relationships (Deuteronomy 16:18-17:13) Be an Inspiration

(Deuteronomy 16:18-22) “You shall appoint for yourself judges and officers in all your towns which the Lord your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. 19 You shall not distort justice; you shall not be partial, and you shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts the words of the righteous. 20 Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, that you may live and possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

21 “You shall not plant for yourself an Asherah of any kind of tree beside the altar of the Lord your God, which you shall make for yourself. 22 You shall not set up for yourself a sacred pillar which the Lord your God hates.

(Deuteronomy 17:1-13) “You shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep which has a blemish or any defect, for that is a detestable thing to the Lord your God.

2 “If there is found in your midst, in any of your towns, which the Lord your God is giving you, a man or a woman who does what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God, by transgressing His covenant, 3 and has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun or the moon or any of the heavenly host, which I have not commanded, 4 and if it is told you and you have heard of it, then you shall inquire thoroughly. Behold, if it is true and the thing certain that this detestable thing has been done in Israel, 5 then you shall bring out that man or that woman who has done this evil deed to your gates, that is, the man or the woman, and you shall stone them to death. 6 On the evidence of two witnesses or three witnesses, he who is to die shall be put to death; he shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness. 7 The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.

8 “If any case is too difficult for you to decide, between one kind of homicide or another, between one kind of lawsuit or another, and between one kind of assault or another, being cases of dispute in your courts, then you shall arise and go up to the place which the Lord your God chooses. 9 So you shall come to the Levitical priest or the judge who is in office in those days, and you shall inquire of them and they will declare to you the verdict in the case. 10 You shall do according to the terms of the verdict which they declare to you from that place which the Lord chooses; and you shall be careful to observe according to all that they teach you. 11 According to the terms of the law which they teach you, and according to the verdict which they tell you, you shall do; you shall not turn aside from the word which they declare to you, to the right or the left. 12 The man who acts presumptuously by not listening to the priest who stands there to serve the Lord your God, nor to the judge, that man shall die; thus you shall purge the evil from Israel. 13 Then all the people will hear and be afraid, and will not act presumptuously again.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

The Israelites were to manage their land in righteousness and justice.  God never told them to go to other nations and make them comply.  They were to focus on themselves individually and as a nation, with God at the heart of everything.

The Israelites were not to act presumptuously, to the left, meaning that a person would become lenient, or to the right, meaning that a person would add to the law.  Both stances demonstrate a person who thinks they know better than God.  These are people who don't trust or believe that God has the best intentions.

God's desire is that all come to know Him, and that His children will desire to trust Him in what He tells us, and follow through on that.  God never forces Himself on anyone to believe, and even after someone becomes a believer, the Lord never forces Himself on anyone to be obedient.  In this way, we are to treat others.  

It is not our place to tell unbelievers that they have to comply to godly standards.  With love and compassion, we should be going out to tell people about Jesus and His gospel message.  Jesus is the only one who is able to forgive our sins and change us from the inside out.  

Even towards other believers, we need to exercise grace and understanding, while encouraging one another.  We ourselves will still sin, so we have to be careful how we judge others - as Jesus said, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone..." Therefore, we need to continually examine ourselves, to "purge" the sin from our own hearts and lives, to remain focused - not on what others may or may not be doing or saying - but on the Lord Jesus Christ and His word.  Let us strive to inspire others to keep God at the heart of everything, based solely on His word.

relationships (Deuteronomy 16:1-17) Giving with Joy

(Deuteronomy 16:1-17)  “Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night. 2 You shall sacrifice the Passover to the Lord your God from the flock and the herd, in the place where the Lord chooses to establish His name. 3 You shall not eat leavened bread with it; seven days you shall eat with it unleavened bread, the bread of affliction (for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste), so that you may remember all the days of your life the day when you came out of the land of Egypt. 4 For seven days no leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory, and none of the flesh which you sacrifice on the evening of the first day shall remain overnight until morning. 5 You are not allowed to sacrifice the Passover in any of your towns which the Lord your God is giving you; 6 but at the place where the Lord your God chooses to establish His name, you shall sacrifice the Passover in the evening at sunset, at the time that you came out of Egypt. 7 You shall cook and eat it in the place which the Lord your God chooses. In the morning you are to return to your tents. 8 Six days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a solemn assembly to the Lord your God; you shall do no work on it.

