Barb
03-13-2008, 11:50 AM
The Word of the Lord...
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 (Deuteronomy 5:9-10).
It's not enough to love the Lord. People from every religious stripe and affiliation love God, and will almost put some of us to shame in their devotion.
Nor is it enough to know the Word. The intelligence and understanding, along with the ability to expound, is almost astounding sometimes in people who live shabby lives.
No...the Word says that He will show mercy to those who love Him AND keep His commandments.
That conjunction of words there denotes progression and continuation. Our love and devotion, if it is genuine, should compel us to want to keep His Word alive in our inner beings and expressed through our actions.
In other words, it's not just in word and spouting what sounds right, but in doing what is right.
God is calling for, as someone posted not long ago, a life of integrity.
Living any other way is not an option...
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 (Deuteronomy 5:9-10).
It's not enough to love the Lord. People from every religious stripe and affiliation love God, and will almost put some of us to shame in their devotion.
Nor is it enough to know the Word. The intelligence and understanding, along with the ability to expound, is almost astounding sometimes in people who live shabby lives.
No...the Word says that He will show mercy to those who love Him AND keep His commandments.
That conjunction of words there denotes progression and continuation. Our love and devotion, if it is genuine, should compel us to want to keep His Word alive in our inner beings and expressed through our actions.
In other words, it's not just in word and spouting what sounds right, but in doing what is right.
God is calling for, as someone posted not long ago, a life of integrity.
Living any other way is not an option...