Hey all! I hope you have been enjoying the series of posts so far, and as usual, I pray that all is well and all will be well in your lives.
For this week, we’ll go over the seventh and eighth commandments.
(7) — “You shall not commit adultery.” (NIV)
At a glance, anyone not married will read this and think this commandment doesn’t apply to them. However, adultery is any sexual relationship with another person who is not your spouse. Therefore, this commandment includes fornication, which is consensual sexual relationships or engagements outside of marriage.
Of all the commands this is the one I think people will have the hardest time accepting. In fact, I’ve seen people literally stand up and walk out mid church service when a preacher condemns fornication.
As I’ve said, the site is not here to preach damnation, but to introduce you to and help you have a better relationship with God. So, instead of me giving you a bunch of scriptures and trying to twist your arm into acceptance, let me give you something that Jesus said; it should some up the life for anyone who loves and follows him.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. — Matthew 16:24 (NIV)
Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. — Matthew 10:38-39 (NIV)
The key part here is “deny themselves”. In a future post, once/if I’m led by The Spirit, I will write a post about sexuality. I think it will surprise both the redeem as well as the unredeemed.
(8) — “You shall not steal.” (NIV)
This one commandment “is” straight forward 🙂 , so I shouldn’t have to define stealing or go into hypotheticals like “what if I’m starving”.
However, there is one thing to say about this commandment. While it’s part of the second set that deals with our relationship towards one another, it’s the only one of the set that also affects God.
“Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me.
But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings.
You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. — Malachi 3:8-9 (NIV)
The tithe is a tenth of your take home income. If you haven’t been paying your tithes, then you are stealing from God.
Maybe I was wrong to say the last commandment would be the hardest one for people to accept, because this one is right up there with it. 🙂
If you are a member of a church or religious organization, then you should pay your tithes and give your offerings there. “But they don’t need or deserve it” Back to my first sentence “I shouldn’t have to define stealing or go into hypotheticals”, the tithe is God’s money: neither theirs nor yours.
If you are not a member anywhere, give your tithes and offerings to a charity that does not directly benefit you.
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty. — Malachi 3:10-12 (NIV)
May God bless and keep all who read this.
May God bless and keep all brothers and sisters, new and old, in the faith in his name.
With his love and mine,
Chrom