9 “You shall count seven weeks for yourself; you shall begin to count seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain. 10 Then you shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God with a tribute of a freewill offering of your hand, which you shall give just as the Lord your God blesses you; 11 and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your son and your daughter and your male and female servants and the Levite who is in your town, and the stranger and the orphan and the widow who are in your midst, in the place where the Lord your God chooses to establish His name. 12 You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and you shall be careful to observe these statutes.

13 “You shall celebrate the Feast of Booths seven days after you have gathered in from your threshing floor and your wine vat; 14 and you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter and your male and female servants and the Levite and the stranger and the orphan and the widow who are in your towns. 15 Seven days you shall celebrate a feast to the Lord your God in the place which the Lord chooses, because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful.

16 “Three times in a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses, at the Feast of Unleavened Bread and at the Feast of Weeks and at the Feast of Booths, and they shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed. 17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Celebrating is not just gathering together in a big group, it is also about giving.  In a lot of cultures, when you are invited to anyone's house, you bring a gift for the host/hostess.  There are even certain cultural guidelines that determine how much to give as a gift, depending on how much the host/hostess is spending on the party that they are throwing.  In the same way, we need to come before the Lord to celebrate what He has done in our lives, and to give as we are able - joyfully - because all things that we have are from Him.

If we don't feel joyful, we should ask ourselves why.  The Lord wants us to take on His joy, no matter what our circumstances are, and this will be done by resting in and being thankful for His strength, love and provision.  It is not something of ourselves, but a gift from God.  So when we recognize how He has blessed us in every way, we will desire to show our appreciation.  In everything, we can be altogether joyful and together in fellowship, we can celebrate our relationship with the Lord our God.

relationships (Deuteronomy 15:1-23) Helping Others

(Deuteronomy 15:1-23)  “At the end of every seven years you shall grant a remission of debts. 2 This is the manner of remission: every creditor shall release what he has loaned to his neighbor; he shall not exact it of his neighbor and his brother, because the Lord’s remission has been proclaimed. 3 From a foreigner you may exact it, but your hand shall release whatever of yours is with your brother. 4 However, there will be no poor among you, since the Lord will surely bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, 5 if only you listen obediently to the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all this commandment which I am commanding you today. 6 For the Lord your God will bless you as He has promised you, and you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow; and you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you.

7 “If there is a poor man with you, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother; 8 but you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks. 9 Beware that there is no base thought in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of remission, is near,’ and your eye is hostile toward your poor brother, and you give him nothing; then he may cry to the Lord against you, and it will be a sin in you. 10 You shall generously give to him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings. 11 For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land.’

12 “If your kinsman, a Hebrew man or woman, is sold to you, then he shall serve you six years, but in the seventh year you shall set him free. 13 When you set him free, you shall not send him away empty-handed. 14 You shall furnish him liberally from your flock and from your threshing floor and from your wine vat; you shall give to him as the Lord your God has blessed you. 15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this today. 16 It shall come about if he says to you, ‘I will not go out from you,’ because he loves you and your household, since he fares well with you; 17 then you shall take an awl and pierce it through his ear into the door, and he shall be your servant forever. Also you shall do likewise to your maidservant.

18 “It shall not seem hard to you when you set him free, for he has given you six years with double the service of a hired man; so the Lord your God will bless you in whatever you do.

