IT’S WRITTEN ON YOUR HEART

If your six year old grabs a toy from your two year old, the baby screams at best. Right and wrong is written in their hearts. When a lady sits in her car at a red light and a thief opens the door, pulls her out and takes off in her car, right and wrong is written in their hearts.

Does not the threat of a catastrophic end to the world come into the minds of people all over the world! When wars and nation rising against nation is the headline in the news morning after morning, good and evil continues.

What is good? What is evil? It is written in our hearts. It is because we are created in God’s image: with a spirit, soul and body. The Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 incapsulates it.

Exodus 20:1-17

And God spoke all these words, saying, 

I am the LORD thy God…

Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 

Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 

And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. 

Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 

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, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 

For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. 

Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. 

Thou shalt not kill. 

Thou shalt not commit adultery. 

Thou shalt not steal. 

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. 

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.” Exodus 20: 1-17

Romans_2:15 that our conscience can inform us: “Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another”)

You know when you’ve been wronged: it’s written on your heart. You know The Ten Commandments are good. It’s written on your heart.

“Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endures for ever.” Psalm 119:160 

BE AN OVERCOMER

True, the secular culture is everywhere…in our face! But there is a way to travel through life, this gift of life we’re given, rising above and walking away from the darkness. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” You can overcome the temptation and darkness (as every believer in Jesus can) by following the light. 

"I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness." Jesus. John 11:46.

As you look through the Bible, this supernatural Word of God, it is life giving, strength giving, wisdom giving…Light on the path. "Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." Psalm 16:11.

Love, Comfort, Guidance …it is all there for you in the Word of God, the Bible. We read from beginning to end. Eric and I have for our fifty-two years of marriage read through the Old Testament, and the New Testament in an alternating way. We read the first Old Testament book, Genesis. Then after this Matthew, the first New Testament Book. Then Exodus in the Old, then Mark the second in the New. Until we go from beginning to end. Right now, we are two chapters from the end of the Book of Revelations. This is where the word “Overcomer” appears again and again.

The Bible is becoming more “alive” and pungent, more understandable (yes, with deep mysteries still). It is the path of life. God will give you the strength to overcome the sin which so easily besets every one of us… "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God" Hebrews 12:1,2  

THE SINS OF AMERICA

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” John 3:16,17.

Jesus came because of love … “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.”1John 4:9 

America is accountable for a history of truth planted within our laws. “In God we Trust” noted on our currency. Statements on Public buildings based on the Bible. Just laws are based on the Ten Commandments. We should seriously contemplate this historical truth.

Those who murder babies in the womb or straight from the womb are defying God. “Thou shalt not kill.” Exodus 20:13

Mutilating the bodies, of both adults and children through the lie of transgender possibility defies God; “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”  Genesis 1:27

Immorality is a temptation we must resist. “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,” 1Corinthians 6:9.

We’re a Christian country. This is a privilege. Our Biblical laws and history and the wisdom of the Word of God is the reason The United States of America is the most blessed Country in the world.

“This Is a Christian Nation”

In 1892, the United States Supreme Court ruled, "This is a Christian Nation." The ruling, issued by Associate Justice David Brewer, has never been legally disputed or overturned.

Ephesians 3:20 gives us hope: “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,” We with the power of the Holy Spirit can walk away from the culture of the world.

YOUR BODY A TEMPLE

Study Biology and the more intricacies and mystery and detail you find. Chemist, Dr. James Tour studies the physical body, the cells, and their function. Dr. Tour’s discoveries show that the more the body is researched, the more clearly it emerges that it is beyond our understanding.

https://www.drjamestour.com

Glibly or seriously, what we say and think about the body we live in is important. Because if we take the words of God in Scripture as  the truth and then live by it our daily life will take a serious turn: we will be infinitely better off.

Ask questions. What is the meaning of:

“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” 1Corinthians 6:19,20. 

A high order, but since we’re told to glorify God in our body, we can do it.  Part of glorifying God is loving God. Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15 . This is a journey.

Even a beginning pursuit of the seriousness of caring for our temple will help.

Today, surprisingly, food is a serious part of it. The glibness comes in here: eating bread (processed into uselessness), white sugar, corn syrup, seed oils processed into harmful oils, all the gimmicks like low fat this and low fat that: milk, yogurt, etc. Margarine with its chemicals, instead of butter. Chemicals (now known to cause addiction; sugar being the first known culprit). Food is vital. But when food processors add harm to our vital need for healthy food, it becomes subversive at best, criminal at worst.

