JUSTICE, MERCY, FAITH!

MATTHEW 23:23

"You ignore the important aspects of the law,  justice, mercy, and faith.  You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things."

Many church's carry on their traditions at the expense of the most important teachings of the Word!  The Lord used tithing, in this truth for today, to illustrate how some focus on the minuscule aspects of the law at the expense of the more important things.  Even if you tithe down to the last herb in your garden, you can not neglect the more important provisions of the law. Justice, mercy and faith are more important than legalistically tithing an herb.  We must guard against being a hypocrite by keeping some traditions or laws at the expense of the whole law and its important parts.  All of God's laws are admonitions and important and we can not choose just the ones we want to observe and obey!

It is important to know and then implement the weightier matters of God's Law.  Without being merciful we can not obtain mercy.  Without being faithful we can never achieve righteousness.  Without being just to others we can not expect justice from the Lord.  We must guard against keeping some laws that we emphasize at the expense of others.  All aspects of the law are there to teach and protect us from harm and the more completely we respect and obey them all, the more favorable we will be seen in God's eyes.  To be considered righteous we will have to learn all about JUSTICE, MERCY, FAITH!

How does this lesson apply to us today?  Never stop doing the things that are right in God's sight and according to His Laws.  Never neglect the more important provisions of the law in order to sustain some tradition of the church.  In your treatment of others, you must have mercy toward them, if you expect mercy from God. You must be faithful to God and those in your life if you want to be counted righteous.  You must act justly toward others if  you desire justice from the Lord.  Do not forsake the important aspects of God's law just to uphold a tradition or minuscule aspect of the law, such as tithing your herb garden.  Keep the first things first and be just, and merciful and faithful in your worship of the Lord.  

REVERENT FEAR!

EXODUS 20:20

"Do not be afraid;  for God has come in order to test you,  and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you,  so that  you may not sin."

The beginning of Wisdom is the FEAR OF GOD!  Why should the fear of God remain in us?  Is it a healthy and wise thing to fear God?  What else would keep us from sinning?  What is it that keeps us from doing whatever our minds can conceive of or desire?  What stops us from stealing, murdering, committing adultery or any other sin we can think of?  Where does our sense of morality and acceptable social behavior come from?  How is it that deep in our heart or soul we know that we should not sin or keep on sinning?  How can we pass God's test and stop sinning?

The Lord gave His ten commandments in a dramatic way to Moses.  There was thunder and lightning, smoke and the sound of trumpets.  The people trembled with fear at the sights and sounds and stayed at a safe distance.  They believed that if God spoke directly to them they would die.  Moses answered this fear with the truth for today.  Do not be afraid when you are tested by God.  The reverential fear of God was placed in  you by the Lord to keep you from sinning and being separated from Him.  You will be tested in this lifetime and your love and knowledge and acceptance of the Lord will keep you from sinning.  If you fear God you will pass the test!

The reverential fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.  Respect for God and His Word are understood by his followers and believer's.  This is what separates good God fearing people from evil, sinning people.  There is a test for our flesh and the fear of God is what allows us to pass that test and avoid sinning.  Those who do not know God have no fear of Him and thus they have no respect for Him.  Non believer's have no constraints and they believe anything goes.  They sin without measure.  The problem is that we are all responsible for our choices and actions and we will reap what we sew.  Bad acts lead to bad results and a harvest of sin and death.  The reverent fear of God is what keeps believer's from sinning and the separation and death that comes as a result of non belief.  If you want a good life now and eternally then learn to have REVERENT FEAR of the Lord and stop sinning!  

PRACTICE WHAT THEY PREACH!

MATTHEW 23:3

"For they do not PRACTICE WHAT THEY PREACH."

