June 27
Exodus 20:16 (The Voice Bible)
16 You are not to give false testimony against your neighbor.
Exodus 20:16 (The Voice Bible)
16 You are not to give false testimony against your neighbor.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
DAY 34 - DAILY DEVOTION - JUNE 27, 2013
June 27
To Judge or Not
Posted on March 2, 2012 by katherine
James 4:11-12(NLT) says, “Don’t speak evil of each other… So what right do you have to judge your neighbor”?
Don’t you just love when people judge you? No! No one likes to be judged. We judge in so many different ways: not knowing the whole story, the way a situation was handled or not handled correctly or past lifestyle choices. Or, have you been guilty of judging someone because they didn’t meet up to your expectations? The Bible says, “Judge not, lest you be judged.” Those are harsh but necessary words.
Ephesians 4:29 (NKJV) “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”
God we ask that you help us to be more compassionate, forgiving, gentle, kind, loving, and patient. Let us speak words of life instead of words of judgement. We lift up our eyes to you Lord, not to concentrate on judging others but to let you be the judge. We want hearts that are forgiving without finding fault, not looking for the speck in others. Help us to find good in those whom others have written off.
Lord, I pray that you would bring healing to those who have been judged. Let them sense your sweet presence of love towards them now, no matter what they have done. Thank you Lord for your love and forgiveness. And, thank you for not judging us when we should have been judged. Your mercy, O God, endures forever!
Let this verse be your life mission statement, Colossians 4:6 MSG “..Make the most of every opportunity. Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out.”
To Judge or Not
Posted on March 2, 2012 by katherine
James 4:11-12(NLT) says, “Don’t speak evil of each other… So what right do you have to judge your neighbor”?
Don’t you just love when people judge you? No! No one likes to be judged. We judge in so many different ways: not knowing the whole story, the way a situation was handled or not handled correctly or past lifestyle choices. Or, have you been guilty of judging someone because they didn’t meet up to your expectations? The Bible says, “Judge not, lest you be judged.” Those are harsh but necessary words.
Ephesians 4:29 (NKJV) “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”
God we ask that you help us to be more compassionate, forgiving, gentle, kind, loving, and patient. Let us speak words of life instead of words of judgement. We lift up our eyes to you Lord, not to concentrate on judging others but to let you be the judge. We want hearts that are forgiving without finding fault, not looking for the speck in others. Help us to find good in those whom others have written off.
Lord, I pray that you would bring healing to those who have been judged. Let them sense your sweet presence of love towards them now, no matter what they have done. Thank you Lord for your love and forgiveness. And, thank you for not judging us when we should have been judged. Your mercy, O God, endures forever!
Let this verse be your life mission statement, Colossians 4:6 MSG “..Make the most of every opportunity. Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out.”
DAY 34 - DAILY PRAYER (PRAYER FOR TRUE WITNESS ) - JUNE 27, 2013
June 27
Father of all truth,
We come before You this day with joy in our hearts for the truth that You are our almighty Father. That the truth of Your son has set us free, and that the evil one's lies are silenced against Your people. As we contemplate Your 9th commandment today, help us to see and speak the truth in all situations. Forgive us for any false testimony that we may have unknowingly given against another. We wish to be speakers of the truth in all matters, as You have commanded us. Help the temptation of the enemy to lie and bear false witness be far from our hearts and minds, and keep us pure in all that we say. We thank you for placing us in a family of unshakable witness, and strive to be worthy of this great honor in all that we do.
In Jesus' mighty name we pray. Amen!
Father of all truth,
We come before You this day with joy in our hearts for the truth that You are our almighty Father. That the truth of Your son has set us free, and that the evil one's lies are silenced against Your people. As we contemplate Your 9th commandment today, help us to see and speak the truth in all situations. Forgive us for any false testimony that we may have unknowingly given against another. We wish to be speakers of the truth in all matters, as You have commanded us. Help the temptation of the enemy to lie and bear false witness be far from our hearts and minds, and keep us pure in all that we say. We thank you for placing us in a family of unshakable witness, and strive to be worthy of this great honor in all that we do.
