Are we complying with the first commandment?

I think some people don’t even know which one that is. If they did, they would probably be putting it into practice. Perhaps the ones who decide to leave “any religion issue” for the last minute might think it’s time to do give it some attention now that so many are announcing we are at the final times. They might think now is the right moment to obey it, but if they don’t know which one it is. . .

Some may think that since God is able to forgive a sinful life at the “last minute”, as He did to the criminal at the cross, it would be easier to not worry on that matter until later on. Although, we’ll never know if we’ll arrive to that “later”, as it happened to the 10 year old who died at the Arizona shooting last year. There’s a saying in Spanish: Don’t leave for tomorrow what you can do today.  Because “time” is God’s and we will never know which is to be our last moments until He decides when it is to be for us.  I think it’s wiser to be prepared at any time in case He decides to call us to His presence and ask us “How did you use the time I gave you?” we would have some kind of answer. There’s no problem with the children God calls, Jesus himself said: “Let the children come to me, do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:14RSV) The ones who have to answer for these little ones would be the parents who do not do what it is asked of us: Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he’s old he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6). None of the adults are excluded from the coming interview for according to our answers, so will be our reward. Jesus himself said: Behold, I am coming soon bringing my recompense, to repay EVERYONE for what he has done. (Revelation 22:12). Even though we don’t know how soon that will be, why not find out from the source itself so nobody can tattle-tattle on us.

And if we educate ourselves by reading God’s word daily, we will then know the first commandment. Jesus said it: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And the second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:37-39).

In the month we celebrate LOVE, let’s remember the One who first loved us, the unmerited ones. If we are able to comply with the first and great commandment, the second and any other are consequent. Remembering always what Peter, apostle of Christ said: Above all keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. (I Peter 4:8 NASB)

What did you get for Valentine’s today?

Have you ever turned down something of much value? If someone with very good intentions gave you as a gift a watch with many jewels, would you say “No, thanks, I don’t care for it”?

That is what we are doing every time someone wants to give us the Word of God and we reject it.

The Bible, which is the Word of God, is the most sold book in the entire world, the most preached about and used of all times, yet, there are many people who do not know it, simply because they do not give it the importance it has. It is the revelation of all we have been, all we are and all we will ever be; it is the story of the creation of everything around us; the disclosure of all prophecies (about 332 of which many have been fulfilled). It is also our standard of faith and conduct when reaching our divine purpose. It is the compilation of the work of forty different authors in an around fifteen hundred year period. And in spite of the diversity of languages and places of origin, there is unity in it because it is The Word of God Himself.

The first five books are called The Pentateuch which has been credited to Moses. It talks about the creation and all that happened thereafter. It tells the faith family line history and it gives all the laws God gave Moses [six hundred thirteen (613) of them]. Beside those books it has the poetry ones like The Psalms; the ones of love agape, and also of love Eros (Ruth, Esther, Song of Solomon); the ones of advice and instruction (Proverbs, the teachings of Jesus in the Gospels, the letters of Paul and other apostles in the New Testament). It also has the books of Prophecy (All the big and small prophets in the Old Testament and the one of Revelation in the New Testament). It has the Chronicles and happenings of the kingdoms, and dramas of experiences lived by people of the time and their consequences. The book has it all. It is a real treasure. And the best of it is the patience producing wisdom it gives when you read it regularly, and the peace to know that no one can take away the life it offers. The salvation plan is explained here in twelve verses:

We are ALL undeserved sinners:

      1 -   Romans 3:10-   As it is written “there is none righteous. NOT EVEN ONE.

      2-   Romans 3:23-   For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God

     3-    Romans 6:23-   For the wages of Sin is DEATH

But if we believe in Jesus we will be saved by Grace:

  

      4-    Acts 4:12-      “ And there is salvation in NO ONE ELSE;  for there is no

             other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be

             saved.”     

     5-     Ephesians 2:8-9-  For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that

              not of yourselves, it is the GIFT of God; not as a result of works, so that no

             one may boast.

     6-     John 3:16-    For God so loved the world,  that He gave his only begotten son, 

              that whoever believes in him shall no perish, but have eternal life.

Although we should not brag thinking we are better than others because:

       7-    Luke 13:3-   Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.

      8-    John 3:3-     Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.

9-        II Corinthians 5:17-  If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old

            things passed away; behold new things have come.

 Therefore we should do as it is written:

       10-   Isaiah 55:6-   Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call upon him while

              He is near.

11- Hebrews 3:15-   Today if you hear His voice do not harden your hearts.

12-  Acts 16:31-    “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, You and your

       household.”

All of this is the Word of God.  Peter the apostle said it in his letter:

       “All Flesh is like Grass and all its glory like the flower of grass.

                The grass withers and the flower falls off

           But the word of the Lord endures forever.”

          ( I Peter 1: 24-25)

                      HAPPY VALENTINE !

Are we complying with our family duty?

Which family are we a member of? Who is its head and what is he asking of us?

 A wise and rich man built a fortress outside a run down city, with all the comfort there could be, and invited all the people who wanted to go live with him. He created a big family of all the ones who accepted the invitation and liked it there. The only requirement was to have a loving feeling toward each other; they had to live in community with one another despite their differences. The owner gave tasks to everyone to keep up the place and to practice the generosity and hospitality he had shown them. Some of the tasks included construction work and maintenance to accommodate new comers. Others were   harvesting and providing  food; therefore everyone did his or her part to be able to have a perfect worry free community. But in spite of the good weather they enjoyed, the wise man knew a great catastrophe would hit them. That would be the destruction of all who lived around them, precariously, and had not come yet to their fortress to get the benefits he was offering. He then made a calling to the family who was with him and asked them to please go, for the sake of love, and bring all who did not want to perish. Many excused themselves for they had no time due to their other responsibility or because they did not have what it takes to convince anybody that with such a “good weather” there could be  a great calamity as it was prognosticated.

Everyone is NOT a son or daughter of God as I have heard some people say. We are all his creatures, yes, but the only ones who belong to his family are the ones who have professed the Faith on him and decided to follow the teachings and rules He established as the head of the family. And what are those rules? The word of God says: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and  with all your mind; and, Love your neighbor as yourself. (Luke 10:27 NIV) It doesn’t say to love the one, who thinks as you do, or the one who goes to your same church or belongs to the same religion as you do, or the one who is from your country of birth or that has something in common with you. It simply says to love YOUR NEIGHBOR. And to define who this is, Jesus told the Good Samaritan story, there in the same chapter of Luke. But in the famous Sermon of the Mountain which He starts with the Beatitudes, He included the enemies: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you that you may be sons of your father in heaven. (Mathew 5:44-45) Thus our duty is to Love as God did and gave himself in the form of his Son Jesus, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16b)

And to fully comply with our family duty we should do what he asked of us: Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. (Mark 16:15), which does not mean you have to literally take a plane and travel around to speak to communities. If we could, it would be great, but what He meant was for us to witness the good news to others, in the way we live everyday, wherever we are . The only way we can counter attack the great catastrophe we are being victims of in different ways, since man chose to disobey God, is to comply with our family duty, through LOVE. And, Jesus assures us in his Word: Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (John 14:1-3)