Who Made The Sabbath And Why?

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." "And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it." Genesis 1:1; 2:2, 3.

God made the Sabbath at the time of Creation, after He made the world and everything in it. God rested on the Sabbath and blessed and sanctified it (set it apart for a holy use).

"And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:" Mark 2:27

The Sabbath and the family were alike instituted in Eden, and in God's purpose they are perpetually linked together. On this day more than on any other, it is possible for us to live the life of Eden. It was God's plan for the members of the family to be associated in work and study, in worship and recreation, the father as priest of his household, and both father and mother as teachers and companions of their children. But the results of sin, having changed the conditions of life, to a great degree prevent this association. Often the father hardly sees the faces of his children throughout the week. He is almost wholly deprived of opportunity for companionship or instruction. But God's love has set a limit to the demands of toil. Over the Sabbath He places His merciful hand. In His own day He preserves for the family opportunity for communion with Him, with nature, and with one another.

The Sabbath is a sign of creative and redeeming power; it points to God as the source of life and knowledge; it recalls man's primeval glory, and thus witnesses to God's purpose to re-create us in His own image. The Sabbath of the Lord bears His name and seal. "It is a sign," He says, "between Me and you; . . . that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you." because "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." Exodus 31:13; 20:11.

The Sabbath is the day above all others when we should acquaint ourselves with God through His works. In the minds of the children the very thought of the Sabbath should be bound up with the beauty of natural things. Happy is the family who can go to the place of worship on the Sabbath as Jesus and His disciples went to the synagogue--across the fields, along the shores of the lake, or through the groves. Happy the father and mother who can teach their children God's written word with illustrations from the open pages of the book of nature; who can gather under the green trees, in the fresh, pure air, to study the word and to sing the praise of the Father above. By such associations parents may bind their children to their hearts, and thus to God, by ties that can never be broken.

Continue to: Which Day is the Sabbath?

Obey The Ten Commandments

The Ten Commandments

Are the Ten Commandments your guide for everything that you do?God loves you! He has given you The Ten Commandments as rules of life to obey every day and in every type of situation. If a temptation comes to you to disobey one of these commandments, you can resist. God has given you the strength to obey the commandments. The Ten Commandments and comments about each commandment are given below to help each commandment be practical for you in today's world - a guide for making decisions every day. May God richly bless you for obeying the Ten Commandments!

The Ten Commandments were summarized by Christ Jesus into two commandments in Mark chapter 12, verses 29 - 31. "...The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these." (King James version of the Bible)

The Ten Commandments are found in the Bible - Exodus chapter 20, verses 3-17.The first four of the commandments are about loving and obeying God, the fifth is about loving and obeying both God and our parents and the sixth through the tenth commandments are about loving and respecting our neighbor. Jesus was very clear in indicating that everyone should be considered our neighbor - he did not hate anyone.

Do these Ten Commandments seem hard to obey? If so, that is just a temptation coming to our thought and we need to be strong and not yield to that temptation.

Jesus said in Matthew chapter 5, verse 19: "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

"From II John, verse 6: "And this is love, that we walk after his commandments.

"Is there some flexibility in the Ten Commandments? Relative to the Fourth Commandment, Jesus healed people on the sabbath and indicated it was okay to give our animals water on the sabbath (Matthew 12:10-13). However, relative to the Sixth Commandment, Jesus stated that not only should we not kill, but that it is even wrong to be angry with anyone (Matthew 5:21-24).

In the following quotes of the Ten Commandments, some commandments have been only partially quoted just giving the essence of the commandment. However, the Bible verses have been listed for each commandment for those wanting to read what the entire commandment says.

The First Commandment - Exodus 20, verse 3:

"Thou shalt have no other gods before me."

