Living without Sin

 1 John 3:6
Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.

I am not a Greek scholar, but I desire to read God’s word with an open heart.  Sin takes place when we break God’s law. It is a willful transgression against the known will of God. We are born into this world with a sin nature, and we come to realize that we are spiritually lost without a Savior. Christ, who knows no sin, came to earth to give His life as the supreme sacrifice to forgive us of our sin. This is salvation in a nutshell. By confessing our sins to Christ, we have acknowledged that we are sinners. We now abide in Christ and have turned away from our sinful way. We no longer willfully commit sin when we abide in Him. A person who willfully goes against the known will of God is ignorant of God and God’s will to set them free from the bondage of sin. We realize that we are human and born into a world where sin is ever before us. Temptation is real and Satan is relentless in his attempt to cause a follower of Christ to violate one of God’s commandments to live holy and righteously in this present world. Many Christians have fallen for the traps of Satan and have fallen into sin. Many have made shipwrecks of their lives and have left the Way for whatever reason. It is not God’s will that any person be lost, but His will that we live in fellowship with Him. God’s word is full of dos and don'ts, and keeping track of every law leads one to live in bondage and fear, but Jesus simplified it all by telling us that the law can be wrapped up in two statements. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself. So how does one live a life without sin? Are our words and actions pleasing to Jesus? The Holy Spirit came to dwell in us and to guide us in all we do. We sin not, because we know Him, and because we know Him and love Him, we desire to please Him.

Keep The Sabbath

 Ex 20:8-10
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy… Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:..But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work.

A lot has been written concerning the keeping of the Sabbath day. There are many who feel very strongly that the Sabbath should be kept to the letter of the law as described in the Old Testament, and others who feel it is no longer relevant to the dispensation of Grace. That Christ's death made the OT law obsolete.  I do find it relevant that the Ten Commandments include this law as part of God's standard of holy living. We know that Jesus says that, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” It was not to be a law that was a burden to keep. It was meant to provide a time of rest from the labors of life, a time set apart to focus our attention on worshiping God. A holy day to focus our time and energy on resting in the presence of Jesus. This law is different from the ceremonial laws given to us in the OT. The sacrifices required by God in the OT were fulfilled when Jesus died on the cross, once and for all. But, Jesus said to keep His commandment if you love Him. What laws were we to keep? The Ten Commandments were not done away with, but Jesus summarized them into two: “Love the Lord thy God with all your heart, and your neighbor as yourself.” To keep the Sabbath day is to rest in Jesus, and make Him Lord of our life.  The commandment to keep the Sabbath day holy is fulfilled in Christ, who is the Lord of the Sabbath. If He is the Lord of our life, we have perfect rest in Him. We set aside this 7th day to put aside the labors of life and the cares of life to rest in Christ. I don’t pretend to know in our current culture what labor is and not labor, and I will not judge people in regard to this, but I know that God is pleased when we take time to rest from the labors of the week and praise and worship Him, and to break bread with other believers. I believe that it is good to keep the Sabbath day special and use it to administer good works towards our neighbors and those who are needy. For those that need to work to provide income, I trust that God will open the doors and provide a way to meet your needs and let you take time to rest in Christ. He is the Lord of our Sabbath, and daily we can rest in Christ to meet our needs.

Oh, to be a Daniel!

Daniel 6:4
.. but they could find no occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.

Oh, to be a Daniel! A man standing strong in what he believed. Living a life without error according to the laws of God and His commandments. We can only admire the integrity and character of this man. The pressure was on for Daniel to let down his convictions and give in to the temptation of human preservation. I don’t believe that Daniel was super human, he no doubt made mistakes of human nature, but when it came to the principles of God’s word, he remained faithful. He knew whom he believed in, and was willing to keep that which he committed unto the end of his days. Oh, to be a Daniel! Determine to stand true, come face to face with pending death and trust God to carry him through. We live in a culture where the word of God has been put aside for perverted thinking and liberal progressive ideology. We are the only Bible that others may see. ”Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men” (2 Corinth 3:2) Oh to be a Daniel! A man living holy and blameless in this present world. Such a life is possible living in these vessels of clay. Submitting daily to God’s will is to daily take up the cross of Jesus and live a blameless life before others, that it may be said of us. “No occasion, nor fault is found, they are true and faithful to the God they serve.” Oh, to be a Daniel! Oh, to be like Jesus!

