Loving God

By Royce Mitchell

Often I hear preachers proclaim that we need to love the Lord because of His loving kindness for us. I find myself wondering whether or not these preachers even know what it means to love the Lord. There is no doubt from scripture that we are to love God above all. Jesus Himself quoted from the Hebrew scriptures affirming that the great Commandment was to love God above all. Since we all can agree that we must love God above everything, the next question must become “How can we love God above all other things?”

Most preachers when faced with a reference to the Commandments of God resort to a claim that keeping of the Commandments is legalism, that all those Commandments were nailed to the Cross. They seldom seem to see the logical fallacy of that statement. That is to say, if the Commandments were nailed to the Cross then how it is that John, Peter and Paul were writing about sin decades after the death of Jesus on that cross? The fact is that it was not the Commandments that were nailed to the cross at all, but the ordinances that were against us, that convicted us.

So, how exactly DO we show our love for God? Is it enough to make a public proclamation of love for God, to say “I love God above all?” Is that the “proof” of our love for God that He seeks? We ought to be careful because, as the scripture says, God is not mocked.

This matter came under discussion in the early days of the Church. Jesus said that if we love Him that we would keep His Commandments. He goes on to say that if we love Him then we will be loved by the Father, also. What’s important to grasp is that showing love for Jesus requires doing something, in this case keeping His Commandments. Some want to say that His Commandment was to love. To be satisfied with this answer is an exercise in pretzel logic worth of the Deceiver himself! You can’t say that to love Jesus you have to keep his Commandment and His Commandment is to love—at least not if you want to understand the Truth.

Jesus discussed which Commandments He envisioned the keeping of which would show our love for Him and the Father. In Matthew 19 we find listed which Commandments bring life, the keeping of which show our love for Jesus and the Father. That listing is part of the Commandments found in Exodus 20 of the Hebrew scriptures. It is clear that we need to not have false gods, not to bow down to other gods, not to take the name of God for a vain reason and finally to keep holy His Sabbath days if our goal is to show love for God.

We see in Luke 18 that Jesus lists the same Commandments and tells us that we “know them.”

Yes, Jesus cited the two great Commandments of the Hebrew scriptures one of which was that we are to love God above all. However, we can’t use the command to love as the proof of love. There must be actions. It is clear that the keeping of the Commandments handed down at Sinai is the way that we show love for God and Jesus.

The apostle John makes this clear to us. In 1 John 5 we read in John’s words that if we love Him then we will keep His Commandments—and that they are not burdensome.  In 2 John 1:6 we find John writing to us that they were the Commandments from the beginning. He is describing the Commandments of God as stated in Exodus 20!

Not only can we not say that we love God if we don’t keep His Commandments. We can’t even say that we know Him! In 1 John 2:4 John tells us that we are liars if we say we know Him and don’t keep His Commandments.

The only conclusion to which we can arrive is that if we want to show God that we love Him then we must keep His Commandments—all of them. That includes God’s Sabbath Days. Failing to keep any of those Commandments is tantamount to telling God to His face that we do NOT love Him.

God has created all things through Jesus. God is recreating us through birth in Jesus, giving us a chance to be a part of His ever living family. He is doing all of this because He loves us and wants us with Him forever. Is it really too much to ask to keep His Commandments?

All we need to do is to repent, to quit breaking those Commandments, and to ask God to forgive us by covering us with the blood of His Son, the slain Lamb of God. The adoption as sons awaits us. All we have to do is love God who first loved us. The invitation is on our plate and has been since the foundation of the world.

 

Royce Mitchell is a member of the BSA Board and the editor for the print copy of The Sabbath Sentinel.

 

How to Get Off Work on the Sabbath

How can you get off work so you can enjoy this glorious time of rest? The fact of the matter is that we live in a fallen world. The world at large does not keep the Sabbath. This means we have to request to get the Sabbath off. There are some ways to do this.

The first and easiest way is to see if you can trade shifts with someone else. Let’s say a friend of yours wants off on Sunday to go to church. You want Friday sunset to Saturday sunset off, so you offer to work their Sunday shift as long as they agree to work your shift. Some people might want another day of the week off of work. In this scenario, you just have to find the right person with whom to make a trade.

Always remember that the Sabbath begins and ends at sunset . This means you can work from Friday up until sunset and then again on Saturday after sunset. You might be able to re-arrange your schedule and get the Sabbath off that way. You can always try to find another position at your company that would allow you such freedom. Or, you can look for a different shift within your same position.

If this does not work, then you will need to talk to your supervisor. Thankfully, we have laws to protect our religious beliefs in America. There are links on the BSA website with legal resources (biblesabbath.org). You can meet with your manager or boss and tell them that you need the Sabbath off from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset. You can offer to make up the work on other time – say Sunday afternoon – or perhaps come in earlier or work later on a day. In the summer months, sunset is later. You can offer to work later on Friday. In the winter, sunset is earlier. You can offer to work on Saturday after the sun sets.

When you talk to your employer, you want to show the employer how important it is that you work for their company and how you enjoy working for them. During the conversation, you can say something such as: “Company ABC has been really good to me. I have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the team here, and I would love to continue to do so. I have recently come into a religious conviction where I need to be off from Friday sunset through Saturday sunset to observe the Sabbath. I am willing to work a little earlier or later on other days to make up any hours, even if it means working on Sunday. I desire to remain part of the team here at Company ABC.”

This kind of conversation can be adjusted when you are applying for a new job. It would be great to show enthusiasm about the job and the type of work you will be doing. You may have to “sell it”.

If, for some reason, you cannot get through to the employer in any of these ways, then it would be time to find a new job!