Is God always your first priority? Jesus said: "...seek ye first the kingdom of God..." (Matthew 6:33) Jesus also said: "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." (Matthew 6:24) Do you pray to God daily?Are you thankful to God every day for all the good he has provided to you? The Bible book of Psalms gives an abundance of lessons on the importance of praising and thanking God. Is God in control of your life, of your thinking, of your actions?If you let something material control you (alcohol, drugs, gambling, wrongful sex, pornography, money, etc.) then you are not obeying the First Commandment. The only way to make sure that evil does not control you is to not participate in anything but good.It says in I John 4:16 that "God is love". To yield to the temptation to hate would be disobedience to the First Commandment. Love always wins.Praise God for His abundant blessings! God's abundance is always available to us.

The Second Commandment - Exodus 20: verses 4-6:

"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:..."

Do you watch movies or visit Internet sites with improper images - images that cause the movies or web sites to be not suitable for children? Is money a god to you? God is our only source for the abundance we need.

The Third Commandment - Exodus 20: verse 7:

"Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain;..."

Do you always use God's name in a respectful way? Jesus taught us in the Lord's Prayer - "Hallowed be thy name". Do you think anything is impossible to God? God is always successful, as Jesus proved in the many healings documented in the Bible. Trust and understanding of God as the source of our health and well-being bring healings today also - through prayer.

The Fourth Commandment - Exodus 20: verses 8-11:

"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. ..."

Do you rest on the seventh day? God created everything in six days and rested on the seventh day. God wants us to follow his lead and do the same. This is one of the most clearly explained commandments as four verses comprise the commandment. Therefore it is clear that this commandment should be considered equal in importance to the other nine commandments.

The Fifth Commandment - Exodus 20, verse 12:

"Honour thy father and thy mother:..."

Does everything you do reflect God as your Father and Mother? Does everything you do glorify God? Does everything you do show respect to your parents, even if you are an adult? Everything Jesus did was for the glory of God - for God's honor. Should not we do this too?

The Sixth Commandment - Exodus 20: verse 13:

"Thou shalt not kill."

See Matthew chapter 5, verses 21 and 22 for Jesus' further definition of this commandment. Jesus said that it is even wrong to be angry with our neighbor. Jesus did not hate anybody and therefore neither should we. Love always wins - hatred never wins.

The Seventh Commandment - Exodus 20: verse 14:

"Thou shalt not commit adultery."

See Matthew chapter 5, verses 28 and 32 for Jesus' further definition of this commandment. Even letting in the thought to wish for someone we shouldn't have is wrong. See also Revelation chapter 2, verses 18-23. Fornication is one of the worst sins and has severe penalties unless it is totally forsaken and there is true repentance.

The Eighth Commandment - Exodus 20, verse 15:

"Thou shalt not steal"

Do you trust God to provide all your needs? Your only source is God. Therefore you do not need anything that belongs to someone else because He gives you all that you need. Do not steal the innocence away from children.

The Ninth Commandment - Exodus 20: verse 16:

"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour."

Are you seeing your neighbor as the image and likeness of God as stated in Genesis chapter 1, verses 26 and 27? Do you love your neighbor as your brother or sister? - God is the Father and Mother of everyone. Therefore we are all brothers and sisters. Jesus said in Matthew 5:44 - "Love your enemies..." and in Matthew 7:1 - "Judge not that ye be not judged." and in verse 3 of the same chapter: "...why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?"

The Tenth Commandment - Exodus 20: verse 17:

"Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house...nor any thing that is thy neighbour's."

Are we thankful to God for what we already have? Do we trust God as our source for everything we need? Then we should not want something that belongs to someone else nor try to duplicate or surpass what another has if we do not need it.

Have a wonderful day of obedience to the Ten Commandments!

As Christians, we can be optimists.

As Christians, we can be optimists. What is an optimist? An optimist is someone who believes that things will turn out well.

As a believer in Jesus Christ, how can we believe that things will turn out well? We must be realistic — we know there is still pain and suffering in the world.

At the same time, we know that God is loving and He is in control. Someday He will end this present time on earth and set up His kingdom where He will rule, and all death and sorrow will be done away. We also know that we have His Holy Spirit living in our lives as Christians this very day, and we can trust in Him and pray to Him always. We also know that our sins are forgiven when we accept Jesus Christ as Savior.