A New Commandment

 John 13:34
A new commandment I give unto you: that ye love one another, as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

Making His way to the last supper, Jesus had a basin of water ready. He took the basin and went to each of his disciples and started to wash their feet. The Master and Lord of all, the Creator of man, was on His hands and knees at the feet of His followers washing their feet. Peter was horrified that someone as honorable and great as Jesus would stoop down to be a servant and do what the work of the lower class of people in society normally did. I can imagine Peter’s thinking, “Hold on Jesus, this is beneath your dignity, you are the Messiah, the Son of God, I should be washing your feet.” Jesus, who loved His disciples, rebuked Peter, and explained to Peter why it was important that He wash their feet. The washing of feet is not given as a commandment from Jesus, it was done to demonstrate what it looks like to serve and love others. The commandment that Jesus gave was that the disciples were to have a servant’s heart, and love one another. Jesus demonstrated His love for them by washing their feet. To love as Jesus loved is an act of the will, and not a feeling or emotion. Showing love is not always preceded by a feeling and a desire to act. It is motivated by the knowledge that it is the right thing to do. It is the Love of Christ that controls our actions and the things we do. His love that dwells in our heart sets in motion how to act and love in a way that pleases Him. Real love that comes from God is not pretentious, or done grudgingly, it is made possible because the Holy Spirit dwells in our heart, and His Spirit compels us to love.

Forgiveness for All

 John 8:11
Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn you: go, and sin no more.

The power of forgiveness by Jesus is found in the words, “neither do I condemn you.” Who can forgive sin but God. God hates sin and does not tolerate it. The Scribe and Pharisee were not incorrect.  The law was clear what happens to those who violate His commandments. I find it curious that they did not also bring the man who was also found in the very act. God in the OT punishment for adultery was for both the man and the women. It was a serious break of the law to violate one’s marriage vows. The deity of Jesus gave Him the power to overrule the law, for He is the giver of the law. As God in the OT often showed mercy, Jesus who knew the heart of this woman, spoke words of mercy. The laws of our land do not arrest or punish those who commit adultery, but God’s word is not mocked, whatever man sows, that shall he reap. Every man will answer to the deeds done in the flesh when they meet God face to face at the judgment. But as long as we live, there is forgiveness for all who will come to Jesus and ask. He reaches out with tender love and care, and there is no sin that His blood will not cover. It is not God’s plan that man continue in sin, Jesus told the lady to go and sin no more. “He who is born of God will no longer live in sin.” (1 John 5:18). The example of Jesus given to us here, should help us to see that there is hope for all who stubble in sin, and like Christ, we should also show love and compassion.

Disobedience to God

 Gen. 2:17
​​ But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

The fall of Adam and Eve points to a tree placed in the garden. The tree was put there for a purpose. God does all things with a purpose. The tree of knowledge tested man’s obediences to God, the one who created them. The command was simple, “Don’t eat this fruit”. God’s commandments are given for man’s good.  A tree with fruit that God forbid them to eat. The fruit was no doubt a fruit to be desired. Eating of the forbidden fruit would open Adam and Eve to the dark evil ways of sin. It was not so much the fruit itself, but the disobedience of Adam and Eve that caused them to plunge into darkness, causing their hearts now to seek the pleasures of evil.  God made man a free moral agent, the ability to choose right, or wrong. God did not predestine Adam and Eve to make the wrong choice, they could have abstained from the temptations of Satan, but they choose to listen to the deceptive lies of Satan and disregard God's words. We all have choices to make each day. Sometimes choices are made without all the information, but such choices are not willful disobedience to God’s word. But, “Thus saith the Lord.” are made clear in His word. Our human judgment may falter, but we can have a heart perfect toward God. Draw close to God, and He will draw close to us. Follow the Holy Spirit’s leading and do what He saith. 

The Sabbath Day

 Exodus 16:26, 30, 20:8
 Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none…So the people rested on the seventh day…Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
My Bible journaling is an attempt to read scripture and look for meaning and application to the way I believe we should live as Christians. The sabbath day, its meaning,  implication and observation is a topic that many have written books about. From the OT sabbath to the NT sabbath, there is no question that the sabbath is a vital part of scripture. It is one of the Ten Commandments written by the hand of God on the tablet of stone given to His people. It is set apart from the ceremonial law that foretold the coming of Christ and the shedding of His blood. The law in the OT was clear that man would work 6 days and rest on the 7th day. A day of rest from the labors of the week. Additional laws written by man have been added to detail what was laborious. The coming of Jesus shed new light on the sabbath and its meaning. He is the Lord of the Sabbath. Because Jesus rose on the 1st day of the week, conquering the grave and death, and the disciples soon after practice meeting together on the 1st day of the week it established a new day to worship. This day over time became the Christian Sabbath. For centuries, the laws and practices of the OT in keeping the Sabbath have been made part of the Christian faith. It is argued that Jesus’s death did not do away with the keeping of a day of rest and worship. The coming of Jesus did not do away with the other nine commandments. Why was it important that the keeping of the sabbath be one of the ten commandments? This is not an attempt to tell anyone what can and cannot be done on this special day, but it is an attempt for us to examine our hearts and ask God, how does He want me to keep the Sabbath day holy? It is a special day, how do I honor Him on this day? Examine the scriptures, ask God to reveal His word to you, and how it should be applied. The Holy Spirit is faith to lead you and me into the way He wants us to live. Ultimately, in everything we do, we are doing it for the glory of God.

