10 commandments

I just finished preaching-- i will finish this coming Sunday- a sermon series devoted to the 10 commandments. You remember them right?
These were the rules that God gave His people, the ones that He wanted them to obey. I have often wondered if they still apply today.
Well, after studying and preaching on them for the last 8 weeks, (I'm good.. getting 10 into 8...) I have learnt that they are very much as relavent today as they were when God Gave them to Moses and His people.
They can be broken down into 2 classes #1-4 relate to loving God
Commandments 6-10 relate to loving our neighbor.
It seems that Jesus said this same thing when He said in Matthew 22:37-40 Love God with all your heart... and love your neighbor as yourself.. all the law's and prophets hang on these 2 commands." (The nick abbreviated version.. but read it for yourself and see...)
We cannot love our neighbor unless we are loving God. We cannot love God without loving our neighbor.
Chances are if you are having a hard time loving someone, you might not be loving God. It does work like that. If you are serving someone other than God, all your other relationships will be out of wack.
If we want to keep the 10 commandments, we've got to love God and love people. It really is that simple.

Rick Mercer....

Had some good words for the H1N1 due, on his show "the Rick Mercer report". I've attached a link to it, check it out:
http://www.rickmercer.com/blog/index.cfm/2009/11/3

Let me know what you think about this flu thing.

H1N1

H1N1. Two letters and two numbers that strike fear in so many people.
Do you or do you not get the vaccine?
“What happens if you don’t get vaccinated?” “How bad will the sickness actually be”? “Could you die from H1N1”?
These are just a fraction of the many unanswered questions that many people have regarding this pandemic.
In short, everyone is wondering “what are we to do?”
I am not honestly sure if I have an answer to that question. I do, however, have an answer for this question: “What are we not to do”?
We are not to be afraid!
This may sound crazy to so many of you, but not only do I believe this is true, I also believe that not being afraid is a Biblical response.
In the unknown, and really all of life is an unknown, we are not to fear. We are to trust.
We are to trust in God.
Psalm 56 says: “When I am afraid, I will trust in you.4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid….” (3-4, NIV)
In the New Testament, we see Jesus saying to His disciples, over and again “Fear Not”:
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” (John 14:1, NIV)
“(Jesus) said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" (Mark 4:40. NIV)
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27, NIV)
The Message of Jesus is that disciples of Jesus Christ are not to be afraid. Disciples of Jesus are to trust.
Paul wrote in 2 Timothy: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” (2 Tim. 1:7, NLT2)
Christian aren’t supposed to fear, Christians are supposed to trust.
“On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand…” the hymn writer wrote so many years ago…
While the talk of H1N1 might put fear in some people; let H1N1 put trust in each of you- Trust that when things don’t make sense to us; that they make complete sense to Jesus.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Pr 3:5-6, NIV)