Bible Archives - Page 7 of 10

The 10 Commandments and Christmas

December 15, 2008 by Marissa 1 Comment

A few weeks ago, we studied the 10 Commandments in BSF. Since I have been a Christian for a long time, I am pretty familiar with the 10 Commandments. I have also studied Jesus’ explanation of some of the commandments in Matthew 5, which points out that these commandments are not just about our external behavior, but also about our heart attitudes. But this time around, I was even more convicted about different ways in which I break the 10 Commandments, and how meditating on the 10 Commandments at this time of year emphasizes the importance of the work Christ came to do for me.

I would challenge anyone to convince me that they have kept the 10 Commandments. I’ve certainly broken all of them: I have put other people and things before God, I have failed to worship God rightly, I have misused His name, I have failed to keep the Sabbath day holy, I have definitely dishonored my father and mother (hello, adolescence!–and beyond), I have hated others, lusted, taken what does not belong to me, lied, and coveted. Even if you set aside Jesus’ discussion of some of these commandments and take them all purely at face value (e.g., believing that if you have not murdered someone or bowed down to a golden idol, you have not broken those 2 commandments), you have admit–that 10th commandment about not coveting anything that belongs to your neighbor has got you, doesn’t it?

I have heard some Christians say that the 10 Commandments do not apply to us. They are from the Old Testament, the old covenant–now we are under grace, not under the law. I disagree. Jesus said, ““Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17). And so if God requires us to keep the 10 Commandments, and if we all have to admit we haven’t done it, then we have a problem.

However, God, in His goodness and grace, not only gives us His law, but He is the one to remedy the situation when we fail to keep it. God became man and dwelt among us, not only to teach us and heal us, but to live the perfect life that we could not live. We cannot keep these commandments; Jesus Christ kept them perfectly, and He bore the punishment for our law-breaking on our behalf. This truth gives us just one more reason to rejoice this Christmas! Christ came to die for us, and He also came to live for us, to keep the law perfectly for us.

I think this is also an important point to teach our children. When they sin, we can remind them of the One who was without sin. Jesus obeyed His parents perfectly. Jesus did not sin in His anger. (I wish the Bible told us that Jesus ate his peas, it would really help me out!) His perfection qualified Him to pay the penalty for our children’s disobedience, and it is important for them to understand that. The baby Jesus was born to die for them, and also to live for them. Their obedience should not be motivated by Santa’s list or by an elf on the shelf (no offense to those of you with elves on your shelves), but by gratitude to God for what He has done for us in Christ Jesus. O come let us adore Him!

Grumbling

November 20, 2008 by Marissa 4 Comments

I am so thankful to be studying the Life of Moses with Bible Study Fellowship this year. Now that I’ve reached the glorious second trimester, I hope to do more writing about what I’ve learned. I had been determined not to complain about not feeling well or being tired during this pregnancy, and I have to admit, I’ve done a terrible job.

I felt especially convicted about this and all the other complaining I do when reading about the grumbling the Israelites did after being brought out of slavery in Egypt. God had just rescued them from horrible oppression and slavery. He had done mighty works and miracles on their behalf, such as parting an entire sea so they could escape on dry land. Then they find themselves in the wilderness, their food begins to run out, and they start to grumble. In the chapters of Exodus that follow the crossing of the Red Sea, the Israelites complain to Moses over and over again.

In Exodus 16:8, Moses answers their grumbling: And Moses said, “When the Lord gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the Lord has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him—what are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the Lord.”

Ouch. All my grumbling isn’t against the weather, my kids, my hubby’s job, my circumstances, money, etc., but against the God who made me and redeemed me?? Of course! For God has given me each and every circumstance: each evening my husband is delayed at work to teach me reliance on Him, each tantrum of my 2-year-old sent to teach me patience, restrictions on my spending to teach me contentment, cold weather . . . well, I haven’t figured out what that is about, but God is most definitely in control of the weather!

I know contentment is important to God, but this verse shed new light on all the “small” complaining I do each day. It showed me how much I am like the Israelites–God has done amazing things for me, and I still grumble against Him. He has given me a beautiful home, and I grumble about cleaning it. He has given my husband a secure, profitable job, and I grumble that he’s not home at 5:00 each day. He has given me two beautiful, sweet, healthy kids, and I grumble that they just won’t give me a minute to myself. My grumbling is a sin against God, and I’m thankful for this verse pointing that out in a fresh way.

New Seeds Music CD

November 6, 2008 by Marissa 4 Comments

I’m slowly emerging from the first-trimester fog and hope to be back to blogging soon. In the meantime, I want to tell everyone about a new cd from Seeds Music–“The Power of Encouragement.”

I was fortunate enough to get this cd a while ago, and my kids LOVE it. Their favorite songs are “Take Heart” and “Go.” My favorite is “A Servant to All,” which talks about anyone who wants to be first being last. One day after we’d been listening to this cd, Christopher decided to give up his turn to choose what video to watch and quoted the verse! I have to admit, this has only happened once, but it made my day! This cd is upbeat and the Bible verses are terrific ones for both me and the kids to commit to memory. I highly recommend it! We also have the Faith and Praise cds, and they are excellent as well. Click here to see a previous post I wrote about these great cds.

Proverbs, Part 2

August 27, 2008 by Marissa 2 Comments

I’ve been reading Proverbs this summer and finally finished. It was excellent! (Of course.) Here are some of my favorite encouraging and convicting verses from the second half of the book:

Proverbs 14:29: Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly. Very convicting–the last thing we need around here is more folly!

Proverbs 15:28: The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things. I really stink at pondering how to answer. I prefer to pour out whatever comes to mind. I want to ponder like the righteous!

Proverbs 23:12: Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge. This one is for me and for my kids. I’ve been praying for a verse for our part-time homeschooling next year, and I think this may be it.

Proverbs 27:14: Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! I stink at waiting even more than I stink at pondering how to answer.

Proverbs 29:17: Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart. What a fabulous promise! Did you see that, moms?!? He said REST!!

Proverbs 30:5: Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. What great truth and comfort.

Proverbs 31:11, 26-27: The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.

I’ve been inspired by the Proverbs 31 Woman for a long time. This month, verse 11 stood out to me with regard to my spending habits. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. Can my husband completely trust the way I handle our money and run our household? Am I doing all I can to make sure he has “no lack of gain”? Or am I adding to his stress as he works to keep up with my spending? (Answers: No, No, and Yes.) What can I do differently to be more worthy of his trust and add to his gain?

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