What can help us be optimistic? In the book of Philippians chapter 4, Paul says “Rejoice in the Lord always.” He then says “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Then he says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.

”So God can help us to be optimistic as we: 1) Rejoice in the Lord always; 2) Do not be anxious, but pray about everything with thanksgiving; 3) Put our mind on good things.

Rejoice in the Lord always

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice.” The apostle Paul wrote these words about 2,000 years ago. When he wrote these words, he was in prison for telling others about Jesus.

How could someone say to rejoice — to be happy — even when in prison? He could say that because his joy, his happiness, came from Jesus Christ. When you have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior, here are just some of the things you can rejoice about. You are a child of God You will spend eternity in heaven with Jesus Christ when you die Your sins are forgiven God loves you and wants the very best for you God will hear and answer your prayers The God of the entire universe is good, and loving, and kind God has given you the gift of the Holy Spirit to live in your life The fruit of the Holy Spirit in your life is love, and joy, and peace, and so much more

That is why Paul said rejoice in the Lord — because the source of our joy is God. The source of our joy is not our circumstances. And because of that, we can rejoice always — not just some of the time or when our circumstances are good.

So this week, let us rejoice. And let us pray

• God will bring joy through the Holy Spirit into your life
• God will bring joy to our team here at Global Media Outreach
• God will help us bring millions to Jesus and they will experience God’s love, joy, and forgiveness this year

THANK YOU so much for your prayers. We are reaching many with the gospel, and some day in heaven we will meet and we can say THANK YOU in person for how much your prayers have contributed spiritual power to make this happen.

May God bless you,

Where does our strength come from?

“Be strong in the Lord.” Where does our strength come from?

We may think we are strong because of our money, or our health, or our good looks, or our position. But all these things can fade. Money can go away; our health may fail; we all get older; and we may lose our position.

But God will never fail us. When we ask Jesus Christ to be our Lord and Savior, He comes into our lives by the power of His Holy Spirit. Jesus now lives in your life and in your heart — and He is stronger than anything in this universe. So you do not need to be discouraged, or downcast, no matter what happens. God is your strength — a very present help in times of trouble.

How do you access God’s strength? Through having faith in God’s Word by the power of the Holy Spirit. Trust in the Lord with all your heart; lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him; and He will direct your path.

So this week, let us pray

• God will give you strength to “stand strong in the Lord” no matter what the circumstance
• God will encourage our staff team at Global Media Outreach and fill us with His joy
• God will help us present the gospel to millions more this year — and help people grow in Christ

As we begin this new year, THANK YOU so much for your prayers. They are a tremendous source of the spiritual strength that we need as we seek to share the good news of Jesus Christ with the whole world.

May God bless you,

The Signs of the Times and the End of the Age

Matthew 24 : 3-14

3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.

11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

God says that someday He will make everything new

God says that someday He will make everything new. Right now, on this earth, we still need to live on the old earth -- but He can make our hearts new each day!

As we begin this new year, let us put aside the things of our flesh and put on the things of the Spirit. While we will still have problems in 2009, we can have the joy and love and peace of Christ in our hearts.

We can also put aside our sins and ask Christ to forgive them and give us clean new hearts so that we can strive to do the will of God. You do not need to keep committing the same sins over and over again. Let us resolve and ask God in 2009 to get great victory over our sins -- and to have His love and joy in our lives.

So you can have joy and victory in Jesus Christ in 2009. Our prayer for you is that 2009 will be the best year of your life so far. With Jesus Christ as your Savior, you know that you have the promise of eternal life in heaven with Christ.

So, let us pray that

• That someday soon everyone in the world would know the true meaning of Christmas — that Jesus is born!
• God will help you love even your enemies in 2009
• God will bless our staff team at Global Media Outreach with His peace and love and joy and harmony
• God will help us see millions of people accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord in 2009

Even when bad things happen, God can be triumphant. So you may still have problems in 2009, but God can help you be "more than conquerors through Christ Jesus who loves us." THANK YOU for your prayers in 2008!!!

And may God bless you richly in 2009.