Do you know the story of how King Saul went to a witch so that he could speak to the prophet Samuel's spirit from the dead? Do you believe that it was actually Samuel's spirit that Saul spoke to? After all, the Bible does say "And Samuel said"? Wouldn't that make it conclusive? I don't think so.
I used to believe that is was actually Samuel's spirit that Saul spoke to, but not anymore.
One day I was reading the story (I Samuel 29:4-25), it seemed like God opened my eyes. Here is what I believe that God showed me:
God wouldn't have anything to do with Saul, not in dreams or through the prophets. He had totally rejected him and the devil knew this.
Saul asked some of his men to see if they could find someone who could speak to the dead. He then disguised himself, and went to her.
When he got there, the woman told him that Saul had "cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die?" She was afraid that this was a trap to kill her.
Saul, in his disguise, had to assure her that nothing would happen to her. She, then, asked who it was he wanted to speak to. He told her "Samuel".
Well, she did her thing, whatever it was and screamed and said, "why hast thou deceived me? For thou art Saul."
Now, some have said that the reason she screamed was because this was the first time she had seen a spirit. I don't agree. I believe that she screamed because she feared for her life when she found out that Saul was there.
Saul, again, had to reassure her that she would not die. He, then, asked her what she saw and she described "An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle." The Bible, then, says that Saul
"perceived that it was Samuel,".
Where did he get this perception? He couldn't have gotten it from God because he wouldn't speak to him. He got it simply from what this woman described as seeing.
Saul then proceeded to have a conversation with who he believed to be Samuel. I believe that this conversation was written from man's (particular Saul's) perception. He BELIEVED he was talking to Samuel, but that doesn't mean that he was.
Now, I don't know how this conversation took place. Whether, there was a voice in the air or what. But, if you read the conversation, you will see that this "spirit" said everything that Samuel had said when he was alive, with exception of one thing - that Saul and his sons would be killed in the battle with the Philistines.
It is possible that this "spirit", which I believe to be a demon impersonating Samuel, knew that Saul was going to be killed at the battle just like the devil knew about Ahab falling at
Ramothgilead.
I, also, thought of this: When Jesus told the story of the rich man and Lazarus, Lazarus was in Abraham's bosom - a place of peace and comfort. God's Spirit is the only Spirit that can be everywhere at once. Our spirits can only be in one place at a time. I believe that Samuel's spirit was in Abraham's bosom just like Lazarus. I do not believe that God would have Samuel's spirit leave a place of comfort and peace to go and talk with Saul.
Someone may say that God can do anything he wants. True. But, somehow, that just doesn't make sense to me.
God Bless,
Douglas
About Me
- Douglas
- My name is Douglas Collins. I was 4 lbs. at birth due to a blood virus. It affected all my blood organs. They did not expect me to live. If I did, I wouldn't be very tall, have the mental capacity of a two yr. old,& wouldn't live past the age of 11 or 12. I'm 43 yrs. old, graduated in 1988, & am about 5 feet 8 inches. Not short one bit! I was born deaf in my right ear, blind in my right eye. In my teens, I started losing my hearing in my left ear. It was nerve deafness, nothing they could do. At 17 at church camp, I felt led to go pray. God spoke to me & said, "You take your hearing aid out and you never wear it again." I did and God healed me! In Feb. 2002, I started losing my hearing in my left ear again. They believe this time that it is a blood clot pushing on a nerve. Please pray for me that God would restore my hearing.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
THE THIRD THING I LEARNED FROM A BLIND MAN
Last week, I told you about the two things I learned from a blind man.
This man was involved in a competition on T.V. The competition consisted of 12 teams (each made up of three people) that had to do both physical and mental challenges in Morocco.
The two things I've already mentioned in learning from this man were:
1. Exercising faith and that God won't take your faith you put in him lightly.
2. That sometimes in going down the river of life, you may not hear or see your guide and your boat may tip over but God is still there encouraging you to get back in the boat and keep going.
The third thing I would like to mention is that even though his blindness caused him to have limitations, this man would not let his blindness stop him from doing what he wanted to do.
During one of the challenges, they had to search for a rug with five holes in it among a huge pile of other rugs. This blind man, obviously, couldn't participate in the search.
Sometimes, we want to tell God that we are limited to what we can do for him, but God will not have us to do something without giving us the ability, the strength, wisdom, and grace to do it.
God bless,
Douglas
This man was involved in a competition on T.V. The competition consisted of 12 teams (each made up of three people) that had to do both physical and mental challenges in Morocco.
