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Today is Monday January 25, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Exodus, chapters 23-25. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this URL onto your browser: http://www.readytofollow.com/bible-january-25

Title: Watch Your Tongue

When God gave the Ten Commandments, He did not just stop at ten, He knew just how corrupt the world as well as the flesh was so He was not going to just stop at the worldly things. Why would He give us so many commands to follow? Because He wants us to live the best life we can live, only do it in a morally, uncorrupted way, acknowledging Him along the way. When we follow His commands we keep ourselves from unnecessary suffering, but the truth is many people do suffer and they are clueless as to why. The culprit, the tongue. That's right, that powerful tongue of ours can get us into more trouble than we can imagine, in fact, God lists sins of the tongue as one of the most vilest sins one can make. “Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment: Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause.......... Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause. Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked. And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.” - Exodus 23:1-3,6-8. What God is saying here is that we are not to talk about others, tell lies about others, we are not to gossip or slander others, or cause someone else to judge a person by our gossip or lies about them, we are not even to be around those who are talking about someone. Now, let's face it, we all have conversations about people, but there is a big difference between talking about someone and talking about someone in a way that causes false judgment upon them and this is what God is talking about here. You know the old saying, “if you can't say something nice about someone, don't say nothing at all?” Well, that can not be more truer. I had a friend that I had not seen for a while and she came to visit, the first thing she did was start talking about what this and that person was doing. I knew the only reason why she talked about them was to get me to think of them in a negative way and talk about them as well. I simply said, this is why they are over there and I am over here and I do not want to know all about what they are doing. It is not healthy for anyone to constantly hear negative things about someone, but even more so for a Christian, and if we are not careful we can seriously hurt someone or worse ourselves. As Christian's we need to seriously pay attention to what we are saying about others, are we concerned about them, are we angry with them, or are we just trying to cover up our own sins? Truthfully, we all have a past, and a person who is truly a friend will not be so quick to air out that past to others or tell others. “Be not a witness against thy neighbour without cause; and deceive not with thy lips. Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me: I will render to the man according to his work.” - Proverbs 24:28,29.

You know, the great thing about God is that even if we slipped and unknowingly sinned with the tongue, He will show us our mistake and forgive us for it. “Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him. But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries........And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.” - Exodus 23:20-22,25. This Angel today, is none other than the Lord, Jesus Christ. While, God does give us firm commands, He assures us of the blessings that we will receive if we come to Him, repent, and obey Him. Remember in yesterday's message, we talked about God becoming our authority and responsibility when we chose to follow Christ? Well, this is what God is saying here, you chose to follow me, if you want to be blessed and not suffer needlessly than listen to me, obey my commands, and just trust me and I will take care of you. Praise God!

God alone determines what worship of Him is acceptable, so He gave Moses detailed instructions for building the Tabernacle after the pattern of the one in Heaven. “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering........And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.” - Exodus 25:1,2,8,9. The parts of the Tabernacle and its furnishings all foreshadowed the coming Messiah and each and every part used is symbolic of Christ and the blood He would shed to become the ultimate sacrifice to save God's people from their sins and death. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” - Romans 8:1-4. Today, we no longer have to walk for miles to find the place where God dwells, all we have to do to find Him is call on Jesus. Praise God!

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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