19 “You shall consecrate to the Lord your God all the firstborn males that are born of your herd and of your flock; you shall not work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock. 20 You and your household shall eat it every year before the Lord your God in the place which the Lord chooses. 21 But if it has any defect, such as lameness or blindness, or any serious defect, you shall not sacrifice it to the Lord your God. 22 You shall eat it within your gates; the unclean and the clean alike may eat it, as a gazelle or a deer. 23 Only you shall not eat its blood; you are to pour it out on the ground like water.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

A more appropriate term for the slavery mentioned above is "indentured" - which was when someone had to work off a debt they could not pay.  And for the Israelite, their term could only be six years (or less).  In the seventh year, the remaining debt was to be forgiven and they were to be released.  As well, the "slave" had to be given some money and whatever they needed in order to get themselves reestablished;  unless they chose to stay.

Allowing the poor to struggle and go hungry is never good for any society.  Even the selfish part of a person should see that it benefits the ENTIRE nation and protects the ones who are "privileged".  How much more, then, should the children of God feel compelled to give graciously to those Christian brothers and sisters in need?  

Are we inspired by and motived by our love for money?  I hope not.  We should know that whatever the Lord asks of us, He will provide.  Therefore, we should be inspired by and motived by the Lord, because of HIs selfless love and compassion, who has saved us and helps us in all things!!!

relationships (Deuteronomy 14:1-29) Be Assessable Yet Set Apart

(Deuteronomy 14:1-29)  “You are the sons of the Lord your God; you shall not cut yourselves nor shave your forehead for the sake of the dead. 2 For you are a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.

3 “You shall not eat any detestable thing. 4 These are the animals which you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, 5 the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope and the mountain sheep. 6 Any animal that divides the hoof and has the hoof split in two and chews the cud, among the animals, that you may eat. 7 Nevertheless, you are not to eat of these among those which chew the cud, or among those that divide the hoof in two: the camel and the rabbit and the shaphan, for though they chew the cud, they do not divide the hoof; they are unclean for you. 8 The pig, because it divides the hoof but does not chew the cud, it is unclean for you. You shall not eat any of their flesh nor touch their carcasses.

9 “These you may eat of all that are in water: anything that has fins and scales you may eat, 10 but anything that does not have fins and scales you shall not eat; it is unclean for you.

11 “You may eat any clean bird. 12 But these are the ones which you shall not eat: the eagle and the vulture and the buzzard, 13 and the red kite, the falcon, and the kite in their kinds, 14 and every raven in its kind, 15 and the ostrich, the owl, the sea gull, and the hawk in their kinds, 16 the little owl, the great owl, the white owl, 17 the pelican, the carrion vulture, the cormorant, 18 the stork, and the heron in their kinds, and the hoopoe and the bat. 19 And all the teeming life with wings are unclean to you; they shall not be eaten. 20 You may eat any clean bird.

21 “You shall not eat anything which dies of itself. You may give it to the alien who is in your town, so that he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner, for you are a holy people to the Lord your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.

22 “You shall surely tithe all the produce from what you sow, which comes out of the field every year. 23 You shall eat in the presence of the Lord your God, at the place where He chooses to establish His name, the tithe of your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and your flock, so that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always. 24 If the distance is so great for you that you are not able to bring the tithe, since the place where the Lord your God chooses to set His name is too far away from you when the Lord your God blesses you, 25 then you shall exchange it for money, and bind the money in your hand and go to the place which the Lord your God chooses. 26 You may spend the money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen, or sheep, or wine, or strong drink, or whatever your heart desires; and there you shall eat in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice, you and your household. 27 Also you shall not neglect the Levite who is in your town, for he has no portion or inheritance among you.

28 “At the end of every third year you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in that year, and shall deposit it in your town. 29 The Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance among you, and the alien, the orphan and the widow who are in your town, shall come and eat and be satisfied, in order that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Today, there are still religions that have people doing different things to or on their body.  There are still religions that sacrifice and give to their various gods.  And there are still religions where they will feed and eat with their gods.  God created us to worship and serve Him, as well as to have a close relationship with Him.  In this way, we are able to fellowship with the Lord our Savior as well as those around us.  Therefore, to be set apart from the world, is to BE a believer in Christ, and take on His traits of love, grace, peace and joy.