In Jesus' mighty name we pray. Amen!
DAY 34 - DAILY QUESTION ABOUT GOD'S WORD (WHY IS 'YOU SHALL NOT GIVE FALSE TESTIMONY' IN THE TEN COMMANDMENTS?)
June 27
Question: "Why is 'You shall not give false testimony' in the Ten Commandments?"
Answer:Part of the Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue, this 9th commandment forbids the Israelites from bearing false witness or giving false testimony against one another (Exodus 20:16;Deuteronomy 5:20). To bear false witness against others is to lie about them, especially for personal gain. The Hebrew word translated “neighbor” in this commandment can mean an associate, a brother, companion, fellow, friend, husband, lover, or neighbor. In other words, the Israelites were commanded to be truthful in all things, but especially when speaking about another person. The people were not to lie publicly, as in a court of law by laying at another’s feet any false charge that could injure him, nor were they to lie privately by whispering, talebearing, backbiting, slandering, or destroying his character by innuendos, sly insinuations, and evil suggestions.
The reasons for God’s prohibiting lying and testifying falsely against one’s neighbor are three-fold. First, God’s people are to reflect God’s character. Jehovah is a truthful God who does not and cannot lie.Numbers 23:19tells us, “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” The people who were called by God’s name and who represented Him in the heathen world were expected to accurately reflect His character. Lying to or about one another brought reproach upon His holy name, and this He would not tolerate. Second, bearing false witness against another was destructive to the individual who was the victim of the lie, and he suffered by it in his character, credibility and reputation, as well as in his trade and business.Leviticus 19:18makes it clear that the Israelites were to love their neighbors as themselves, a command reiterated by both Jesus and Paul (Matthew 22:39;Romans 13:9). Loving our neighbors precludes lying about them.
Third, false witness was seen as so destructive to society that courts of law, both in the days of the Israelites and today, could function only if the witnesses who were called to testify could be trusted to tell the truth. Without a trustworthy judicial system, based on eyewitness testimony from reliable, truthful witnesses, societies are at risk of the breakdown of law and order. When this happens, chaos ensues and the innocent suffer.
As noted before, the New Testament is equally condemning of false witness.Colossians 3:9-10explains the reason for the continued prohibition against lying. Christians are new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) and as such, we reflect His nature. We have been released from our “old self” with its evil practices such as lying and bearing false witness. As the Israelites were to reflect the character of Jehovah, Christians are to reflect to the world the character of Christ that identifies us as His own.
Recommended Resources:Logos Bible SoftwareandThe Law of Perfect Freedom: Relating to God and Others through the Ten Commandments by Michael Horton.
While he is not the author of every article on GotQuestions.org, for citation purposes, you may reference our CEO, S. Michael Houdmann.
Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/you-shall-not-give-false-testimony.html#ixzz2XNE7qiaL
Question: "Why is 'You shall not give false testimony' in the Ten Commandments?"
Answer:Part of the Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue, this 9th commandment forbids the Israelites from bearing false witness or giving false testimony against one another (Exodus 20:16;Deuteronomy 5:20). To bear false witness against others is to lie about them, especially for personal gain. The Hebrew word translated “neighbor” in this commandment can mean an associate, a brother, companion, fellow, friend, husband, lover, or neighbor. In other words, the Israelites were commanded to be truthful in all things, but especially when speaking about another person. The people were not to lie publicly, as in a court of law by laying at another’s feet any false charge that could injure him, nor were they to lie privately by whispering, talebearing, backbiting, slandering, or destroying his character by innuendos, sly insinuations, and evil suggestions.
The reasons for God’s prohibiting lying and testifying falsely against one’s neighbor are three-fold. First, God’s people are to reflect God’s character. Jehovah is a truthful God who does not and cannot lie.Numbers 23:19tells us, “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” The people who were called by God’s name and who represented Him in the heathen world were expected to accurately reflect His character. Lying to or about one another brought reproach upon His holy name, and this He would not tolerate. Second, bearing false witness against another was destructive to the individual who was the victim of the lie, and he suffered by it in his character, credibility and reputation, as well as in his trade and business.Leviticus 19:18makes it clear that the Israelites were to love their neighbors as themselves, a command reiterated by both Jesus and Paul (Matthew 22:39;Romans 13:9). Loving our neighbors precludes lying about them.