The two things I've already mentioned in learning from this man were:
1. Exercising faith and that God won't take your faith you put in him lightly.
2. That sometimes in going down the river of life, you may not hear or see your guide and your boat may tip over but God is still there encouraging you to get back in the boat and keep going.
The third thing I would like to mention is that even though his blindness caused him to have limitations, this man would not let his blindness stop him from doing what he wanted to do.
During one of the challenges, they had to search for a rug with five holes in it among a huge pile of other rugs. This blind man, obviously, couldn't participate in the search.
Sometimes, we want to tell God that we are limited to what we can do for him, but God will not have us to do something without giving us the ability, the strength, wisdom, and grace to do it.
God bless,
Douglas
Thursday, August 18, 2011
THINGS I'VE LEARNED FROM A BLIND MAN (PART TWO)
Yesterday I talked about watching some episodes of a competition on T.V.
There were twelve teams, each team consisting of 3 people, that competed in both physical and mental challenges in Morocco.
I mentioned one team called "No Limits". The team consists of 3 men and one of them is blind. One of the other men in his guide.
Yesterday, I talked about one instance where I learned something from this blind man. Today, I wish to tell you of the second thing I learned from this man.
During one part of the competition, they had to kayak down the river to their next destination. The guide was in a kayak in front, the blind man in the middle, and the other man behind. The kayaks were not connect by ropes or anything. The blind man had to rely upon his guide to tell him where to go in order to avoid the rocks. The blind man stated that the water from the rapids was so loud that he couldn't hear his guide, so, he is going down this river both blind and deaf. At one point, his kayak tips over. The guide cannot help him, all he can do is encourage the man to get back in the boat and keep going and the blind man does this.
Sometimes, when we are going down the river of life we cannot see or hear our guide and the rivers of life may cause our boat to tip over, but God is there encouraging us to get back in the boat and keep going. Don't stop!
Next week, Lord willing, I will tell about the third thing I learned from this blind man.
God Bless,
Douglas
There were twelve teams, each team consisting of 3 people, that competed in both physical and mental challenges in Morocco.
I mentioned one team called "No Limits". The team consists of 3 men and one of them is blind. One of the other men in his guide.
Yesterday, I talked about one instance where I learned something from this blind man. Today, I wish to tell you of the second thing I learned from this man.
During one part of the competition, they had to kayak down the river to their next destination. The guide was in a kayak in front, the blind man in the middle, and the other man behind. The kayaks were not connect by ropes or anything. The blind man had to rely upon his guide to tell him where to go in order to avoid the rocks. The blind man stated that the water from the rapids was so loud that he couldn't hear his guide, so, he is going down this river both blind and deaf. At one point, his kayak tips over. The guide cannot help him, all he can do is encourage the man to get back in the boat and keep going and the blind man does this.
Sometimes, when we are going down the river of life we cannot see or hear our guide and the rivers of life may cause our boat to tip over, but God is there encouraging us to get back in the boat and keep going. Don't stop!
Next week, Lord willing, I will tell about the third thing I learned from this blind man.
God Bless,
Douglas
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
THINGS I'VE LEARNED FROM A BLIND MAN (PART ONE)
My parents and I have been watching some episodes of a competition called, "Expedition Impossible".
12 teams - each made up of three people - compete in both physical and mental challenges in Morroco.
One of the teams call themselves "No Limits". It consists of three men and one of them is blind. One of the other men is his guide.
Two incidents stood out for me. I'll talk about the first incident today. The second one tomorrow, Lord willing.
The first one was when they came to this beautiful waterfall, they were standing on a cliff. The instructions said that they had two choices. They could take the safe and slow route down the side of the cliff into the water for a swim to their next destination or they could take the faster and more dangerous route which was jumping off the 30-foot cliff into the water. If I remember correctly all the teams chose to jump the cliff.
The cliff is not straight. The contestants have to go down a small hill to get to the edge of it.
Now, picture this: Here is a blind man being led by his guide down this small hill to the edge. The blind man has his hand on his guide's shoulder. The guide is telling him how much farther they have to go before they jump. He then tells him to stand up and on the count of three, they jump.
I told my mother, "Talk about faith". This blind man exercises completely trust and confidence in his guide. He will do whatever his guides says - no questions asked.
How often do we question God when He tells us to do something?
I, also, thought of this: That guide does not take the trust that the blind man has put in him lightly. He doesn't abuse or misuse it.
God is the same way. He will not take the faith and trust that you put in Him lightly. He will not misuse or abuse your faith. If He tells you to jump off a 30-foot cliff (spiritually speaking), then you can be sure that He will see that you reach the bottom safely.