We don't have to move away from the world, in fact, we are to be in the world but not be of the world; otherwise, how will we witness to others.  We are not to look like a cult follower or a criminal, but we don't have to dress dowdy!  It is not about our physical appearance, and it is not about pretending to appear perfect.  Believe it or not, when we unintentionally hurt someone and then apologize and reconcile speaks volumes.  To "look" different from the world is to love others unconditionally with the love of Christ.  And the way we treat our fellow Christians will also be a shining testimony.  How we live our lives will back up the good news that we share.

The biggest way we will be set apart from the world is that we worship the Lord God Jesus Christ - ONLY.  And we will give our tithes and offerings to Him (via our church), as well as help the weak and vulnerable.  And by saying grace before each meal, we are inviting the Lord to "eat with us" - in His presence.  To be praying without ceasing is to consciously stay at the Lord's side in everything.  

People will notice a difference.  Some people will fear that and even be agitated, but those who are seeking, will be curious and want to know more.  And in all these situations, we should keep asking God to direct our actions and words in order to demonstrate His love.

relationships (Deuteronomy 13:1-18) Fear and Focus

(Deuteronomy 13:1-18)  “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’ 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God is testing you to find out if you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him. 5 But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against the Lord your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to seduce you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from among you.

6 “If your brother, your mother’s son, or your son or daughter, or the wife you cherish, or your friend who is as your own soul, entice you secretly, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods’ (whom neither you nor your fathers have known, 7 of the gods of the peoples who are around you, near you or far from you, from one end of the earth to the other end), 8 you shall not yield to him or listen to him; and your eye shall not pity him, nor shall you spare or conceal him. 9 But you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. 10 So you shall stone him to death because he has sought to seduce you from the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 11 Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and will never again do such a wicked thing among you.

12 “If you hear in one of your cities, which the Lord your God is giving you to live in, anyone saying that 13 some worthless men have gone out from among you and have seduced the inhabitants of their city, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods’ (whom you have not known), 14 then you shall investigate and search out and inquire thoroughly. If it is true and the matter established that this abomination has been done among you, 15 you shall surely strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying it and all that is in it and its cattle with the edge of the sword. 16 Then you shall gather all its booty into the middle of its open square and burn the city and all its booty with fire as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God; and it shall be a ruin forever. It shall never be rebuilt. 17 Nothing from that which is put under the ban shall cling to your hand, in order that the Lord may turn from His burning anger and show mercy to you, and have compassion on you and make you increase, just as He has sworn to your fathers, 18 if you will listen to the voice of the Lord your God, keeping all His commandments which I am commanding you today, and doing what is right in the sight of the Lord your God.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

We should not be tempted to even contemplate what others are saying if it goes against God and His will.  We should also be careful not to believe accusations against people without there being proof.  Thinking through how these two things might work together towards deception and destruction, I can see that one of my acquaintances uses both tactics.  Maybe she does this to shake my faith, but I don't know what her true motive is, as I cannot see into her heart, soul and mind.  What I can see is that she constantly points out what the world believes, while at the same time pointing out flaws in Christian people and churches, as well as TRYING to poke holes in the Bible itself. 

Fortunately, my faith is not placed in people!  Also, I know God's word well enough to confidently believe that there are absolutely no inconsistencies in the Bible!  And when we love the Lord Jesus, we will desire to follow Him, fear Him, listen to what He says, remember what He says, do what He says, serve Him and cling to Him.  We will know to avoid sin and evil, because there is no benefit in being attracted to or being seduced by it.  But we don't have to fear it, when we fear the Lord.

