alittlecandle

Guns don`t kill people, nor do monkeys with guns.

I see no reason to make this post nearly as long as the last one. We are now half way through this series which sees us arriving at the commandment - you shall not kill.

I think everyone has a good sense that killing people is wrong. However, for many the question of when and why is a factor. There are a lot of people that would argue there is just killing and unjust killing. For example in a time of war you are justified in killing someone in defence of yourself and your country. While that seems sensible we need to dig and find the roots.

Why is killing during a war ok? Is it the kill or be killed mentality? Does it not seem that the war is the problem here? How often do we consider the cause and purpose of a war? We really just go by what the media (tv, radio and print) tells us. There is a much larger thought here that I would like to unpack but I am going to stick to the main topic. All I will say for now is that if no one fought there would be no war. No one ever has the full facts when it comes to conflict on a global scale. Propaganda is rampant no matter what side you’re on. Which begs the question why can’t we be told the truth? Again, to punctuate this thought, no killing means no war.

Moving on many people think revenge killing is justifiable. The old eye for an eye mentality. Well I don’t think this solves anything and only promotes escalation. This means that most times nothing stops, things only get worse.

With those two thoughts in mind why else as humans do we kill? Self defence, revenge are the first two. Others would be, jealousy, there was an argument, some one may have wronged you or maybe there was an accident. A side from the last one what is the common thread among this list? The answer is anger. I think after this long into the series you won’t be surprised that Jesus has an answer for this.

You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment… But anyone who says, You fool! will be in danger of the fire of hell.
Matthew 5:21-22

Again here Jesus is one step ahead of the issue and is attacking the root of the problem. Nearly all killing that takes place is the result of extreme anger. This verse tells us that we need to be in control of our anger and to not even speak ill words to each other. How many times is a fight prolonged by our inability to control our tongues.

Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.
James 3:4-9

That is a heavy hitting piece of scripture. However, I agree with it fully. So many of the big problems we face in life are a result of the details not being taken care of.

In a world without killing
As was covered above, in a world without killing there would be no war. There would be no murder and many people would be spared the grief of losing a loved one in a horrible manner. Also, there would be no more suicides for families to have to suffer through. Much like with the stealing commandment this one would see numbers of people in jail greatly reduced, because no one would be committing this crime. With Jesus’ statement above we would not even speak ill words to each other or slander, gossip or carry hate in our hearts towards anyone.

I will admit this is very idealistic and sounds like a fairy tale world but understand this is the vision that God had for the world and we walked away from that vision to pursue our own goals and understandings. What we have done is made a big mess of the world in seeking our own ways. It’s not an individuals fault but humans collectively as we choose to not follow God.

Consider the following. What if one of the commandments had something to do with driving? Suppose there was a commandment that was “You shall not run red lights”. It seems pretty evident that there is an inherent harm if that is not respected. Maybe you run a red light once in a while and get away with it. Then a few other people start doing it too. Pretty soon there is great danger looming going through any intersection because people all over the world are in too big of a hurry and don’t value the rule that is there for our your protection. Pretty soon many people world wide are being injured. People are suffering the hurt of losing family members and many other results would follow.

In this example lies the entire point of this series; that people are the problem, not God. So often I hear the statement “Why would God let such a thing happen?”. The answer is, he doesn’t. We all have a part to play in the world and it’s pretty simple really. Obey God and love each other and every problem in the world disappear. But no one does that and no one is capable of doing that. So here we are in a very messy world with everyone following their own moral compass. God set the direction we should go and anything else we follow leads to trouble.

I am going to take a break from this series and pick it back up after a few other posts. Thanks for reading this far. I would love to hear some comments from you.

I must start this post with an apology for my two week absence. I have been crazy busy the last couple weeks. My wife is a month from giving birth to our first child so that has brought a lot of preparation work the last couple weeks. Also, this following post was one that I really wanted to do well so I have been reading a lot and preparing myself to write it. This post might run a little long because it is a topic that is close to my heart and altogether dismissed these days.

Defined
Let’s get started by defining the term. This can be easy and hard at the same time because there are many definitions we could lean on. Looking first at the dictionary definition we can find that adultery is voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and someone other than their marriage partner.

In my research of the meaning of the word itself I found that it seems to have many different legal definitions in many different parts of the world. Some places only consider adultery to have occurred when the woman sleeps with someone else without the husbands consent while another place considers adultery to have occurred when two unmarried persons live together. That’s quite a gap.