Tomorrow, Lord willing, I will talk about the second lesson that I have learned from this blind man.
God Bless,
Douglas
12 teams - each made up of three people - compete in both physical and mental challenges in Morroco.
One of the teams call themselves "No Limits". It consists of three men and one of them is blind. One of the other men is his guide.
Two incidents stood out for me. I'll talk about the first incident today. The second one tomorrow, Lord willing.
The first one was when they came to this beautiful waterfall, they were standing on a cliff. The instructions said that they had two choices. They could take the safe and slow route down the side of the cliff into the water for a swim to their next destination or they could take the faster and more dangerous route which was jumping off the 30-foot cliff into the water. If I remember correctly all the teams chose to jump the cliff.
The cliff is not straight. The contestants have to go down a small hill to get to the edge of it.
Now, picture this: Here is a blind man being led by his guide down this small hill to the edge. The blind man has his hand on his guide's shoulder. The guide is telling him how much farther they have to go before they jump. He then tells him to stand up and on the count of three, they jump.
I told my mother, "Talk about faith". This blind man exercises completely trust and confidence in his guide. He will do whatever his guides says - no questions asked.
How often do we question God when He tells us to do something?
I, also, thought of this: That guide does not take the trust that the blind man has put in him lightly. He doesn't abuse or misuse it.
God is the same way. He will not take the faith and trust that you put in Him lightly. He will not misuse or abuse your faith. If He tells you to jump off a 30-foot cliff (spiritually speaking), then you can be sure that He will see that you reach the bottom safely.
Tomorrow, Lord willing, I will talk about the second lesson that I have learned from this blind man.
God Bless,
Douglas
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
LOVING GOD'S WORD
Last week, I had mentioned a book titled, "Loving God's Word: Seven strategies for slaying Bible apathy" by Seth Kniep. I was going to take a chapter a week and write something, but I am not sure how to do it without violating copyright laws, so....I'll just recommend the book to you. It's very good. It is, basically, a commentary on Psalms 119. I advise you to buy it and check it out.
God Bless,
Douglas Collins
God Bless,
Douglas Collins
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
THINGS THAT GET MY GOAT!
There are two things that really irritate me.
1. When so called christians will picket somewhere and hold up signs that says "God hates f-gs". This statement is simply not true!
The word f-g refers to the person who practices the sin of homosexuality. God doesn't hate the person - but, the sin!
(John 3:16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Why would God die for someone he hated?
(Romans 5:8) But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
When Christ died, we were ALL sinners. He died for every single one of us.
When God saved us, he gave us a commandment to make disciples of all nations. How are we to get people to serve God if we leave them to believe that God hates them? If we give them this impression, we defeat our own purpose.
If people held up signs that said, "God hates homosexuality", I would agree with that - 100%. We must make sure that we differentiate between hating sin and loving the sinner.
2. The second thing that gets my goat is when people accuse Christians of being "homophobic". I am not homophobic.
If I said that I disagreed with adultery, would you accuse me of having a phobia?
If I said that I disagreed with prematerial sex, would you accuse me of having a phobia?
What about rape, incest, child molesting, pornography, prostitution, and beastiality? I disagree with all those sexual sins just as much as I disagree with homosexuality, lesbianism, and bisexuality. It has nothing to do with phobias.
I believe that any sexual activity outside of a marriage between one husband and his one wife is sin. Period.
Again, it has nothing to do with phobias. It has to do with hating sin.
If you are involved with the sin of homosexuality (or any of the other sins that I have mentioned), God loves you. He wants to save you, to deliver you, to give you a better quality life than what you have right now.
If you want to turn to God, here's how:
(Acts 2:38) Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
God Bless,
Douglas
1. When so called christians will picket somewhere and hold up signs that says "God hates f-gs". This statement is simply not true!
The word f-g refers to the person who practices the sin of homosexuality. God doesn't hate the person - but, the sin!
(John 3:16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Why would God die for someone he hated?
(Romans 5:8) But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
When Christ died, we were ALL sinners. He died for every single one of us.
When God saved us, he gave us a commandment to make disciples of all nations. How are we to get people to serve God if we leave them to believe that God hates them? If we give them this impression, we defeat our own purpose.
If people held up signs that said, "God hates homosexuality", I would agree with that - 100%. We must make sure that we differentiate between hating sin and loving the sinner.
2. The second thing that gets my goat is when people accuse Christians of being "homophobic". I am not homophobic.
If I said that I disagreed with adultery, would you accuse me of having a phobia?
If I said that I disagreed with prematerial sex, would you accuse me of having a phobia?
