tomlin’s new version of Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone). I knew when I saw the words, “God who has called me safe thus far” that the next line was the key to my calling. I thought, “Yes, Lord, You have called me.” I couldn’t remember the next line so I waited in anxious expectation to remember what it was. The next line was this: “Will be forever mine.” You see, I don’t know the details of my is-to-come. God has only told me that He has poured the Word into me and that I am to pour it out. He has not revealed anything else. He reaffirmed for me that I just need to know one thing. I just need to know Jesus and that He is forever mine. Jesus is mine forevermore!!!!!

This powerful word embossed on my heart was enough for me. It is all that I need to know to press through the days to come. He is mine. He is my refuge and my fortress. He is my God in whom I trust. I have a personal relationship with Him. He is actively working in my life. He will never leave me, forsake me, or fail me. He is willing to walk every day and every moment of this life with me forevermore!

In my Bible, I have a list of all of the characteristics or names of God that I could jot down in just a couple of minutes. Each of these characteristics or names reminds me of a time when He has taught His true identity through a life experience: Bestower of beauty, Releaser of captives, Restorer of dignity, Giver of significance, Victor over darkness, Mender of broken hearts, Defender, Giver of good gifts, Defender of the weak, Counselor, and Healer! He is holy, glorious, righteous, sovereign, good, loving, involved, supreme, orderly, perfect, faithful, caring, just, accessible, redeeming, cleansing, all-knowing, invincible, majestic, joyful, creative, foreseeing, kind, patient, approachable, perfect, worthy, wonderful, uncommon, triumphant, and mighty! He is a Gentleman, Abba (Daddy), Strong Tower, Warrior, Rock, Comforter, Alpha and Omega, and Lord of everything. Elohim – Creator God, El Roi – the God who sees, El Shaddai – God Almighty, and Adonai – Master. He is my very best friend!! This is my God! I love praying in this list and declaring the truth aloud about God. What a glorious God you and I have! When you and I decree the truth about who He is, we will respond in complete praise and adoration.

Since I know who my God is, I know His character and His ways so I can trust the Holder of the future. God is trustworthy for my personal calling and for your personal calling. God is also trustworthy for what is going to happen to His believers in the days to come. As crises continue to happen and as we head into perilous times, all we really need to know about tomorrow is the Holder of tomorrow. God will let us know directly or through His prophets of our generation when the time comes to reveal His plan. If God is not telling me details about my future, then He is letting me ponder more, trust more, and revel in the glory that time is in His hands. He can never be forced to unveil faster than He is ready to unveil.

Do you trust Him with your tomorrow, beloved? Are you trusting Him today? Are you letting Him use you this day to further His kingdom? Are you taking one step closer to Him each day? Is it embedded in you that all you need is Him in this life, or are you pursuing other things? What are you spending most of your time doing when you could be spending it with God? Is He personal to you? Do you have the closeness in relationship with Him that is unlike any other? Oh, precious one, how I pray that you realize that God forever being yours is the biggest thrill of all of life. He is the only friend who withstands the test of time. Praise You, Lord!

Pray with me: Oh, God, You are my God! Our close relationship is unlike any other. You are willing to walk every day and every moment with me. There is no crisis where You will leave me. There is no situation where Your love will fail me. You and I were glued together when my sin was nailed to the cross by Your Son’s precious blood. I will dwell daily under Your shelter, O Most High, and rest in Your shadow, God Almighty. I will gladly tell all that You are my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust (Psalm 91:1-2). My life is entwined with You. Our paths will not depart again. You are mine, and I am Yours! It’s in the Name above all names, in Jesus’ Name, Yeshua’s Name, we pray. Amen.

Copyright ©2009 Christ Compels