Third, false witness was seen as so destructive to society that courts of law, both in the days of the Israelites and today, could function only if the witnesses who were called to testify could be trusted to tell the truth. Without a trustworthy judicial system, based on eyewitness testimony from reliable, truthful witnesses, societies are at risk of the breakdown of law and order. When this happens, chaos ensues and the innocent suffer.
As noted before, the New Testament is equally condemning of false witness.Colossians 3:9-10explains the reason for the continued prohibition against lying. Christians are new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) and as such, we reflect His nature. We have been released from our “old self” with its evil practices such as lying and bearing false witness. As the Israelites were to reflect the character of Jehovah, Christians are to reflect to the world the character of Christ that identifies us as His own.
Recommended Resources:Logos Bible SoftwareandThe Law of Perfect Freedom: Relating to God and Others through the Ten Commandments by Michael Horton.
While he is not the author of every article on GotQuestions.org, for citation purposes, you may reference our CEO, S. Michael Houdmann.
Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/you-shall-not-give-false-testimony.html#ixzz2XNE7qiaL
DAY 34 - DAILY HISTORY - AMERICAN MINUTE FOR JUNE 27, 2013
June 27
American Minute for June 27th:
Download MP3
Helen Keller was born JUNE 27, 1880.
At the age of two she suffered an illness that left her blind and deaf.
Her parents took her to Dr. Alexander Graham Bell who recommended the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston.
It was there, at age of 7, that Helen Keller was taught by Anne Sullivan through the sense of touch. Anne eventually taught Helen to read Braille.
Helen Keller began attending Radcliffe College, where Anne Sullivan interpreted the lectures.
Helen became concerned about all the blind, especially those blinded in World War I or by poor working conditions.
She received numerous international honors for her efforts to help the blind.
Helen Keller learned to type on a Braille typewriter and wrote many books between 1903 and 1941, including:
The Story of My Life, 1903;
Optimism, 1903;
The World I Live In, 1908;
The Song of the Stone Wall, 1910;
Out of the Dark, 1913;
My Religion, 1927;
Midstream, 1930;
Let Us Have Faith, 1941; and
The Open Door, 1957.
Helen Keller stated:
"I thank God for my handicaps, for, through them, I have found myself, my work, and my God."
In the film documentary of her life, The Unconquered, Helen Keller responded to the question, "Can you see the world?":
"I can see, and that is why I can be so happy, in what you call the dark, but which to me is golden. I can see a God-made world, not a man-made world."
On June 26, 1955, regarding reading the Bible, Helen Keller stated:
"It gives me a deep comforting sense that 'things seen are temporal and things unseen are eternal.'"
Helen stated:
"Just as all things upon earth represent and image forth all the realities of another world, so the Bible is one mighty representative of the whole spiritual life of humanity."
On February 5, 1955, at the age of 74, Helen Keller typed a message on a conventional typewriter during an interview with newsmen just prior to her 40,000 mile world-wide journey, much of which was by airplane:
"It's wonderful to climb the liquid mountains of the sky. Behind me and before me is God and I have no fears."
On June 26, 1955, just a few days before her 75th birthday, Helen Keller stated:
"Self-pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it, we can never do anything wise in the world."
Helen Keller was introduced to President Grover Cleveland at age 7. She received letters from eight U.S. presidents-from Theodore Roosevelt in 1903 to Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965.
In 1961, Helen Keller met President John F. Kennedy. She received the French Legion of Honor and the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom.
A statue of Helen Keller as a young girl, learning the sense of touch at a water pump, is in the U.S. Capitol from the State of Alabama.
Helen Keller concluded:
"Four things to learn in life:
To think clearly without hurry or confusion;
To love everybody sincerely;
To act in everything with the highest motives;
To trust God unhesitatingly."