What about rape, incest, child molesting, pornography, prostitution, and beastiality? I disagree with all those sexual sins just as much as I disagree with homosexuality, lesbianism, and bisexuality. It has nothing to do with phobias.
I believe that any sexual activity outside of a marriage between one husband and his one wife is sin. Period.
Again, it has nothing to do with phobias. It has to do with hating sin.
If you are involved with the sin of homosexuality (or any of the other sins that I have mentioned), God loves you. He wants to save you, to deliver you, to give you a better quality life than what you have right now.
If you want to turn to God, here's how:
(Acts 2:38) Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
God Bless,
Douglas
Thursday, July 14, 2011
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (PART 2)
Yesterday, we talked about the first three of the Ten Commandments. Today we will talk about the Sabbath day.
There is disagreement on whether The Ten Commandments are apart of the Law of Moses. Because God himself wrote the Ten Commandments, some believe they are not.
I believe they are - for two reasons.
1. Jesus said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
(Matthew 22:40- 40)
The Ten Commandments hang on these two laws. The first four hang on loving God, the last six on loving our neighbour.
2. In the book of James, the writer talks about how if you break one part of the law, you break the whole law.
(James 2:8- 11) If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.
In verse number 11, James uses two of the Ten Commandments as examples of how you can break the whole just by breaking one of the Ten Commandments. If James did not believe that the Ten Commandments were a part of the Law of Moses, why would he use them as an example of how you can break the whole Law? He had hundreds of other commandments that he could have used, but didn’t.
For these two reasons, I believe that the Ten Commandments were apart of the Mosaic Law.
Question: Since the Law has been done away with in Christ, does that mean we do not have to keep The Ten Commandments anymore? Not at all. Paul mentions them in Romans 13:9:
For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
The last phrase of the verse lets us know that Paul is referring to the last six commandments. The first four have to do with our relationship with God - and they are always to be kept.
Must we still keep a literal, physical Sabbath day?
As long as we do not judge others who do not keep a literal, physical Sabbath day, I believe it is ok to keep it that way. Most people keep the Sabbath day spiritually.
(Isaiah 28:11-12) For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.
To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.
When we receive the Holy Ghost we are receiving a spiritual rest.
I hope that you have enjoyed my study of the Ten Commandments.
God Bless,
Douglas
There is disagreement on whether The Ten Commandments are apart of the Law of Moses. Because God himself wrote the Ten Commandments, some believe they are not.
I believe they are - for two reasons.
1. Jesus said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
(Matthew 22:40- 40)
The Ten Commandments hang on these two laws. The first four hang on loving God, the last six on loving our neighbour.
2. In the book of James, the writer talks about how if you break one part of the law, you break the whole law.
(James 2:8- 11) If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.
In verse number 11, James uses two of the Ten Commandments as examples of how you can break the whole just by breaking one of the Ten Commandments. If James did not believe that the Ten Commandments were a part of the Law of Moses, why would he use them as an example of how you can break the whole Law? He had hundreds of other commandments that he could have used, but didn’t.
For these two reasons, I believe that the Ten Commandments were apart of the Mosaic Law.
Question: Since the Law has been done away with in Christ, does that mean we do not have to keep The Ten Commandments anymore? Not at all. Paul mentions them in Romans 13:9:
For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
The last phrase of the verse lets us know that Paul is referring to the last six commandments. The first four have to do with our relationship with God - and they are always to be kept.
Must we still keep a literal, physical Sabbath day?
As long as we do not judge others who do not keep a literal, physical Sabbath day, I believe it is ok to keep it that way. Most people keep the Sabbath day spiritually.
(Isaiah 28:11-12) For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.
To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.
When we receive the Holy Ghost we are receiving a spiritual rest.
I hope that you have enjoyed my study of the Ten Commandments.
God Bless,
Douglas
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (PART 1)
I have two books written by a Rabbi Joseph Telushkin. The two books are: JEWISH LITERACY and BIBLICAL LITERACY. The books tell about Jewish history and their religion. In one section, he talks about the ten commandments. I was surprised to see the differences between the English and the Jewish versions.
Here are the Jewish version of the ten commandments according to Rabbi Telushkin:
1. I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage.
2. You shall have no other gods besides Me.
3. You shall not carry the Lord your God's name in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day to make it holy.
5. Honor you father and mother.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not kill.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness against you neighbor.
10. You shall not covet you neighbor's house; you shall not covet you neighbor's wife, or...anything that is your neighbor's.
Notice how the first four commandments are different than our English versions? Let's take them one at a time, shall we?