Etymology
So what about the word itself? I looked at the etymology of adultery. One thing that we all need to be aware of is how the English language changes. What a word means today is not necessarily what it meant one hundred years, or even a decade ago. As people use, or miss use words, the meaning can change in the minds of the population. I won’t give any examples because this post will be long enough. If you want some examples leave me a comment I will do a post in the future with a few now and then definitions. In its Latin roots adultery means to alter or corrupt. Wow, that’s pretty heavy isn’t it? Read the rest of the origins here.

Biblically
So God has asked us not to commit adultery and we live in a world where many marriages are ruined by unfaithfulness and fewer and fewer people make it to their wedding night not having had sex with someone. You might be saying “wait a minute; the definition of adultery is having sex with someone else outside of your marriage. If I’m not married I’m in the clear!” Well I was under that impression at one time in my life but found out I was wrong. Any sex outside of a marriage is adultery, whether you’re married or not… Sorry if I just ruined a “good time” for a bunch of you. Proof is on the way.

This is a large topic in the Bible. I invite you to go to Biblegateway.com and do some searching around for yourself. You will be amazed on how frequently this matter is discussed. I have picked out five that I feel best get the point across.

But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife’s body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband’s body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
1 Corinthians 7:2-5

God is communicating that he is aware of how tough it is for people to control their sexual urges. So he is simply telling us we should be married so that we have an outlet for that urge. Further more he tells us that we should be serving to our spouse in that area, not as a slave, but as a gesture of love so that we keep each other safe from the pitfalls of sexual sin. He tells us not to deprive each other unless in agreement but to come together again so we are not left in temptation. Lastly he calls us on our lack of self control knowing we will fall if we don’t have the help of our marital spouse.

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Marriage should be honoured by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.
Hebrews 13:4

Here God is telling us to keep the marriage bed free from adultery and sexual immorality. This is a debated scripture. Myself, I believe this is telling us we should arrive at the marriage bed undefiled.

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Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders.
1 Corinthians 6:9

This is pretty self explanatory. God looks at sexual immorality as wickedness.

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Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
Colossians 3:5

Here we are asked to deny our earthly nature which includes sexual immorality and impurity. Impurity meaning to be defiled by sin.

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But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Matthew 5:28

Here is a big one. Jesus himself sets a new standard seeking to eliminate the root of the problem. Adultery starts with a desire in the heart that is acted upon. Even desires of the mind that are indulged through pornography and masturbation are adultery. And ladies, your on the hook for this one too. I know society makes this a mans issue but both genders are held to the same standard by God.

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The fact that it is such a sensitive topic should be reason enough to acknowledge that deep inside we know something isn’t right about it. The fact that we want to ignore this or hide it is our conscious telling us we need to be on a different course.

Some of my experience
I am 29 and didn’t really come to know the Lord until I was 24. I grew up going to Catholic school but looking back I was never taught the Bible properly. This lead to me going astray in my later years of high school and college. I was not a virgin when I was married, but I wish I was. While God has healed a lot of me I recognize now the damage that was done to me by having partners before my wife. God created sex as the ultimate intimacy between a man and woman, particularly a husband and wife. Having had sex with women prior to marriage I was giving that intimacy away and actually making it harder on myself to desire that intimacy with just one woman. One of the biggest problems today with adultery is that people mistake lust for love. Lust runs out, and when that feeling is gone, people think they are not in love anymore and move on to find the next one to be in lust/love with. This is a terrible mistake.

Also, even with my own personal history I was always jealous when I found out a girl friend had slept with someone besides me. How hypocritical can you get right? Looking back though I now see that feeling is my deep seeded desire to be with one woman and for that woman to only be with me. So when I found out someone I was seeing had slept with someone else I had a feeling of disappointment and sadness.

Lastly, pornography is a lie. All I can say is to stay away from it. It is no good and only promotes impure thought which fuels immoral action. Again I refer to Jesus telling us not to look at others with lust. It is the root of the problem. You can pull out a weed but if you don’t get the root it will grow back. Protect your eyes and your mind and the battle is easily won.

A world without adultery
This is going to be nothing short of epic. I would love to roll out a bunch of stats but this is a mammoth post already. In the future I will do a follow up post with some facts and figures that will support the following suppositions. In a world without adultery no marriages would be broken up due to unfaithfulness. More over if married couples took card of each sexually like 1 Corinthians 7:2-5 tells us to a lot more people would not be driven to the act. So in this many more families would still be together.

