#2ndcommandment

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My Jesus Poster

In college, I lived with seven of my best friends in apartment Nu 8, “The Ocho.” Our living room was placarded with posters displaying our v

[spiritsoulandbody]

#DailyDevotion Are You Like A Bow With A Loose String?

#DailyDevotion Are You Like A Bow With A Loose String? Hos. 7 11Ephraim acts like a silly dove, without sense. They call to Egypt and run to Assyria. 12As soon as they run, I spread My net over them and bring them down like birds in the air. I will punish them as I promised when they met with Me. 13Woe to them because they have strayed from Me; they are destroyed because they've rebelled against Me. I wanted to redeem them, but they tell lies about Me. 14They don't cry to Me from their hearts as they wail on their beds. They cut themselves for grain and wine as they turn against Me. 15I train them and strengthen their arms, but they plan evil against Me.” 16They return but not to the Most High. They are like a bow with a slack string. The sword will strike down their leaders for the raging of their tongues; for this they will be mocked in Egypt. You know, God, in both the Old and New Testaments isn't very nice. He's loving for sure, but He isn't what you and I in 21st century America would call nice. The LORD tells Ephraim he acts like a silly dove. He's not trying to be endearing here. He's insulting them. Why does He say this? Because they are vacillating between looking to Egypt to help them against Assyria and they look to Assyria to help them against Egypt. Because they are doing this the LORD is going to trap them in the net they made for themselves. For this, He is going to punish them as He promised when He met them in the wilderness. Now, I currently cannot find in the Torah (Gen-Deut) where the LORD told them not to make alliances with other nations (besides the people they were to drive out of the land). But the Israelites are messing things up so bad by worshiping idols and foreign gods along with massive immorality, I'm thinking the LORD is referring to all the other ways the Israelites have broken the covenant and the LORD is going to fulfill what He promised to do to them if they did what He forbade in the Torah. The Israelites strayed and rebelled against the LORD by 1. setting up golden calves at Dan and Bethel to worship as the LORD 2. started worshiping the gods of their neighbors which included temple prostitutes and 3. breaking most of the other commandments of the LORD in daily practice calling good evil and evil good. The LORD did want to redeem them. His default mode is always mercy, kindness, steadfast love, forgiveness and discipline when we err. However, the Israelites instead of turning to the LORD in repentance told lies about Him (breaking no doubt the 2nd commandment teaching false doctrine). The Israelites, instead of turning to the LORD for help against their enemies, with repentant hearts, did not cry out to the LORD. Instead they cut themselves (possibly a reference to tattoos for the purpose of gaining the pagan gods' favor—like the prophets of Baal with Elijah). Tattoos for them would be like casting spells. I'm not condemning all tattoos here, just those with non-Christian, spiritual significance. The LORD had given them strength and trained their arms for war to defeat their enemies, but they trusted in their enemies instead. So they did not turn the LORD Most High for strength, help and victory. They became like a bow with a loose string. Do we turn to the LORD Jesus Christ who promises to give us the strength to do all things? Do we look to Him to the Father through Him for every good. Do we rely on God or politicians or split the difference between the two being more faithful to the politicians than the LORD? Merciful, Gracious, Kind, Steadfast and Forgiving Father, give us Your Holy Spirit so we turn to You for all good things, in every trial for deliverance, and for daily strength to live our lives trusting in You. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Read the full article

[amusebouchecharleston]

To quote the Boss: “Took a look at my mug in the mirror, want to change my clothes, my hair, my face!” @springsteen #paintlife #workingman Breaking the #2ndcommandment (at Charleston, South Carolina)

[letmeillustrate]

Who Watches the Watchers

Star Trek Episode “Who Watches the Watchers”: Through a series of accidental circumstances, a primitive alien society begins to worship Capt. Picard as a god. After capturing other members of the Enterprise’s crew, they consider whether certain misfortunes are to be expiated with the death of their captives. Picard listens to them as they debate what his divine will for them might be, but he doesn’t initially communicate with them. [Clear illustration of the need for Scripture—it’s not enough to believe in a god according to our own imaginations; we need him to speak to us to understand him and ourselves.]

Picard tries to resolve things by bringing the alien society’s leader on to the Enterprise and showing her their highly advanced technology. Yet she still can’t believe that he isn’t a god. What finally convinces her that he’s not divine? She sees him observe a crew member’s death while being unable to resurrect him. Only then is she convinced of his claims not to be divine. [Instinctively we know that an all powerful God should be able to raise the dead—that’s the proof of his divinity. So what does the resurrection of Jesus say?]

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It is quite enough for me to say that all those who propose to inquire more or seek to know more about Christ than God ordained by his secret decree are breaking out in impious boldness to fashion some new sort of Christ.

John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, 1.12.5

[primrose08]

I’m making a list of idols to be more aware of my heart’s condition and of how far have I gone in breaking the 2nd commandment (Exodus 20:4-6). And yep, they’re #1 in the list because who wouldn’t love them? They’re a huge ball of sunshine! 

What is an idol? Anything more important to you than God. Anything that absorbs your heart and imagination. It is anything or anybody that gives you so much joy, hope, meaning, and fulfillment apart from God.

Exodus 20:4-6: “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations, of those who love me and keep my commandments.”

[letmeillustrate]

It seems more biblical to me to regard song as a circumstance [not an element] — that is, as a way of praying, a way of teaching, and so on.

John Frame, The Doctrine of the Christian Life, 477.

[letmeillustrate]

A loving God who has no wrath is no God. He is an idol of our own making as much as if we carved him out of stone.

R.C. Sproul