1. I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage.
Rabbi Telushkin states this: "It is interesting that the First "Commandment" seems to be a statement, not a commandment. That is probably why, in Hebrew, these words are called Aseret ha-Dibrot, the Ten Statements, and not Aseret ha-Mitzvot, the Ten Commandments."
When the Bible uses the phrase "The Ten Commandments" (KJV) in Exodus and Deuteronomy, it uses a Hebrew word that means "speech, word, speaking, thing" (Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew definitions)
What is interesting to me is the verse in Deuteronomy 4:13.
(Deuteronomy 4:13-32) And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.
The word "commanded" is a different Hebrew word and it means "to command, charge, give orders, lay charge, give charge to, order". So, it makes sense to call these ten statements "The Ten Commandments" because God commanded us to keep them!
According to Telushkin, "most Jewish authorities" believe that the first statement "commands a belief in God".
The second commandment in the Jewish version is:
2. You shall have no other gods besides Me.
Notice how the English commandment "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image" is absent from the Jewish version? The commandments "You shall have no other gods besides me" and "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image" are viewed as one commandment to a Jew. Why?
Because in Hebrew "graven image" actually means "idol". An idol is something that you worship. So, if you have an idol, you have another god besides the one true God.
The third commandment is:
3. You shall not carry the Lord your God's name in vain.
I thought it was interesting that it says "carry", instead of "take". According to Telushkin it means: "don't use God as your justification in selfish causes".
I also found it intersting that Telsushkin says that the last half of this commandment is translated, "for the Lord God will not forgive him who carries His name in vain". He contiunes, "When a person commits an evil act, he discredits himself. But when a religious person commits an evil act in the name of God, he or she descredits God as well. And since God relies on religious people to bring knowledge of Him into the world, He pronounces this sin unpardonable."
I tried to think of somenoe in the Bible that committed an evil act in God's name and was forgiven for it. The only one I could think of was Paul. He thought he "ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth."(Acts 26:9). Now whether he was actually doing this in God's name or just mistaking it for God's will might be debatable.
Tomorrow, Lord willing, we shall talk about the Sabbath day.
God Bless,
Douglas
Here are the Jewish version of the ten commandments according to Rabbi Telushkin:
1. I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage.
2. You shall have no other gods besides Me.
3. You shall not carry the Lord your God's name in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day to make it holy.
5. Honor you father and mother.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not kill.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness against you neighbor.
10. You shall not covet you neighbor's house; you shall not covet you neighbor's wife, or...anything that is your neighbor's.
Notice how the first four commandments are different than our English versions? Let's take them one at a time, shall we?
1. I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage.
Rabbi Telushkin states this: "It is interesting that the First "Commandment" seems to be a statement, not a commandment. That is probably why, in Hebrew, these words are called Aseret ha-Dibrot, the Ten Statements, and not Aseret ha-Mitzvot, the Ten Commandments."
When the Bible uses the phrase "The Ten Commandments" (KJV) in Exodus and Deuteronomy, it uses a Hebrew word that means "speech, word, speaking, thing" (Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew definitions)
What is interesting to me is the verse in Deuteronomy 4:13.
(Deuteronomy 4:13-32) And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.
The word "commanded" is a different Hebrew word and it means "to command, charge, give orders, lay charge, give charge to, order". So, it makes sense to call these ten statements "The Ten Commandments" because God commanded us to keep them!
According to Telushkin, "most Jewish authorities" believe that the first statement "commands a belief in God".
The second commandment in the Jewish version is:
2. You shall have no other gods besides Me.
Notice how the English commandment "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image" is absent from the Jewish version? The commandments "You shall have no other gods besides me" and "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image" are viewed as one commandment to a Jew. Why?
Because in Hebrew "graven image" actually means "idol". An idol is something that you worship. So, if you have an idol, you have another god besides the one true God.
The third commandment is:
3. You shall not carry the Lord your God's name in vain.
I thought it was interesting that it says "carry", instead of "take". According to Telushkin it means: "don't use God as your justification in selfish causes".
I also found it intersting that Telsushkin says that the last half of this commandment is translated, "for the Lord God will not forgive him who carries His name in vain". He contiunes, "When a person commits an evil act, he discredits himself. But when a religious person commits an evil act in the name of God, he or she descredits God as well. And since God relies on religious people to bring knowledge of Him into the world, He pronounces this sin unpardonable."
I tried to think of somenoe in the Bible that committed an evil act in God's name and was forgiven for it. The only one I could think of was Paul. He thought he "ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth."(Acts 26:9). Now whether he was actually doing this in God's name or just mistaking it for God's will might be debatable.
