Reality
Are the days flying by in your home as quickly as they are in our's? David and I can hardly believe October is next week.
This past Saturday, David was running on fumes fighting a virus. So, he and I intentionally decided that we would actually make the next day, Sunday, a "day of rest," like the 10 Commandments say.
As Monday rolled around, we both noticed a difference to the beginning of the work/school week having come right off a full day of rest.
Physically, David felt much better. I wasn't stressed as much as I usually am on a Monday morning (even though I still needed to go to the grocery store). We were on the same page regarding where the other one was emotionally (because we'd actually had plenty of time to talk about what was going on deep inside the day before). We knew what the schedule for the week was - and not because it was on every single one of our calendars, but because we'd had time to talk about it.
Have we been stress/problem free all week long because we rested on Sunday? No.
Were we better prepared to embrace the struggles of the week because we rested? Yes.
When we were growing up, my Dad had a rule in our home that we couldn't do homework on Sunday. And on Sundays, Mom rarely prepared dinner. Legalistic? No, not at all. Dad wanted us to get it done before Sunday so that on Sunday we could rest and enjoy family time before the week started back up again. Mom didn't make dinner because, for her, not cooking/cleaning up provided a way for her to rest.
Not only is resting on the Sabbath something God wants us to do, like all of His commandments, it's GOOD for YOU to do it!
However, have you noticed that all of the 10 Commandments, including honoring the Sabbath, are hard to follow, even though they are good for us?
Is killing someone a bad idea? Yes. Have I ever considered killing someone (Exodus 20:13)? No. But, I've hated someone. And Jesus said hate is the same as murder (Matthew 5:22).
I've never committed adultery. But, Jesus said that lust is the same thing as adultery! (Matthew 5:28)
Whether we like it or not, a white lie is still a lie.
And we hardly ever honor the Sabbath as we should.
We break the 10 Commandments every day.
So, we're ALL in trouble. NONE of us are perfect. NONE of us will ever be good enough to get into Heaven because whether we like it or not, none of us, up to this point, have followed ALL of the 10 Commandments every single day for our entire life.
Feel like you're listening to a crazy evangelical in the middle of an intersection?
They usually focus a lot on the "going to Hell" part and forget the relief part, the good news, the guess what, it's not all fire and brimstone.
Yes, our God demands justice, but because He's merciful, He provided a substitute to serve our punishment (death/Hell) for us.
That gruesome death Jesus endured on the cross, that was it. Jesus never broke a 10 Commandment - or any other rule. (Hebrews 4:15) That made Him the perfect sacrifice.
Just this week my family was reminded that 10 out of 10 people die when our dear friend David Yankey unexpectedly passed away.
Unexpected deaths remind us to keep our affairs in order, to make sure those who we leave behind will be taken care of.
But what about how your death is going to affect YOU? What about what happens to YOU after you die?
We already know we're not good enough - the 10 Commandments showed us that.
We now know that God did something about it and sent Jesus to serve our punishment.
The next part is a lot easier than you might think... Receive the forgiveness being offered to you and turn from the sins (like not following the 10 Commandments) you've been engaging in.
It's really not that complicated.
For those of you who live nearby and have questions, I'd love to grab a cup of coffee with you and talk about this if you'd like. For those of you who don't, you probably already have a friend who follows Christ nearby who would be thrilled to discuss any questions you might have. For those of you who fit neither category, check out these churches/ministries and get yourself a copy of the Bible.
It's time to stop being flippant about reality - 10 out 10 people die, there's only two places to go, and thank God there's a Way for us to spend eternity in the better place. : )
The Way of the Master
Need Him Global
Proverbs 31 Ministries
The Life of a Single Mom Ministries
Passion City Church
The Church at Brook Hills
TeenChallenge USA
Focus on the Family
KLOVE
Luis Palau
This past Saturday, David was running on fumes fighting a virus. So, he and I intentionally decided that we would actually make the next day, Sunday, a "day of rest," like the 10 Commandments say.
As Monday rolled around, we both noticed a difference to the beginning of the work/school week having come right off a full day of rest.
Physically, David felt much better. I wasn't stressed as much as I usually am on a Monday morning (even though I still needed to go to the grocery store). We were on the same page regarding where the other one was emotionally (because we'd actually had plenty of time to talk about what was going on deep inside the day before). We knew what the schedule for the week was - and not because it was on every single one of our calendars, but because we'd had time to talk about it.
Have we been stress/problem free all week long because we rested on Sunday? No.
Were we better prepared to embrace the struggles of the week because we rested? Yes.
When we were growing up, my Dad had a rule in our home that we couldn't do homework on Sunday. And on Sundays, Mom rarely prepared dinner. Legalistic? No, not at all. Dad wanted us to get it done before Sunday so that on Sunday we could rest and enjoy family time before the week started back up again. Mom didn't make dinner because, for her, not cooking/cleaning up provided a way for her to rest.
Not only is resting on the Sabbath something God wants us to do, like all of His commandments, it's GOOD for YOU to do it!
However, have you noticed that all of the 10 Commandments, including honoring the Sabbath, are hard to follow, even though they are good for us?
Is killing someone a bad idea? Yes. Have I ever considered killing someone (Exodus 20:13)? No. But, I've hated someone. And Jesus said hate is the same as murder (Matthew 5:22).
I've never committed adultery. But, Jesus said that lust is the same thing as adultery! (Matthew 5:28)
Whether we like it or not, a white lie is still a lie.
And we hardly ever honor the Sabbath as we should.
We break the 10 Commandments every day.
So, we're ALL in trouble. NONE of us are perfect. NONE of us will ever be good enough to get into Heaven because whether we like it or not, none of us, up to this point, have followed ALL of the 10 Commandments every single day for our entire life.
Feel like you're listening to a crazy evangelical in the middle of an intersection?
They usually focus a lot on the "going to Hell" part and forget the relief part, the good news, the guess what, it's not all fire and brimstone.
Yes, our God demands justice, but because He's merciful, He provided a substitute to serve our punishment (death/Hell) for us.
That gruesome death Jesus endured on the cross, that was it. Jesus never broke a 10 Commandment - or any other rule. (Hebrews 4:15) That made Him the perfect sacrifice.
Just this week my family was reminded that 10 out of 10 people die when our dear friend David Yankey unexpectedly passed away.
Unexpected deaths remind us to keep our affairs in order, to make sure those who we leave behind will be taken care of.
But what about how your death is going to affect YOU? What about what happens to YOU after you die?
We already know we're not good enough - the 10 Commandments showed us that.
We now know that God did something about it and sent Jesus to serve our punishment.
The next part is a lot easier than you might think... Receive the forgiveness being offered to you and turn from the sins (like not following the 10 Commandments) you've been engaging in.
It's really not that complicated.
For those of you who live nearby and have questions, I'd love to grab a cup of coffee with you and talk about this if you'd like. For those of you who don't, you probably already have a friend who follows Christ nearby who would be thrilled to discuss any questions you might have. For those of you who fit neither category, check out these churches/ministries and get yourself a copy of the Bible.
It's time to stop being flippant about reality - 10 out 10 people die, there's only two places to go, and thank God there's a Way for us to spend eternity in the better place. : )
The Way of the Master
Need Him Global
Proverbs 31 Ministries
The Life of a Single Mom Ministries
Passion City Church
The Church at Brook Hills
TeenChallenge USA
Focus on the Family
KLOVE
Luis Palau
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