Did your father or mother ever tell you to do something that they did not do themselves? When it comes to the religious faith of your a parents or family, do they practice what they preach?  Have you ever known a pastor or teacher that did not live up to the words they taught you and others? Why is it that there are some who want us to be righteous while they are committing sins?  It is not uncommon for those in authority to place heavy burdens on the shoulders of there subjects while at the same time they do not think it applies to them.  They exalt themselves with empty pride, adding insult to injury.  Now before you get too self righteous, what about yourself, DO YOU PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH OTHERS!

The Lord wants us to listen and learn and then put into practice His laws and commandments. The Lord wants us to listen and then obey our parents.  We are to keep these teachings in our hearts and minds.  We must remember that God is Holy and His Word is our real teacher.  It is our responsibility to put into action what we have learned and then preached.  All the time we must remember that no one is good, no not one, and so there is no perfection in this lifetime. Only God the Father is capable of perfection and thus the head of the church is Jesus Christ. We are to strive to put into practice what is preached to us and what we then preach.  

We must learn to be a good servant of the Lord, humble in spirit.  We must learn to do what we say we will do.  We need to know God's expectations and then do them rather than talk about or just listen to them.  We need to guard ourselves against telling others what to do,  unless it is God's wish and unless we are willing to do the same thing.  As parents we must be true to the Word and not hypocritical in our own actions.  Our actions speak louder than any of our words. What do you want your children to be like?  Like you?  Good parents PRACTICE WHAT THEY PREACH.  

NO FEAR!

PSALM 27:1

"The lord is my light and my salvation,  so why should I be afraid?  The Lord is my fortress,  protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?"

Have you ever been so afraid that you trembled?  As a child were you afraid of the dark and what might be waiting for you?  Before an important event in your life do you fear that you may stumble of fall and thus fail?  Are you worried right now, today, about something that you have to face and that might affect your life and your confidence?  The truth for today is trying to tell you that if you have the Lord you can have NO FEAR!

In this Psalm, David has seen the light and knows where his salvation comes from.  He has been assured that he is not alone in any of his struggles and no matter who or what attacks him, he has a Lord who will save him.  David knows that their are evil people in the world and that his enemies will attempt to make him stumble and fall.   David also knows that he has a fortress that completely protects him from danger.  A fortress he can run into and hide in at any time. David has the Lord in his life and he will remain confident and he will have NO FEAR!

Has the Lord Jesus Christ become your salvation?  If the Lord is with you and inside you and beside you then who do you have to fear?  Your team can never be beaten and will never die.  When you are yoked together with the Lord there is no load that you can not pull.  Your burdens will always seem light and in the end you will have eternal perfection as His child. Jesus carries us along the path of life and shines the light ahead of us.  The Lord will save you no matter what your circumstance.  He is Salvation.  He is Light.  All the Lord's enemies fall and fail.  You are now his child and a part of His army.  He is your fortress that  you can run into and hide.  WHY SHOULD I BE AFRAID,  WHY SHOULD I TREMBLE?  NO FEAR! 

THE GOD OF THE LIVING!

MATTHEW 22:32

"I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.  I am THE GOD OF THE LIVING and not the dead."

Do you know what will happen to you when you die?  Is your death the end of everything?  The Sadducee's of Jesus time did not believe in the resurrection of the dead.  They did not understand the scriptures, nor did they have any idea of the power of God over life and death.  Do you believe in the resurrection of your spiritual body and soul after your death on earth?  If you do not, you are the same as the Sadducee's, and you do not understand the power of God.  You need to read and then believe and understand the truth for today.  

In Exodus 3:6 God said, "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob."

 God was speaking in the present tense.  His message is that He is the God of the living and not the dead.  They were not figures of the past, buried in the ground and dead.  They were still present and living with the Lord.  God spoke this long after they had died to the flesh.  There is no confusion in His language or message.  The faithful and righteous among us will be resurrected and be with Jesus Christ the Lord God eternally.  He is not the God of the dead!