Tomorrow, Lord willing, we shall talk about the Sabbath day.
God Bless,
Douglas
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
GOD, EVIL AND HELL
Question: Why does God allow evil in this world?
(Malachi 2:10a) Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us?...
Malachi teaches us that God is the Father of all creation. We are His children through creation, and just like natural parents, God has laid down laws and commands for us to live by.
God created us with a right of choice. He could have made us without a choice, thereby, us being nothing more than robots. But God wanted us to serve Him out of love, and since love is something that is freely given and freely received, He allowed us the right to choose how we want to live our lives.
But couldn't God have given us a right of choice and still prevent evil things from happening? Yes, He could have. But picture this, everyone in this world has the right to live their lives exactly how they want it and no matter what anyone does nothing bad happens. Ever.
How does God do this and still teach us that there are consequences for our actions?
When God gave us a right of choice, He also created a law called sowing and reaping.
(Galatians 6:7) Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Through this law, we learn that what we do has an effect upon others, not just ourselves. Through this law, God teaches us that we need Him.
Question: Will God "send" people to hell? In a word, no. It is our choice.
A natural parent will sometimes say to their children, "If you do this (or don't do this), you will be grounded for a week (or spanked...have privileges taken away, etc..)" In other words, some type of punishment will be meted out.
Now, a GOOD parent gives there child a right of choice. (I say good parent because there are parents out there who will beat there child senseless, molest them, etc...) However, the good parents let their children know that there will be consequences for his/her actions.
Just like a natural parent, God has said, "These are my laws, my commandments. If you do these things, there will not only be blessings for you on this earth, but you will also receive eternal life. If not, then you will spend eternity in a lake that burns with fire."
God has told us want the punishment will be if we disobey. He has now left the choice up to us. A child knows that if he/she obeys their parents, they will have their approval and be rewarded. Similarly, God will approve of our obedient faith and will reward us with eternal life.
There are parents out there that have very stubborn children. They have done everything that they can think of to get that child to obey. Doing their upmost best to raise the child to be a productive member of society, to teach them right from wrong, to raise them in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Yet, no matter what they do, that child will stubbornly refuse to listen.
No matter how much God prods, leads, entices people to live for him, they will stubbornly refuse. Believing the devil's lies, that they have plenty of time. That a loving God will not have them thrown into a lake of fire - forever.
We choose where we want to spend eternity. God doesn't "send" anyone to hell. We choose to go there. Our destiny is in our hands. Through creation we are His children. In order to saved, we must become His spiritual children.
ARE YOU HIS CHILD? IF NOT, HERE'S WHAT YOU MUST DO TO BE SAVED:
(Acts 2:38) Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
God Bless,
Douglas
(Malachi 2:10a) Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us?...
Malachi teaches us that God is the Father of all creation. We are His children through creation, and just like natural parents, God has laid down laws and commands for us to live by.
God created us with a right of choice. He could have made us without a choice, thereby, us being nothing more than robots. But God wanted us to serve Him out of love, and since love is something that is freely given and freely received, He allowed us the right to choose how we want to live our lives.
But couldn't God have given us a right of choice and still prevent evil things from happening? Yes, He could have. But picture this, everyone in this world has the right to live their lives exactly how they want it and no matter what anyone does nothing bad happens. Ever.
How does God do this and still teach us that there are consequences for our actions?
When God gave us a right of choice, He also created a law called sowing and reaping.
(Galatians 6:7) Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Through this law, we learn that what we do has an effect upon others, not just ourselves. Through this law, God teaches us that we need Him.
Question: Will God "send" people to hell? In a word, no. It is our choice.
A natural parent will sometimes say to their children, "If you do this (or don't do this), you will be grounded for a week (or spanked...have privileges taken away, etc..)" In other words, some type of punishment will be meted out.
Now, a GOOD parent gives there child a right of choice. (I say good parent because there are parents out there who will beat there child senseless, molest them, etc...) However, the good parents let their children know that there will be consequences for his/her actions.
Just like a natural parent, God has said, "These are my laws, my commandments. If you do these things, there will not only be blessings for you on this earth, but you will also receive eternal life. If not, then you will spend eternity in a lake that burns with fire."
God has told us want the punishment will be if we disobey. He has now left the choice up to us. A child knows that if he/she obeys their parents, they will have their approval and be rewarded. Similarly, God will approve of our obedient faith and will reward us with eternal life.
There are parents out there that have very stubborn children. They have done everything that they can think of to get that child to obey. Doing their upmost best to raise the child to be a productive member of society, to teach them right from wrong, to raise them in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Yet, no matter what they do, that child will stubbornly refuse to listen.