What we fear, we will attract - seek - and create!!!  What we focus on will become our target.  So if we only fear and focus on the Lord - we will move closer to His love, goodness, peace, joy and security...  And we will become more Christ-like as we ask Him to work in and through us, in His wisdom and strength, all to His glory.

relationships (Deuteronomy 12:1-32) Don't Be Vulnerable

(Deuteronomy 12:1-32)  “These are the statutes and the judgments which you shall carefully observe in the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess as long as you live on the earth. 2 You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess serve their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. 3 You shall tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and burn their Asherim with fire, and you shall cut down the engraved images of their gods and obliterate their name from that place. 4 You shall not act like this toward the Lord your God. 5 But you shall seek the Lord at the place which the Lord your God will choose from all your tribes, to establish His name there for His dwelling, and there you shall come. 6 There you shall bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the contribution of your hand, your votive offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock. 7 There also you and your households shall eat before the Lord your God, and rejoice in all your undertakings in which the Lord your God has blessed you.

8 “You shall not do at all what we are doing here today, every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes; 9 for you have not as yet come to the resting place and the inheritance which the Lord your God is giving you. 10 When you cross the Jordan and live in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies around you so that you live in security, 11 then it shall come about that the place in which the Lord your God will choose for His name to dwell, there you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution of your hand, and all your choice votive offerings which you will vow to the Lord. 12 And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levite who is within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance with you.

13 “Be careful that you do not offer your burnt offerings in every cultic place you see, 14 but in the place which the Lord chooses in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I command you.

15 “However, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your gates, whatever you desire, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you; the unclean and the clean may eat of it, as of the gazelle and the deer. 16 Only you shall not eat the blood; you are to pour it out on the ground like water. 17 You are not allowed to eat within your gates the tithe of your grain or new wine or oil, or the firstborn of your herd or flock, or any of your votive offerings which you vow, or your freewill offerings, or the contribution of your hand. 18 But you shall eat them before the Lord your God in the place which the Lord your God will choose, you and your son and daughter, and your male and female servants, and the Levite who is within your gates; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God in all your undertakings. 19 Be careful that you do not forsake the Levite as long as you live in your land.

20 “When the Lord your God extends your border as He has promised you, and you say, ‘I will eat meat,’ because you desire to eat meat, then you may eat meat, whatever you desire. 21 If the place which the Lord your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, then you may slaughter of your herd and flock which the Lord has given you, as I have commanded you; and you may eat within your gates whatever you desire. 22 Just as a gazelle or a deer is eaten, so you will eat it; the unclean and the clean alike may eat of it. 23 Only be sure not to eat the blood, for the blood is the life, and you shall not eat the life with the flesh. 24 You shall not eat it; you shall pour it out on the ground like water. 25 You shall not eat it, so that it may be well with you and your sons after you, for you will be doing what is right in the sight of the Lord. 26 Only your holy things which you may have and your votive offerings, you shall take and go to the place which the Lord chooses. 27 And you shall offer your burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood, on the altar of the Lord your God; and the blood of your sacrifices shall be poured out on the altar of the Lord your God, and you shall eat the flesh.

28 “Be careful to listen to all these words which I command you, so that it may be well with you and your sons after you forever, for you will be doing what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God.

29 “When the Lord your God cuts off before you the nations which you are going in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, 30 beware that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How do these nations serve their gods, that I also may do likewise?’ 31 You shall not behave thus toward the Lord your God, for every abominable act which the Lord hates they have done for their gods; for they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.

32 “Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

As the Bible is the infallible word of God, we can have confidence in understanding what is true and what is false.  If we don't base our beliefs on what is said in the Bible, then we are only basing our beliefs on the opinions and feelings of ourselves and others.  God is holy and perfect... people are not.  And God does care and wants the best for us, therefore He has given us a manual for life.

Knowing God's words and His doctrines are important for several reasons.  First, these are God's own words and they let us know all about Him and how to have a close and solid relationship with Him.  The more we know about Jesus, the more we will know that we can trust Him, which helps us in our daily tasks as well as in our relationships with others.  In the Lord, we will experience His joy, peace, contentment, love, etc.  