In a world without adultery there would be no pornography. What if married people made pornography? Well if we all followed Matthew 5:28, no one would watch it. Here is a little economics lesson for you. Demand motivates supply. When something is in demand a company supplies it so they can make money. If there was no demand for pornography there would be no supply. On this train of thought we would see strip clubs gone, adult stores gone, “massage” parlors gone and phone sex lines gone.

With that principle in mind prostitution and the entire sex trade is eliminated because there would be no customers to be found. We often think of the people that force others into sex slavery as evil people while not really giving much weight to the customers that keep them in business. So get rid of the business and the supplier’s disappear. No adultery means no more child prostitution or any other sexual crimes against minors because it is all immorality.

Without adultery there would be no more STD’s, anywhere, ever. If everyone only ever had sex with one other person STD’s couldn’t possibly be spread. The health and the well being of the planet would be so much greater. No babies would ever be born with HIV, AIDS or any other STD that can be passed to the fetus. To my horror I have noticed lately some terrible banner advertisements on the web pushing sites where the service they offer is similar to a singles or dating site but solely dedicated to to helping individuals “hook up”. You can’t tell me that things are not esscalating for the worse…

Also, don’t get me started on the bar scene and what the media and Hollywood have done to the college experience. Too many young people leave college and university these days without an eduction, a credit rating that’s gone way south and a moral compass that can’t find north.

No more adultery means no more rape. Couldn’t a husband still rape his own wife? Again, I think there would be no need for that if husbands and wives took care of each other. I’m not sure where the desire to rape starts but if we were managing our thoughts and taking care of each other the way God wants us to, no one would get to that point. I know that’s a large assumption but sin is something that grows and gets out of control. There is always a new boundary to push. Like I said, get the root and the whole thing dies.

There would be no more teenage pregnancy, unless two teenagers where sure about being married for the rest of their lives. With these two things eliminated I imagine that nearly all abortion would be done away with. For me personally, I have never heard of a committed married couple getting pregnant unexpectedly and deciding to abort. While abortion is a separate issue altogether, the next commandment is you shall no kill.

Conclusion
We live in a world where we are constantly bombarded with sexuality. It seems to me that the enemy is hard at work in this area. All day everyday the media bombards us with visual stimulation keeping sexuality in the forefront of our mind. There are times I wonder why I still have cable with all the junk that is available at all times of the day (MuchMusic, I’m looking in your direction). God knows what the dangers and benefits are that’s why he wants to steer us in the right direction. He wants strong families, healthy people and clear minds. God is not about ruining a good time. He is about sparing us from the worst times.

If you just read this and have been participating in any of the above mentioned activities, today is a new day. God is waiting for you to reach out to him. There is nothing he can’t heal or fix if you go to him with a submitted and repentant heart. God acted first and all of us have rebelled and walked away from him. Trust me. It’s is on you. It’s your move. Don’t delay. Do it now.

Words you will come across in this post or if you research this further:
Immorality - dictionary.com
Fornication - dictionary.com
Debauchery - dictionary.com
Lasciviousness - dictionary.com

Other reading:
About.com - 10 Reason Not To Have Sex Outside of Marriage

You're out!

Welcome back. Here we go. Straight into commandment number eight, you shall not steal.

I think this one is going to be pretty straight forward. We all know that stealing means to take something that belongs to someone else without their knowledge or consent. I don’t think it will take a lot of convincing that this is wrong so lets hop into some of the motives for stealing then look at some of the benefits the world would enjoy if there was no stealing… ever.

Power/Greed
Some people steal because they are just straight up greedy and have to have for themselves or just can’t stand to see someone else having something they don’t. Sometimes people steal for power or leverage. Like robbing a bank to gain money for other motives or further power grabs.

Jealousy/Covetousness
Some acts of stealing are rooted in seeing someone else have something that looks so good that you have to take it for yourself, from either them or in the form of shop lifting. This kind of theft is born in a spirit of covetousness because the desire for the thing or object overwhelms you and you find yourself doing something else that’s wrong just to satisfy the desire.

Vanity/Self Righteousness
Other forms of stealing stem from sheer vanity. You think so highly of an object or thing that you won’t be happy unless you have it, and if it can’t be afforded, why not exercise some five finger discounting. This is a point where someone is so consumed with desire for this object they have convinced themselves that they deserve it. It’s their right to have it.

Need/Desperation
Other people steal because they feel it’s their only option. This person may be stealing clothes or food because they need them to survive. I know popular convention says that this kind of stealing shouldn’t be seen as wrong but I believe there is another solution. In the first post in this series I said that if the rule that Jesus gave us (love you neighbour as yourself) is the key there would be no need to steal necessities because we would all be helping those around us make it through life.