No matter how much God prods, leads, entices people to live for him, they will stubbornly refuse. Believing the devil's lies, that they have plenty of time. That a loving God will not have them thrown into a lake of fire - forever.
We choose where we want to spend eternity. God doesn't "send" anyone to hell. We choose to go there. Our destiny is in our hands. Through creation we are His children. In order to saved, we must become His spiritual children.
ARE YOU HIS CHILD? IF NOT, HERE'S WHAT YOU MUST DO TO BE SAVED:
(Acts 2:38) Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
God Bless,
Douglas
Monday, July 11, 2011
IF YOU WILL TEACH ME
(Matthew 18:3) And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
You can learn a lot from children. Like love, forgiveness, and faith.
I read a story one time of how a man had lost his wife, a little boy had went over to visit the man. When he returned home a little later the mother asked him what he said to the man. The boy replied, "Nothing, Mommy. I just helped him cry." This boy knew how to show love.
Two children can be playing and end up getting into a fight. The next day you can see those same children playing like nothing had ever happened. These children knew how to forgive.
Faith. What is faith? The basic definition is: belief, trust, and reliance. A child believes everything you tell them - without question. If you take him outside, show him a blue sky and tell him that the sky is green, he will believe you. That same child can end up going to school and the teacher will show a card with a blue square on it and tell them that "this is the color blue" and that child will protest and say, "Daddy, says it's green". That teacher will have to unteach what that child was taught.
A child trusts their parents completely. A parent may say to their child, "Jump and I'll catch you". That child will jump trusting their parent to catch them.
A child relies upon their parents for everything. For all their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
Just like children, we need to learn to BELIEVE God's word, TRUST Him to KEEP His word, and RELY upon Him to OBEY is word.
(Ephesians 5:1) Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
Here in Ephesians, the Greek word for followers means an imitator (Strongs #G3402). Paul is not talking about being a cheap imitation of something. He is talking about us aspiring to be like someone you look up to, someone you admire and long to be like.
When my nephew, Mark, was little, he would get his play tractor, prop it up on something, crawl under it and pretend that he was working on it. He was imitating his Daddy.
Just like children imitate their parents, we should endeavor to imitate our Heavenly Father.
Years ago, a woman was watching a news program concerning the famine over in Africa. As the camera showed pictures of little boys and girls starving, she noticed this one boy. For some unexplainable reason, she knew she had to adopt this boy. So, after she went through all the red tape, she met the boy at the airport and said:
"I have brought you here to be my son."
The boy looked up at her and said:
"I do not know what that means, but if you will teach me, I will learn."
Father, I don't fully know what it means to be your child, but if you will teach me, I will learn.
You can learn a lot from children. Like love, forgiveness, and faith.
I read a story one time of how a man had lost his wife, a little boy had went over to visit the man. When he returned home a little later the mother asked him what he said to the man. The boy replied, "Nothing, Mommy. I just helped him cry." This boy knew how to show love.
Two children can be playing and end up getting into a fight. The next day you can see those same children playing like nothing had ever happened. These children knew how to forgive.
Faith. What is faith? The basic definition is: belief, trust, and reliance. A child believes everything you tell them - without question. If you take him outside, show him a blue sky and tell him that the sky is green, he will believe you. That same child can end up going to school and the teacher will show a card with a blue square on it and tell them that "this is the color blue" and that child will protest and say, "Daddy, says it's green". That teacher will have to unteach what that child was taught.
A child trusts their parents completely. A parent may say to their child, "Jump and I'll catch you". That child will jump trusting their parent to catch them.
A child relies upon their parents for everything. For all their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
Just like children, we need to learn to BELIEVE God's word, TRUST Him to KEEP His word, and RELY upon Him to OBEY is word.
(Ephesians 5:1) Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
Here in Ephesians, the Greek word for followers means an imitator (Strongs #G3402). Paul is not talking about being a cheap imitation of something. He is talking about us aspiring to be like someone you look up to, someone you admire and long to be like.
When my nephew, Mark, was little, he would get his play tractor, prop it up on something, crawl under it and pretend that he was working on it. He was imitating his Daddy.
Just like children imitate their parents, we should endeavor to imitate our Heavenly Father.
Years ago, a woman was watching a news program concerning the famine over in Africa. As the camera showed pictures of little boys and girls starving, she noticed this one boy. For some unexplainable reason, she knew she had to adopt this boy. So, after she went through all the red tape, she met the boy at the airport and said:
"I have brought you here to be my son."