Knowing God's words also helps us to figure out which church (or group of people) is truly following the Lord so we won't be led down the wrong path.  If we don't understand His truths, we will be more vulnerable to going astray.  And sadly, I have seen some solid Christians getting caught up in movements that deceptively seemed "Christian" but were really religious cults that were divisive and destructive.

A church with sound doctrines will post them on their websites, and will be very willing to talk about them.  They will encourage you to "NOT just take their word for it - but examine the Bible to see for yourself!"  

If a church's statement of belief doesn't include things like eternal security, or they avoid the truth of God's grace, but enforces do's and don'ts ("works" and "obedience"), they are twisting and adding to what God actually says.  Legalism worships the religious idol of self-righteousness, of being right in mankind's eyes, doing things in their own strength.  And these churches, especially if the pastor claims to have some extra divine revelation, will use guilt, worry and fear to try to control others.  

If a church's statement of belief is wishy-washy or vague, subtracting and twisting what God actually says, their emphasis will be more about loving people, which sounds awesome, but these churches most often have put people ahead of God, saying that sin and/or some sin is okay.  This is guiding people to not fear, respect or trust in God at all, but to trust in themselves.  It also leads people into questioning the validity of the entire Bible and considering other religions as good.  Therefore saying, "Anything is okay, and anything you make up will work."

These are both about mankind having the say and the control, and both try to take God out of the equation, by putting themselves in the place of God.  

Meanwhile, everything should be about putting God first in our lives, and putting on the righteousness of Jesus Christ.  In this we can rest in our freedom from sin and death because of His forgiveness.  We can be confident and know that we cannot lose our salvation because of His grace.  We can find comfort because of His strength, and wisdom because of His guidance.  And we can rest - and REJOICE - in our personal relationship with the Lord because of His peace, joy and blessings!

I've included an example list of sound doctrines that a truly biblical church should believe and teach. This statement of faith is not exhaustive. It simply states what beliefs are absolutely essential for life in Christ (salvation) and for the body of Christ (the church).  And don't just take my word for it, study God's word to see for yourself.

The Essential Doctrines:

We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be verbally inspired by God and inerrant in the original writings, that they are of supreme and final authority in faith and life, and that they will be used to settle all matters not specifically addressed in this statement of faith. | II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:19-21​

We believe in only one living and true God, eternally existing in three distinct and equal persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. | Deuteronomy 6:4; John 14:16

We believe that Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, and is fully God and fully man. | Galatians 4:4; Philippians 2:5-11

We believe that man was created in the image of God; that he sinned, and thereby incurred not only physical death, but also that spiritual death that is separation from God; that all human beings are born with a sinful nature, and therefore are sinners in thought, word, and deed. | Romans 5:12; Romans 6:23

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died and paid the penalty for our sins as our substitute to make atonement before God. He rose from the dead on the third day and justifies all who believe in Him by faith alone. | I Corinthians 15:3-5; I John 2:2

We believe water baptism is the public testimony and the first act of obedience of a Christ follower. It declares faith in Jesus to all who are watching and is not a means of salvation. The Lord’s Supper is a remembrance of the Lord’s death until He comes.” | Matthew 28:19; I Corinthians 11:23-26

We believe God has given every believer the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of our salvation. The Holy Spirit enables us to live a holy life and uses us to accomplish his purposes in the world by gifting us to serve His church. | Ephesians 4:30; Galatians 5:22-25

We believe in the imminent, visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ and in His Millennial Kingdom. | I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 22:20

