Monday, September 19, 2011
BUILD UP YOURSELF THRU THE WORD OF GOD
I. ACCORDING TO PSALMS 37 AND PSALMS 119
FOLLOW THESE AND COME CLOSE TO GOD.....
- COMMIT YOUR WAY UNTO THE LORD(PSALM 37:5)
- TRUST IN HIM(PSALM 37:5)
- WAIT PATIENTLY FOR HIM(PSALM 37:7)
- TURN FROM EVIL AND DO GOOD(PSALM 37:27)
- DELIGHT THYSELF IN THE LORD(PSALM 37:4)
- CEASE FROM ANGER AND FORSAKE WRATH(PSALM 37:8)
- SEEK GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART(PSALM 119:10)
- KEEP GOD'S WORD IN YOUR HEART(PSALM 119:11)
- REJOICE IN FOLLOWING HIS DECREES(PSALM 119:14)
- LIVE IN HARMONY(I PETER3:8) II. HOW TO PRAY TO ACHIEVE THE ABOVE MENTIONED WAYS?
- TEACH ME O LORD THY WAYS(PSALM 119:33)
- GIVE ME UNDERSTANDING AND I SHALL KEEP THY LAW(PSALM 119:34)
- MAKE ME TO GO IN THE PATH OF THY COMMANDMENTS(PSALMS 119:35)
- INCLINE MY HEART UNTO THY TESTIMONIES(PSALMS 119:36)
- TURN AWAY MY EYES FROM BEHOLDING VANITY(PSALMS 119:37)
- STABLISH THY WORH UNTO THY SERVANT(PSALMS 119:38)
- TURN AWAY MY REPROACH WHICH I FEAR(PSALMS 119:39)
- QUICKEN ME IN THY RIGHTEOUSNESS(PSALMS 119:40)
The Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments an
example of a moral code that man was (is) unable to keep
(Ex. 20:3-17).
1. You shall have no other gods before me God
demands man's exclusive worship.
Nothing can be set ahead of God. Not our families, our jobs, our recreation, or our
possessions. Sin is the exaltation of self at the expense of God. To keep this
commandment we would have to do as Jesus said, "love the Lord our God with all
our heart, soul, and mind.
2. You shall not make for yourself a graven image God
demands man's sincere and
spiritual worship (Jn. 4:24). Handmade idols are of course expressly condemned
here, but what of mental idols? We have attended worship, said prayers, and read
the Bible, but have we really worshipped, really prayed, and really let God speak
to us through His word? (Read Isa. 29:13; Mk. 7:6)
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain God
demands that
man respect His name. This respect includes refraining from profane language,
but further includes control of our thoughts and deeds. To call God "Lord" and
then disobey Him is to take His name in vain. To call Him "Father" and then not
to trust Him is to take His name in vain. Anytime we talk one way and act another
we are taking His name in vain we
are hypocrites!
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy God
demands that man worship Him
consistently, continuously, and periodically. As the Sabbath was the Lord's Day
for the Jews, so Sunday is the Christian's Lord's Day. It is a day in which time
must be set aside for Him, for His worship and His service.
5. Honor your father and your mother this
command is transitional. The first four
deal with man's duty to God and the last five deal with man's duty to man, this
command has aspects of both duties. Parents represent God's authority to children,
yet young people are often the most disobedient, selfish, and inconsiderate in their
parent's own homes. Parents are due our respect and affection, if they do not
receive these things from us as physical children, can God expect to receive them
from us as His spiritual children?
6. You shall not kill Jesus
took this command beyond physical murder and
extended it to "heart murder." John said, "Anyone who hates his brother is a
murderer." We can kill with a look, with a word, with our anger, with gossip, with
neglect, with cruelty, with spite and jealousy. Instead we must do all within our
power to foster health and life in others.
7. You shall not commit adultery this
includes any sexual activity outside the
marriage relationship. It includes not just actions, but thoughts as well. As Jesus
said, "everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery
17 Basic Christianity
with her in his heart." This command embraces every possible abuse of a sacred
and beautiful gift of God. Each one of us must have a right, healthy, and
honorable attitude towards each other.
8. You shall not steal taking
anything from a person that belongs to him or is due
to him. Tax evasion, dodging customs, working "short hours," or paying less than
a sufficient wage for work done are all forms of thievery. Not only did Paul want
the thief to stop stealing, he wanted him to start working. To start working so not
only would he not resort to stealing, but so that he could aid others.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor Among
man's greatest
God-given possessions are his life, his home and honor, his property, and his
reputation. Gossip, tale-bearing, perjury, slander, idle talk, listening to as well as
passing on rumors, making unkind jokes, creating untrue impressions, and not
correcting false statements are all ways to bear false witness.
10. You shall not covet this
command puts God's law beyond simply a legal code.
The law of the land cannot touch us for what we think we want, but only for what
we actually steal. As lust is to adultery, temper is murder, so covetousness is to
theft. What is covetousness? Its wanting what we have no right to want, be it a
man's house, his money, or his wife. Paul said, "It is idolatry." In contrast he said,
"There is great gain in godliness, with contentment."
BE HONEST-WHAT YOU SOW IS THAT YOU REAP........!
A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business.
Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together.
He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have decided to choose one of you. "The young executives were Shocked, but the boss continued. "I am going to give each one of you a SEED today - one very special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you.
I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO."
One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story.
She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed.
Every day, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.
Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew.
Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing.
By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure.
Six months went by -- still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues, however, he just kept watering and fertilizing the soil - He so wanted the seed to grow.
A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection.
Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick to his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the board room. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful -- in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!
When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives.
Jim just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants, trees and flowers you have grown," said the CEO. "Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!"
All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the Financial Director to bring him to the front. Jim was terrified. He thought, "The CEO knows I'm a failure!
Maybe he will have me fired!"
When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed - Jim told him the story.
The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, "Behold your next Chief Executive Officer!
His name is Jim!" Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even grow his seed.
"How could he be the new CEO?" the others said.
Then the CEO said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not possible for them to grow.
All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers.
When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive Officer!"
* If you plant honesty, you will reap trust
* If you plant goodness, you will reap friends
* If you plant humility, you will reap greatness
* If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment
* If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective
* If you plant hard work, you will reap success
* If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation
So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap later.
*Be not deceived;God is not mocked:for whatsoever a man soweth,that shall he also reap*
Galations 6:7
Think about this for a minute....!!!!!!!!!
" WHAT YOU SOW IS THAT YOU REAP"
Sow the good Seed you will have the crop of goodthings.
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