Leave Your Neighbors House To Your Neighbor

The Ninth Commandment.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house.

What does this mean?--Answer.
We should fear and love God that we may not craftily seek to get our neighbor's inheritance or house, and obtain it by a show of [justice and] right, etc., but help and be of service to him in keeping it.

(http://bookofconcord.org/smallcatechism.php)

 

The ninth commandment goes hand in hand with the seventh: "You shall not steal." Leave your neighbor's property alone. Don't even think about it; unless you are thinking about ways to help him keep his property. Desiring what belongs to someone else can lead to all kinds of evil against him as our desires becomes obsessive thoughts and our obsessive thoughts turn to evils action to get what does not belong to us.

 

We should all have our own hopes and dreams. Pursue your own dreams, not your neighbors. What belongs to your neighbor is your neighbors. What is yours is yours.

 

The second table of the law is summed up like this: "Love your neighbor as yourself." (Matt 22:39; Mark 12:31) :May God grant that our neighbors would love us enough not to craftily seek to obtain our inheritance or home even as we would not pursue obtaining theirs. 

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

2 Corinthians 10 Boast in the Lord

2 Corinthians 10 NIV
If we're going to boast, let us boast in the Lord. It is He who calls us. It is He who empowers us.

Paul finds himself in a situation where he must defend himself and his ministry in order to minister to the Corinthians. There will always be those who attack the servants of God in order to undermine them; in order to undermine God's Word. It is important that we understand that we are not in a battle with the world; but, with spiritual darkness. We may live in the world and feel attacked in the world. But, we do not fight alone. It is by the power of God that such battles are won. The battle is of a spiritual nature. With the help of God, we fight with spiritual weapons. We fight with the two-edge sword; which is the Word of God. One edge destroys what is evil; while the other edge for cicatrizing the wound; for the healing of the world.

Sometimes, it is necessary, as Paul tells us repeatedly, to confront those within the community that the evil that is being done might be brought to an end through repentance that the one who spreads the ill-will (evil) will be healed and reconciled to the Body of Christ. His words were often like a two-edge sword. He would attempt to destroy false beliefs and false thoughts, steering the people away from wrong actions and lifestyles even while he encouraged the people to continue in the Lord that they and all whom they knew or would know might be saved in Jesus Christ. The words of his lips and pen were meant to destroy those things that destroy lives and heal the people that God had sent him to serve.

Paul also knew that it was not he; but, the power of God in him who would fight this battle. Yes, Paul boasted. He boasted in the Lord and what the Lord was doing through his followers.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Acts 11:1-18 Account for Actions

Acts 11:1-18 NIV
There are times when we all have to account for our actions. It helps to dispel rumors and gossip. It helps us to have credibility so that we might continue our mission; rather, than spending time putting out "fires." Of course, there are some who like to start problems and keep us from doing what God calls us to do in spite of the fact that the truth has been told. There is nothing we can do about that except pray and continue to speak the truth.

Peter was called on the carpet by the other believers for visiting that Gentile, Cornelius. He explained to them that it was God who brought them together so that they might hear the message through which they would be saved. Peter's answer was enough. They understood that God intended that the message of salvation was for even the Gentiles.

The message of salvation is indeed for all people. Sometimes, we need to account for our actions so that we might dispel any rumors that might distract us from it. Hopefully, we need only account for our actions once so that we might get on with the mission of proclaiming the Good News to all people.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Ezekiel 9 - Beginning At The Temple

God sends out his appointed to execute judgment. Those who grieve the detestable sins of the people receive a mark on their foreheads. Those who do not lament the sins against God are destroyed.

Ezekiel is horrified at this vision. I am horrified at his vision. After it is over, will all of the remnant be gone?

Of course, we realize that the whole of the remnant is not destroyed. I find it most interesting, though, that the judgment begins at the LORD's sanctuary. We need to beware that just because we say we are God's people, His chosen ones, does not always mean that everything we say or do finds favor with him.

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
  “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,  I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
  “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
  “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
  “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’" (Matt 25:31-41 NIV)

Our actions and our inactions; even our inmost thoughts, may not all be seen by our neighbor, our loved ones, or our enemy. But, God sees them. We cannot hide them from Him. It is, of course, that we are saved by faith, not by works. But, let us consider if it is not our faith (or lack thereof) in the One True God that determines the way we live. Do we serve the LORD or some other false god of our own making?

Just because the LORD seems to delay, does not mean that He will not come. He has come. He is present, even now. He will come again.

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy on us all.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

P.S. Note: I find it most difficult to consider some of the prophetic warnings, especially when it is sometimes so difficult to see the bigger picture when we are reading the Bible one chapter at a time. Some of these visions and actual events can really be horrific. I find so little grace in some of them; grace which I depend on to see me through each day. But, it is there (even if hidden) and I have promised to continue through the whole Holy Bible, so I will do what I can to complete what I have promised.