God is first

12/11- - 10 Commandments- 1,2,3

Read: “I am the Lord your God, you shall have no other Gods before me.  You shall not worship idols.  You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.” (Ex. 20); “Glory to God in the highest.” (Lk. 2:14)

Thoughts: The first three commandments teach us to respect God.  We have a tendency to make God in our image instead of listening to God’s description of Himself.  We should be careful to not make other things more important than God in our lives- or those things become our false gods.  This means no toy, no game, nothing should be above God in our hearts.  When we talk about God we need to be careful to talk about Him reverently and kindly.  When the angels sang at Christmas, "Glory to God in the highest" they meant that He is always first and receives highest praise and glory.  

Activity:  At Christmas we can get so busy.  Make time each day to do these devotionals together, and make time to go to church – even if we stayed up late doing other things the night before.  

Prayer: Help me to remember Lord, that you are God.  May you have first place in my heart and life.  

Lake Murray Presbyterian pulpit at advent

5/12/12- Mother's Day Eve

¹⁸ A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

¹⁹ “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. ²⁰ You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’”

²¹ “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said. (Luke 18:18-20)

¹⁶ “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

¹⁷ “You shall not murder.

¹⁸ “You shall not commit adultery.

¹⁹ “You shall not steal.

²⁰ “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

 (Deuteronomy 5:16-20)

(Charleton Heston as Moses in Ten Commandments)

Thoughts:The heart, the middle, the meat of the Ten Commandments carry the three commands- to honor parents, not murder, and not commit adultery.  These three commands carried with them originally a punishment of death (as opposed to the commands of stealing or lying).  These three were seen as blasphemy against God as well as offenses against human beings.  When the rich young ruler asked Jesus about inheriting eternal life, the answer of the heart of the law was given. 

On this Mother's Day Eve, let us not forget that honoring our parents and their memory is a part of honoring God. Respecting motherhood and marriage by respecting marriage is a twin of honoring father and mother.  When a non-husband sees mothers in a lustful way, it degrades the unspoken covenant of a mother with her children, of a wife with her husband, of a covenant with God.  On Mother's Day Eve many are thinking of what gift to get their mother.  It is a great mother's day present for a father to love the mother.  It is a great mother's day present for a son or daughter who are married to love their spouse.  Traditionally, one of the most common ways to celebrate Mother's Day (according to wikipedia) is to go to church.  Giving thanks for our mothers (or their memory) to God- is a giving thanks to God for life itself.  

Prayer: Thank you God for the gift of families and your order to it.  Help me to live in a way today that would honor my mother and you.