In a world without stealing (except in baseball)
If there was no stealing in the world people would experience trust for each other, even perfect strangers. This multiplies ten fold in light of the no lying policy we just established in the last post. We wouldn’t need locks on everything or cameras in our stores. There would be so much less crime in our cities and jails would be less crowded. The economy would be much more stable if there was no theft anywhere. There would be no more kidnappings or abductions of people, because taking person against their will is a form of robbery. I think in general everyone would walk with a little more peace of mind and a sense of security. How much of life is spent worrying about the well being of our stuff and money? I know its something I don’t enjoy worrying about.

So here we are three commandments in and I think we can already see quite a drastic change in the condition of our planet and human relationships. This is only going to keep getting better. Adultery is next on the list, its going to be a huge one. Stay tuned for more.

The Ten Commandments

I thought this would be the most appropriate way to follow up on the Georgia guide stones post from earlier in the week. This is going to be the first of a ten part series examining the 10 commandments that have been given to us by God. This will be a different look at these “rules” that I think will give you a better understanding to God’s heart and a proper in sight to what we desires for us.

The world likes to make us think that God is boring and wants to inhibit us from having a good time. Nothing could more untrue. As I am going to demonstrate over the next ten posts every one of His Commandments only has our health, safety and well being at heart.

The Ten Commandments

1. I am The Lord your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me.
2. You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I The Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love Me and keep My Commandments.
3. You shall not take The Name of The Lord your God in vain; for The Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His Name in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labour, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a Sabbath to The Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your manservant, or your maidservant, or your cattle, or the sojourner who is within your gates; for in six days The Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore The Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
5. Honour your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which The Lord your God gives you.
6. You shall not kill.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.
10. You shall not covet your neighbour’s house; you shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his ass, or anything that is your neighbour’s.

You can read them for yourself here in the Bible at biblegateway.org

Now down to business

I am going to go through these in reverse order, which will make sense on the last day of this series. The tenth commandment here tells us not to covet. So what does covet mean anyway?

Covet - verb (used with object)

1. to desire wrongfully, inordinately, or without due regard for the rights of others: to covet another’s property.
2. to wish for, esp. eagerly: He won the prize they all coveted.
3. to have an inordinate or wrongful desire.

What’s the point?
We live in a world ripe with materialism. The pursuits of many are based on what they can obtain for themselves. We are bombarded with advertising everyday telling us to buy this or that. All these wonderful things are supposed to make us happy and complete. With that message sewn into our brains we see people with this car, or that house or wearing such and such clothing, we get the impression that they are somehow better or more well of. We end up desiring those same material items.
It’s in that spirit that motives and hearts change. God is aware of this and wants us to have a defence against it. He knows we will burn ourselves out chasing things that in the end don’t satisfy, it only pushes us to pursue more.

The Balancing Act of Materialism

A world without coveting - not keeping up with the Joneses
I bet we would have far less debt in a covet free world. People wouldn’t unwisely spend money they don’t have on things they don’t need if there was no spirit of covetousness. I am thinking people by and large would work less as well, reducing stress, fatigue and increasing health and vitality. How much of work is done in the vanity of supporting the life styles we create for ourselves based on things the world shows us? I think that family relationships would be a lot healthier as well if we all worked less and spent more stress free time together. Everyday most people are forced to work more hours or take second jobs to keep their lifestyle going. I picture one of those comedic plate spinners frantically running around the stage trying to keep everything from falling apart. This commandment doesn’t just tell us to not covet stuff but also not to covet people. I will address this principle when I arrive at the adultery commandment.

But what about people that don’t have the basic needs for survival? Is it wrong for someone to covet food if they don’t have food? It certainly is not wrong for a person to desire the things they need to survive. In the New Testament Jesus is asked what is the greatest commandment. He responds by saying:

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.

I contend that if those words were being followed that no one would go without the basic needs of life. No one wants to go hungry or without food and shelter. No one would let themselves go hungry if they had food to eat. So if you love someone like yourself and you see they are hungry, you would feed them, ending their need to covet food. Does this happen in our world? Not really. But it should, because it would be a better place.

God’s motivation here is not to tell us we can’t like things. It’s about where the motivation of our heart resides. Our purpose is not to be collectors of stuff or desire to heap onto ourselves everything we see. He wants us to be healthy, stress free and have good relationships with those around us. My advice to you is to guard your heart and your motives. In the end, as creator, everything belongs to God anyway.