We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and unjust, the eternal blessedness of the saved in a literal heaven, and the eternal punishment of the lost in a literal hell. | Daniel 12:2; Matthew 25:46

relationships (Deuteronomy 11:1-32) Obey to Enjoy

(Deuteronomy 11:1-32))  “You shall therefore love the Lord your God, and always keep His charge, His statutes, His ordinances, and His commandments. 2 Know this day that I am not speaking with your sons who have not known and who have not seen the discipline of the Lord your God—His greatness, His mighty hand and His outstretched arm, 3 and His signs and His works which He did in the midst of Egypt to Pharaoh the king of Egypt and to all his land; 4 and what He did to Egypt’s army, to its horses and its chariots, when He made the water of the Red Sea to engulf them while they were pursuing you, and the Lord completely destroyed them; 5 and what He did to you in the wilderness until you came to this place; 6 and what He did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben, when the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, their households, their tents, and every living thing that followed them, among all Israel— 7 but your own eyes have seen all the great work of the Lord which He did.

8 “You shall therefore keep every commandment which I am commanding you today, so that you may be strong and go in and possess the land into which you are about to cross to possess it; 9 so that you may prolong your days on the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give to them and to their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 For the land, into which you are entering to possess it, is not like the land of Egypt from which you came, where you used to sow your seed and water it with your foot like a vegetable garden. 11 But the land into which you are about to cross to possess it, a land of hills and valleys, drinks water from the rain of heaven, 12 a land for which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning even to the end of the year.

13 “It shall come about, if you listen obediently to my commandments which I am commanding you today, to love the Lord your God and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul, 14 that He will give the rain for your land in its season, the early and late rain, that you may gather in your grain and your new wine and your oil. 15 He will give grass in your fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. 16 Beware that your hearts are not deceived, and that you do not turn away and serve other gods and worship them. 17 Or the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and He will shut up the heavens so that there will be no rain and the ground will not yield its fruit; and you will perish quickly from the good land which the Lord is giving you.

18 “You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. 19 You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up. 20 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21 so that your days and the days of your sons may be multiplied on the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens remain above the earth. 22 For if you are careful to keep all this commandment which I am commanding you to do, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and hold fast to Him, 23 then the Lord will drive out all these nations from before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than you. 24 Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours; your border will be from the wilderness to Lebanon, and from the river, the river Euphrates, as far as the western sea. 25 No man will be able to stand before you; the Lord your God will lay the dread of you and the fear of you on all the land on which you set foot, as He has spoken to you.

26 “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: 27 the blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, which I am commanding you today; 28 and the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I am commanding you today, by following other gods which you have not known.

29 “It shall come about, when the Lord your God brings you into the land where you are entering to possess it, that you shall place the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal. 30 Are they not across the Jordan, west of the way toward the sunset, in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Arabah, opposite Gilgal, beside the oaks of Moreh? 31 For you are about to cross the Jordan to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall possess it and live in it, 32 and you shall be careful to do all the statutes and the judgments which I am setting before you today.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

God loves unconditionally!  He is faithful and keeps His promises.  He can do these things because He is sovereign: omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient.  We cannot be perfectly obedient, except through the Lord Jesus Christ - when we humble our hearts and accept His free gift of salvation.  

I have heard someone insist that this is conditional love, but it is not.  Because He loved the world, Jesus died for all sin, for all time, for all people - whether they believe in Him or not.  Because He is a God of love, He gave everyone a free will.  A loving God does not force Himself on people, therefore we have a choice.  Even once we choose to become believers, God will not force Himself on us.  Even though we cannot lose our salvation, once we are a child of God, we have a decision to make each and every day and for each and every step we take - to seek out and do God's will, or not.

It is for our own good that we live in God's will.  Again, God's love is unconditional.  Whether we, as children of God, are obedient or not, He still loves us and He will never disown us.  And because He loves us and wants the very best for us, He will discipline and continue to give us life lessons.  Does this sound so terrible?  Just as a parent who teaches their children that eating is a necessity in life, which is to nourish the body and keep up one's strength.  And when we eat together as a family, we also get to enjoy the fellowship of one another and grow closer.  It is for that child's own good that they "obey" - listen - and enjoy!!!