Which of the Ten Commandments do we break most frequently? Do you lie every day? Perhaps steal on a regular basis? Commit adultery, even if it’s ‘only in your mind’?
In Exodus 20 we read the commands God gave Moses. God wrote them Himself on stone tablets (Exodus 31:18). God begins with what might look like the obvious, but the first commandment is one we commonly break, without even thinking about it.
‘And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.’ –Exodus 20:1-3 and yes, I’m quoting the King James Version because it just sounds holier.
While reading Lysa Terkeurst’s Made to Crave this week, I’ve marked numerous quotes and even shared some on Facebook. I never realized how many verses in the Bible are, or can be, related to eating, quite fascinating, really. Think about it – the very first temptation Satan ever used on humans was food!
But at one point in the book she brings up the story of the rich young ruler that approaches Jesus saying he’s kept God commands since birth (quite a righteous man, isn’t he?) But he asks what more he needs to do to obtain eternal life. Many of you know the story, Jesus tells him to sell all he has and then to come follow Him. Many of us have been taught that this means God doesn’t want us to have money. Like Lysa, I don’t believe that for a minute. It was simply that his money came before his love for God, or he’d have been able to give it up and follow Jesus.
The ‘other gods’ we put before God are more than statues. Take a minute and ask God what you’re putting first, it may surprise you. I know it did me.
While I don't necessarily believe the bible to be an absolute truth, I do believe it is a good moral compass to follow.
ReplyDeleteOne of my many issues with religion are how some sins seems to be socially accepted while others will seemingly condemn you to hell. How many times have we seen overweight, even obese members of the church? As you mentioned, gluttony is a sin, one of the "seven deadly sins" if I remember correctly. How often do we here ministers preaching to their congregations about how they are living in sin by not living healthy? Forgive me if I misquote the passage, but I remember something along the lines of "your body is s temple", and something about how you need to take care of it as such.
So how is it that obese "christians" are thought to have entry into heaven but gay "christians" are condemned to hell? It might sound strange to think of someone as a "gay christian" but I don't see it any differently than an "obese christian".
That was supposed to read, "How often do we hear ministers..." not "How often do we here ministers..."
ReplyDeleteI love that you responded to my blog! (I love that you even read it!) I couldn't agree with you more when it comes to 'acceptable' sins. From a biblical perspective - sin is sin. Sin is what seperates us from God. Jesus is the 'bridge' that crosses that seperation for us. Although some sins seem to be further reaching, or to effect more people than others - I don't personally believe one sin will keep you out of heaven while another sin will be permitted in. When God asks (if He does) why you should be permitted to come through those pearly gates into the heavenly realm - the only answer that's acceptable is one that declares that 'Jesus is my Lord, He paid the price for my sins and I've accepted that payment.'
ReplyDeleteI just read a chapter in the book I referred to in the original post in which the writer told us about a sermon her pastor preached that you summed up nicely. Sin is sin - he challenged his congregation in regards to obesity and gluttony. (Couldn't have been a popular sermon.) But as you stated, obesity seems to be acceptable in Christian circles - with plenty of our pastors being quite overweight themselves. Maybe that's why such sermons are scarces.
If someone declares themselves to be a Christian - and yet believes themselves to be gay or trapped in a gay relationship - I personally think that's something they need to talk to God about. It's not something for me to judge anymore than its for me to judge the overweight pastor or the Christians that pray to statues or the choir director having an affair with the church secretary.
Christianity is about relationship - our relationship with the God that made us. As such, it's a personal thing. As long as its an ongoing interaction between us and God, it will evolve, we will grow in wisdom and understanding, we'll grow closer to our heavenly Father as the Spirit of God within us is given more and more permission to consume us.
And yes, our bodies are not only temples, they are temples of the Holy Ghost! :) He no longer dwells in tents or stone structures - He dwells in His body - the body of Christ.
I love you Scott. I'm blessed by the dialog. Your attention fills me with a most excellent joy!!!