Worship Him

 Psalm 95:6
O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.

Worship is demonstrated in our willingness to bow our hearts to him in praise and adoration. He loves to hear our lips praise Him and give HIm glory. He is so good and is worthy of our worship. But worship goes beyond the uplifting of our voices and hands to Him. We worship Him in true holiness when we live our lives in harmony with His word. The way we live says more about our worship than the words that come from our lips. “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.” Words are meaningless if they don’t come from the heart of love. A true love for God and others. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” The golden rule, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself” is the heart of true worship.From a heart that loves God will come the uplifting voices of praise to Him. It is good to praise Him morning, day and night with our voices. He loves the worship of his people when they come together collectively to worship HIm. Let our voices be heard, but more importantly, let our lives worship Him in the beauty of living holy and blameless in Him.

His Lovingkindness

 Isaiah 63:7a
 I will mention the lovingkindness of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel…

Before Christ came to earth to show His lovingkindness and grace, it was manifested in God the Father throughout the Old Testament. God is often portrayed as a God of judgment before He sent His Son to the world. There is no denying that God hates sin and those who refuse to follow the commandments of God, reaping what they sow. But His goodness and lovingkindness is demonstrated throughout the Old Testament by showing mercy to all who would repent from their wicked way and turn back to Him. Over and over again, Israel would return to their idols and forget what God had done for them, and endlessly, God would entreat His people to return back to the old paths of living according to His righteousness. He still shows His lovingkindness in this present age. His goodness is seen through the work of the Holy Spirit who continues to work and convict the hearts of men. May we keep our hearts and minds open to what God wants and let others know of His lovingkindness

Abundant Grace

 1 Tim 12:14
And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
Paul claimed to be the worst of all sinners. His life before coming to Christ was filled with unbelief and evil intent to hurt those who were followers of Jesus. There are many who have given testimony to a life that is wicked and evil, and how God’s grace through faith and love in Christ lifted them out of the pit of sin and gave them a new beginning. But the truth of the matter is that we ALL are sinners. We may have been brought up in a home that taught and trained us to be good and decent people. To be kind and considerate to others. The rich young ruler was such a person. Jesus told him to keep the commandment he said,  “All these things have I kept from my youth up.” Being a good person was not enough. Jesus did come to teach us how to be good people, but His main purpose for His coming was to save sinners. No matter the depth of our sinfulness, His exceedingly abundant grace reaches each one of us with His love. “In that we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Whether you are the chief of sinners or raised to be a good person, we all need His grace. We all have sinned and come short of God’s glory. Believe in Him and His abundant grace will save you!

All Your Heart

Jeremiah 29:13

 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

We are saved by grace and grace alone, but grace cannot be obtained without a willful seeking of Him. How can you find God? We are not saved by any works of good deeds, or high moral standards. God’s word gives us direction and instruction on how we are to live if we are going to be a follower of Christ, but it is not in the things we do that will bring us to God, but in the obedience and trust we put in Him. God said, if you search for me with all your heart, you will find me. ALL YOUR HEART, is what He requires if we are to find Him. What does “all your heart” mean? There is no holding back, He is all we hope and desire. Our affection are set on Him and Him alone. There is no room for self and things that break the heart of God. We desire to keep His commandments, Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments''. Finding Him will require full submission to His will and way. Abandon your heart to find Him. He will be there waiting for you. 

Sweeter Than Honey

Psalm 19:10
They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.
His law, His statues, precepts, and commandments are not grievous, they refresh the soul, they are the source of what is right and good. His word brings joy to the heart and opens the eyes to truth and the way of righteousness. His word brings eternal life. Silver and gold, the riches of this world fade away in light of what is most important in life. We desire many things in this life, and God has provided us with such blessings, but our daily bread is the word of God. We seek first the things of God and all other desires in life will fall in place. Living in His word is more than reading a morning devotion, it is the source of our life that guides our every action and reaction. He is the living Word, and through Him we find our purpose in life. Jesus is more desirable than gold, finer than the things of this world, He grows sweeter every day, making life worth living.