What you eat that is good for you is food grown by conscientious farmers (and we can’t make it without you!) It only takes care, a gratitude to God for His care in creation, and common sense. The food mentioned from Genesis One all the way to Revelation twenty-two is our foundation. Exciting. Faith building. God centered.

Join my husband and me on this life long journey of seeking wisdom from Scripture and then putting it into practice…for the lifelong benefits and health building.

YOUR BODY: A LIVING SACRIFICE

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies (body, as a sound whole, literally or figuratively) a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12:1,2.

Thinking about our bodies, as we listened to our Pastor this Sunday morning, he spoke on Romans 12. When our son, Zach, his wife, Roxy, their children Lilly and Elijah came home with us this evening after dinner in a restaurant, my husband decided we should read Romans 12 before ending the evening with dessert. Then I opened a Bible devotion, a favorite book before going to bed, Romans 12: 1 was explained.

Your body, our bodies: they are a temple of the Holy Spirit when we have believed in the gospel, the work of Jesus on the cross as He died for our sins. “ Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel… how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” I Corinthians 15:3,4. 

We will be renewed, encouraged, strengthened, built up in our faith as we present ourselves to Him in full surrender. “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28.

YOUR WHOLE SELF: INCLUDING YOUR BODY

 The one body you were born with is all you will have: given as a gift; and the only one you will have the responsibility for - of living in. Is that a surprise? 

"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" 1Corinthians 6:19. Is it also a new thought that how you "live" in your physical human body is important?  Is God, the Creator of heaven and earth interested? "But I'm so small."

You may feel small on the "sands of time" and insignificant, but that is only a feeling. "For ye are bought with a price: therefore, glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." 1Corinthians 6:20. 

You can glorify God in your body by living by the Word.

"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1Thessalonians 5:23. Sanctify is to set apart, holy. 

Well, blameless is a hope, a try, but that is what we can try for without being perfectionist about it. You know, I know and our Creator, Jesus Christ knows that we are not blameless. On a personal note, this knowledge was drilled into me from my childhood. The fourth of eight children, my quiet, sense of being "one of the crowd" grew into an introspective, overly conscientious sense of unimportance. So that as I grew, that actually became a positive direction: I wanted to be perfect, the best I could be. This led to the health emphasis that eventually led to a belief I hold today. 

The Bible is, in truth, to be lived out spirit, soul and body. It is for our fulfillment, happiness and blessing. The Spirit of God has written to you through holy men of God. "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." 2Peter 1:21  

Finding mentions of food in the Bible can be new inspiration for you!" And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God." Luke_4:4. Mention of food is throughout the Bible from beginning to end. I believe that we will be insightful and wise to look at the context of mentions of food in Scripture. Whether it is a spiritual truth, a figurative truth or a practical one, that food is what God created for mankind. Are we discerning enough to take a serious look at that food? If it is what God created for you to take into your body are you doing it?

 

 

SAVED BY HOPE

 Often, in a world that is all at my door by the worldwide internet, a gray cloud threatens my peace and calm. A single word “hope” changes my outlook. The fear subsides. “For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man sees, why does he yet hope for?” Romans 8:24. The question: hope in what? Here is our relief: “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.” Psalm_42:5 .  But as if to say, “Are you paying attention?” this Psalm and the next repeat this verse three times. Disquieted is to be in great commotion, moan, cry aloud mourn.

We struggle with weight management, our health, pain, both emotional and physical. In one way or another life gets hard. But when hope in our All Powerful God, through the words of Jesus said, “I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you…” hope emerges. We are saved from many of the fears, hopelessness and grief emotions that threaten to destroy us when we believe the Bible.

Months ago a struggle with pain began with a pause in concentration on a downward slope on my bicycle: I went down hard. I did it all by myself. A route I’d taken for many months, but this time I didn’t see a branch from a tree right at eye level. The accident caused three fractures put me in the ER and a wheelchair for a few months.

I gained weight and was glad to sit in that wheelchair until the very fit therapist told me to hide the wheelchair. I was shown how to walk looking straight ahead, rather than looking at the ground, practiced balance, did chair squats and got confidence back. Yes, surprises like accidents happen. Today in our culture a lack of knowledge in what we should feed ourselves (and everybody around us, if we’re the cook in the house). We slowly but surely lose our health. Our current culture has been interested much more in their bottom line than selling or serving whole food.

We do not need to be part of this. By the grace and wisdom of God through the Bible, you and I have the knowledge at hand, the wisdom and the power to get on the path that leads to abundant life. “The thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10. Whole food, described in the Bible and in above Posts brought my weight down without counting calories or following a fad diet.