The boy looked up at her and said:
"I do not know what that means, but if you will teach me, I will learn."
Father, I don't fully know what it means to be your child, but if you will teach me, I will learn.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
FELLOWSHIP
Our Sunday School lesson for this week was titled, “Fellowship with God and each other”.
One of the definitions our Pastor gave for fellowship was: Participate.
I thought that it was an interesting definition. You can’t just “show up” for church and say, “I’ve done my part”. You have to participate! How? By communicating. By being active.
We communicate with God through pray. But communication also involves listening. We need to listen to what God has to say to us. Through his word, the preaching, teaching… and learning how to listen to that still small voice.
We are active in our relationship with God through worship, pray, Bible study, meditating on the scriptures, witnessing, helping our fellowman/woman, and living a Godly, dedicating, Holy life before Him and others.
Not only do we need to participate in our relationship with God, but also with each other.
I’ve heard that marriage is a 50/50 proposition. I’ve never been married, but I don’t agree with that in the least. The husband must give 100%. The wife must give 100%. Any of you married folks out their disagree with me, let me know. I believe we must give 100% in any relationship. Our relationship with God, spouse, children, siblings, etc…
The church needs fellowship with each other. For encouragement, strength, guidance, etc…We are not in this fight alone.
I’ll end this post by quoting a portion of our Sunday School lesson:
“Fellowship is vital to believers in Jesus Christ. Constant and ongoing fellowship - both with God and with fellow believers - sustained the early church. The book of Luke reveals that the growth of the early church included their continuing steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayers…
…Many people have mistakenly thought they were to be isolated, like an island unto themselves. This wrong thinking has created many casualties among Christian believers.
The plight of believers is similar to that of a group of porcupines that the famous philosopher Schopenhauer once used to illustrate a point.
A group of porcupines were marooned one bitter cold night in the middle of a large frozen field. There was no way to escape the biting wind. They could not burrow into the frozen ground. They huddled together to keep warm, but their sharp quills began to pinch and hurt one another. The close they moved together, the more the pain increased until some of the animals who could not bear the pain drew apart to sleep alone. In the end they had frozen to death. They needed each other.
In our humanness there are times when we hurt each other, and we tend to pull apart to go it alone; but Christians must resist this tendency. The scriptures often encourages us to walk together in agreement….Through fellowship with God and with each other, we learn to tolerate one another. Through fellowship we learn to appreciate our differences.”
God Bless,
Douglas
One of the definitions our Pastor gave for fellowship was: Participate.
I thought that it was an interesting definition. You can’t just “show up” for church and say, “I’ve done my part”. You have to participate! How? By communicating. By being active.
We communicate with God through pray. But communication also involves listening. We need to listen to what God has to say to us. Through his word, the preaching, teaching… and learning how to listen to that still small voice.
We are active in our relationship with God through worship, pray, Bible study, meditating on the scriptures, witnessing, helping our fellowman/woman, and living a Godly, dedicating, Holy life before Him and others.
Not only do we need to participate in our relationship with God, but also with each other.
I’ve heard that marriage is a 50/50 proposition. I’ve never been married, but I don’t agree with that in the least. The husband must give 100%. The wife must give 100%. Any of you married folks out their disagree with me, let me know. I believe we must give 100% in any relationship. Our relationship with God, spouse, children, siblings, etc…
The church needs fellowship with each other. For encouragement, strength, guidance, etc…We are not in this fight alone.
I’ll end this post by quoting a portion of our Sunday School lesson:
“Fellowship is vital to believers in Jesus Christ. Constant and ongoing fellowship - both with God and with fellow believers - sustained the early church. The book of Luke reveals that the growth of the early church included their continuing steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayers…
…Many people have mistakenly thought they were to be isolated, like an island unto themselves. This wrong thinking has created many casualties among Christian believers.
The plight of believers is similar to that of a group of porcupines that the famous philosopher Schopenhauer once used to illustrate a point.
A group of porcupines were marooned one bitter cold night in the middle of a large frozen field. There was no way to escape the biting wind. They could not burrow into the frozen ground. They huddled together to keep warm, but their sharp quills began to pinch and hurt one another. The close they moved together, the more the pain increased until some of the animals who could not bear the pain drew apart to sleep alone. In the end they had frozen to death. They needed each other.
In our humanness there are times when we hurt each other, and we tend to pull apart to go it alone; but Christians must resist this tendency. The scriptures often encourages us to walk together in agreement….Through fellowship with God and with each other, we learn to tolerate one another. Through fellowship we learn to appreciate our differences.”
God Bless,
Douglas
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