Keeping His Way

 Psalm 18:21
 For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
Keeping true to what you know is right. What is right? The way of the Lord is given to us in His word. Keeping the commandments of Jesus, to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and your neighbor as yourself. This is the way of the Lord, on it, hangs the entire law of God. To wickedly depart from his way, is to totally disregard His will and depart from what you know to be the way of the Lord. God’s word is made clear to us through the Holy Spirit. His words speak to our heart and reveal truth to us. Not the interpretation of man that leads to man-made rules, but truth that is written in our heart. Walk in the way of the Lord, Walk in the light, live in the light, be faithful to the light, and depart not from it.

Keep The Sabbath

 Deut. 5:12
Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee.

What was the purpose of keeping one day out of the week special? A day to be set apart from all the other days to focus on holy things. A day to pull away from the 
demands of labor and rest the body. This is one of the Ten Commandments that God gave to man to follow and observe. Many feel this commandment is no longer required in the dispensation of grace. That Christ is  Lord of the Sabbath, and therefore we have been set free from keeping this commandment. The New Testament does not specifically command in writing that we keep the sabbath day as they did in the OT. But, there are many references in the New Testament that the disciples met on the first day of the week to commemorate the life and death of Christ. A day where they gathered together to break bread and learn more about Jesus. Just like tithing of one’s income the principle of keeping this commandment is conducive to drawing closer to God. It is just good holy practice, and God delights in our willingness to set apart a special day in our lives where we focus on Him. Jesus made it clear that keeping the Ten Commandments does not save us from our sin, but keeping them does show that we love Him and desire to please Him in the way we live. Keeping the Sabbath and paying tithe will not get you to heaven, but to those who love Him, there is a desire to do what is right and holy. 
“If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the Lord honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words, Isiah 58:13

The Law Cannot Save

 Galatians. 5:6
  For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

The Law handed down to us by God was used to bring us to God. It revealed to us that we are sinners. The Law falls short of providing a way of escape from the punishment that sin brings. It is a taskmaster that keeps us in bondage. We can never measure up to the Law in our sinful state. Trusting in the law to justify our sins or to be acceptable before God is an effort to earn our way to heaven by works. It is faith alone in Christ who loved us and took upon Himself the sin of the world to save us. We were helpless and incapable of saving ourselves from eternal damnation. But God who so loved the world, provided a way of escape. It was by this love that we were made free. We are no longer under the bondage of the law, but have been made a love slave to Christ. We follow and do the law not because we have it, but because we want to. So, even though the law cannot save us, we with pleasure desire to follow the commandment of Christ.

Love Others

 Galatians 5:14

For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

If you love God, you will want to keep His commandments. If you love others, you are going to treat them with respect and kindness, forsaking your own wants and preferring one another. On this, hangs all of God’s law. How is this possible? We are born in sin, and the carnal nature rules our flesh. Sin has dominion and the focus is taking care of number one, “me”. All is made possible through Christ. We who have given their lives to Him have been grafted onto the Vine. Through Christ, we can do all things. There is nothing impossible to Him who believes and looks to Him for love and grace. True and selfless love comes from God. There are those who may give for humanitarian reasons, but a Christian gives to show the love of Christ. This is what it means to live in Christ, and Christ in me.

Bleeding of the Sheep

1 Samuel 15:14  
And Samuel said, What meaning then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?

Doing good deeds to cover up sin will not work. Saul was given direct instructions to destroy the enemy and all they possessed. His ambition to save the best for himself backed fired on him.  He thought he fooled God and got away with his actions by justifying his actions by saying he was doing it to honor God. Good intentions are not good if they go against the commandments of the Lord. Giving offerings to the church or some charitable organization does not do away with committing sin. Eternity is not determine by the balance of good deeds out weighing evil deeds. When God speaks, it is best to trust and obey. The word of God makes it clear that the only way to eternal life is through Christ. Seeking the approbation of God by any other means is futile. Walk in the light, follow Christ, and obey His voice, and the bleating of the sheep will have eternal benefits.

Observe All Things

Matt 28:20- Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

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There are many events throughout the year that we observed. The government has set aside certain national holidays that we as a nation have determine worthy of taking a day to take notice of their importance. Today is President’s Day, we pause to recognize all the presidents in our nation that have led our country. Regardless of our political leaning, we realized that it is not necessarily the man we lift up, but the position he holds. Religions across the world have put aside days in the calendar year to observe special days that are significant to their faith. As Christian, there is a diversity of observance, but Easter and Christmas is a common thread. Jesus, through His word has taught us that we are to observe all things that He has commanded us to do. These observations are not a special day we set apart to do, but they are things that we are to observed every day of our lives. We are to observe time alone with God. Every day we observed that He is God and is in control and His great love is for us. We are to observe how we love one another, and observe to live a life that is holy and pleasing to Him. It is good that we set apart days to focus historical events, but observing His will and doing His will is what is expedient.