This is a web link to help you understand your legal rights to have the Jewish Sabbath and Feast Days off from work: http://www.jlaw.com/LawPolicy/accommodation.html

If you are ever discriminated against because of your religious beliefs, call the local EEOC – the Equal Employment Opportunity Center – or a local lawyer to file a suit. There are laws that protect your religious liberties in this nation.

Kelly McDonald, Jr.

BSA President – www.biblesabbath.org

Tiger And Tom And Other Stories For Boys

By J.E. White

This book is available to order through the Bible Sabbath Association. In it, you will find character-building stories for boys.

Read one of the recommendations of this book:

“I have spent literally $1,000.00’s on educational and character building materials for our son… and none have been as encouraging, nor as influential as your old time stories.”

These stories were compiled from orphanage stories used in the United States many years ago. Fortunately, Godly character does not have a time period attached to it. These timeless stories will encourage boys to choose right from wrong. Read them to your children and even grandchildren!

 

To order this book, just click the link below:

https://biblesabbath.org/shopping/pgm-more_information.php?id=48&=SID

I Love Sabbath: Embracing Righteousness

by Kelly Vonner

And he believed in the Lord, He accounted it to him for righteousness.

Genesis 15:6

If we are looking to please someone special, let’s try God. Embracing truth forces us to do what is right, and doing what is right in the sight of God engages us to embrace righteousness. Honoring the Sabbath is righteous. Resting when the Creator of heaven and earth rest in righteous. Doing that which pleases God is righteous; it is faith lived out loud. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).

It should be every Christian’s desire to be in right standing with God. For me, it meant embracing truth and walking in the righteousness of God. When I embraced the Sabbath, pleasing Him become my priority. When we aligned our lives by God’s standard, we embrace righteousness. When we leave behind the traditions of men to follow the I AM, we embrace righteousness. When we let go of the very things of the world that we once clung to take on the character of God, we embrace righteousness. I have learned to love the Sabbath and to wrap myself in the righteousness that comes from God for honoring it.

I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your loving-kindness and Your truth from the great assembly.

Psalm 40:10

Sabbath Ideas! – Free Resource

On this interesting website, you will find over 350 Sabbath activities for your family and church. These interactive activities will enhance your understanding of the Sabbath. And, you will have fun doing it!

 

http://www.sabbathideas.org/p/home.html

Learning Not to Become Offended

by Tommy Willis

 

(This article is an excerpt from the Aug-Sept 2002 edition of the Sabbath Sentinel)

 

“As a student of human nature I always try to examine why we do the things we do and why we react the way we do. It’s important to know ourselves and the danger of the human nature we were born with, and why we become offended. Scripture tells us that many Christians will become offended and hate one another as the end of the age draws near (Matt 24:10-13). This relates to the problem of not knowing ourselves and the danger of our human nature. Think about it: if the many Christians that become offended (that this Scripture talks about) would have seen the danger of their human nature, they would have seen more of the need to pray and draw close to God so that His Spirit would be there to help them react with mercy and forgiveness towards those who have done them wrong. If we will study the above verses, we will see that after Jesus says that many will hate one another and become offended, He then states “but he that endures till the end will be saved.”

This shows the connection between not becoming offended and enduring till the end! Many of the things that happen will be testing points to see how much we are going to seek out God so that we can stay with His love and forgiveness—to stay focused on the narrow road. The problem is, we take things in the personal hurt the way the world does when others react badly to-wards us. We get our feelings hurt and often become offended. This is why Jesus said in the same Olivet prophecy that if we would “watch and pray always,” we would have His strength to endure through all these things. “Great peace have they which love thy law and nothing shall offend them” (Ps 119:165). This does not mean just to know the doctrines and laws of the Bible intellectually. One must build up a close personal relationship with Christ, the Living Word, and have enough of His Spirit…”

To read the rest of this article, which starts on page 5, click this link:

http://biblesabbath.org/tss/496/tss_496.pdf

 

How Did Christ Fulfill the Law?

By Kelly McDonald, Jr.

 

In Matthew 5:17-18, Jesus said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled” (KJV).

There are people who have used these verses to say that Christ did away with the Law of God by fulfilling it. They say that since He did it all, including keeping the Sabbath, then we do not have to do any of it. We must realize that these verses are a fulfillment of a prophecy. In Isaiah 42:21, God said, “The LORD is well pleased for his righteousness’ sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable” (KJV). This scripture is a prophecy about Jesus, who came to magnify or enlarge the Law.

When you take a magnifying glass and put it over something, that object becomes larger. Jesus magnifies the Law by adding the requirement of inward obedience. He reveals how the Law is intended to be kept. Jesus said that He did not come to do away with the commandments. The Greek word for destroy is kataluo, and it means to dissolve, disunite, or to loosen something that has been joined together. Christ did not come to loosen the Law’s requirements, but to fill their meaning to the full or tighten its requirements. Christ fulfills the Law in that He fills their meaning to the full by adding inward obedience to the outward obedience that was already required.

He goes on in Matthew 5 to give us a whole chapter about how He magnified the Law. For instance, the commandment “Do not commit adultery” is magnified in Christ. He reveals to us that we should not even lust in our heart or mind. The commandment against murder is magnified in Christ because He reveals that hating others in your heart is committing murder. The Sabbath is magnified in that we should not even think about breaking it. This means that we must still obey the commandments outwardly, but we must also obey them inwardly. The requirements of the Law become magnified or enlarged in Christ.

Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12). Since He kept the Sabbath, then we need to as well.

Kelly McDonald, Jr.

BSA President – http://www.biblesabbath.org