The crowds that heard this message then, and the ones who hear it now, are often astounded by this teaching.  Those who do not believe in life after death are being told that they are wrong and mistaken.  They do not understand the power of God and have failed to comprehend His Word.  He has given us the Word to understand and the Holy Spirit to guide us in learning.  So if you want an answer to the question about life after death read the Holy Bible and believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour and then allow the Holy Spirit to guide you to the truth.  The Lord is THE GOD OF THE LIVING!  If you want eternal life come to Him and believe! 

OBEY YOUR FATHER!

MATTHEW 21:31

'Which of the two sons obeyed his father?"

The truth for today is found in the Lord's parable about a father and his two sons.  The oldest son was asked to go and work in his father's vineyard.  In your life this would be the Lord asking you to go and work in His church, here on earth today.  Just as the son refused to go and work in the vineyard have  you refused to obey the Lord's call for your life?  The first son eventually did what his father had requested and obeyed him.  How many have come to a knowledge of what the Lord desired of their lives and then obeyed Him and did the Lord's will?  Do you want to do the Lord's will in your life, and have you come to a knowledge of acceptance?

When the first son refused to go to work for his father, he turned to his other son and asked him to go.  The second son said that he would go and work in the vineyard.  The problem was that the second son did not go and do the will of his father's request.  He never even intended to do as his father requested.  The second son just gave lip service to his father and pretended to do his father's will.  This brought the Lord to ask the threshold question that applies to many of us today.  Which of the two sons obeyed his father?  Which son are you like?  Did you OBEY YOUR FATHER?

Even the priests and elders seemed to know the right answer.  They knew that the first son had truly obeyed his father and did what was asked of him in the end.  The problem was that they did not understand that the second son represented them.  They missed the truth for today and the message of the parable.  We can not just say we are going to do the will of the Lord, and then not do it.  You can not agree to do the will of the Father then do your own will.  What is it that we must do, OBEY YOUR FATHER.   We must trust in and rely on the commands of our Father in Heaven.  We must put them into action in our lives now!  We must be doers of the Word and not just hearers only.  We need to go to work in our Father's vineyard today and now.  If you want to be a good son or daughter of the God, OBEY YOUR FATHER!

IF YOU HAVE FAITH

MATTHEW 21:22

"You can pray for anything, and IF YOU HAVE FAITH, you will receive it."

If you believe, will you receive?  So many have a question as to why their prayers are not answered.  If we ask for something in prayer, with great faith and belief, why is it we do not receive it?   In other words can we just name it and claim it, or is there a component of the Lord's will involved?  If we have a firm and relying trust and faith in God and no doubt,  could we actually move a mountain and throw it into the sea?  This truth for today says that we can pray for anything, and IF YOU HAVE FAITH,   you will receive it?  Do  you believe it?

It is not good enough to accept just eight of the ten commandments of God.  It is not right to just pick and choose what we will and what we will not believe in the Word of God.  Either you believe the Word of God is infallible and the truth or you do not.  Just as a surgeon can not be partially sterile in an operation, and a woman can not be just a little bit pregnant, you can not be a partial believer and have true faith!  What Jesus is telling us here is that we have to be a one hundred percent believer with no doubt.  IF YOU HAVE FAITH, you can pray for anything and you will receive it.  We need to examine ourselves and ask if we have that kind of faith.  Is it possible for any man to achieve that kind of faith?

To receive the answer to prayers to the Lord, you must be a believer and a child of God.  The response is available to believers and disciples of Jesus Christ who have total faith.  In some cases the Lord told the disciples that they needed more prayer and fasting and that they did not have enough faith to have their prayers answered.  We are responsible for what we ask for and how much faith we have in asking.  It is the will of God to provide the answers to prayers.  The Lord's will is to do good and provide answers to His children's prayers.  What do you think the will of God is for your life?  Pray that you will always be in His will and that your prayers will be made with total faith .   Ask that God make His will for you and your life known to you. Make sure that what you pray for is aligned with the Word and Will of God and it is not for any selfish personal purpose.  Then ask with complete faith and belief and IF YOU HAVE FAITH, He will answer your prayers and you will receive anything that you ask for.