Show Endnotes
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American Minute for June 27th:
Download MP3
Helen Keller was born JUNE 27, 1880.
At the age of two she suffered an illness that left her blind and deaf.
Her parents took her to Dr. Alexander Graham Bell who recommended the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston.
It was there, at age of 7, that Helen Keller was taught by Anne Sullivan through the sense of touch. Anne eventually taught Helen to read Braille.
Helen Keller began attending Radcliffe College, where Anne Sullivan interpreted the lectures.
Helen became concerned about all the blind, especially those blinded in World War I or by poor working conditions.
She received numerous international honors for her efforts to help the blind.
Helen Keller learned to type on a Braille typewriter and wrote many books between 1903 and 1941, including:
The Story of My Life, 1903;
Optimism, 1903;
The World I Live In, 1908;
The Song of the Stone Wall, 1910;
Out of the Dark, 1913;
My Religion, 1927;
Midstream, 1930;
Let Us Have Faith, 1941; and
The Open Door, 1957.
Helen Keller stated:
"I thank God for my handicaps, for, through them, I have found myself, my work, and my God."
In the film documentary of her life, The Unconquered, Helen Keller responded to the question, "Can you see the world?":
"I can see, and that is why I can be so happy, in what you call the dark, but which to me is golden. I can see a God-made world, not a man-made world."
On June 26, 1955, regarding reading the Bible, Helen Keller stated:
"It gives me a deep comforting sense that 'things seen are temporal and things unseen are eternal.'"
Helen stated:
"Just as all things upon earth represent and image forth all the realities of another world, so the Bible is one mighty representative of the whole spiritual life of humanity."
On February 5, 1955, at the age of 74, Helen Keller typed a message on a conventional typewriter during an interview with newsmen just prior to her 40,000 mile world-wide journey, much of which was by airplane:
"It's wonderful to climb the liquid mountains of the sky. Behind me and before me is God and I have no fears."
On June 26, 1955, just a few days before her 75th birthday, Helen Keller stated:
"Self-pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it, we can never do anything wise in the world."
Helen Keller was introduced to President Grover Cleveland at age 7. She received letters from eight U.S. presidents-from Theodore Roosevelt in 1903 to Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965.
In 1961, Helen Keller met President John F. Kennedy. She received the French Legion of Honor and the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom.
A statue of Helen Keller as a young girl, learning the sense of touch at a water pump, is in the U.S. Capitol from the State of Alabama.
Helen Keller concluded:
"Four things to learn in life:
To think clearly without hurry or confusion;
To love everybody sincerely;
To act in everything with the highest motives;
To trust God unhesitatingly."
Show Endnotes
(Brought to you by AmericanMinute.com)
Add American Minute on your Website How to use the American Minute RSS feed Post to Facebook Post to Twitter
DAY 33 - DAILY BIBLE VERSE (EIGHTH COMMANDMENT) - JUNE 26, 2013
June 26
Exodus 20:15 (The Voice Bible)
15 You are not to take what is not yours.
Exodus 20:15 (The Voice Bible)
15 You are not to take what is not yours.
DAY 33 - DAILY DEVOTION - JUNE 26, 2013
June 26
Why Worship
Posted on September 19, 2012 by katherine
I was having lunch with a friend yesterday & the topic came up about worship. He said, “Katherine you need to tell people why you worship & why they need to worship.” While driving home from lunch, I kept thinking, “Why Worship”? Immediately, I shouted.. because we were created to worship. Worship should be our lifestyle.
For a long time, I thought I wasn’t a worshiper since I don’t play or sing. That was so far from the truth. You see, “God created all things & for His pleasure they were created.” God won’t force you to worship. Worship is not only conducted by the praise team on Sundays, Worship is your being; its who you are.. You were created to worship! So, stop waiting for the praise team to lead you into worship, stir yourself up & be ready to worship everyday of your life.
When everything was pulled out from under me after I lost Bryan, I worshiped. Worshiping God is the only thing that has gotten me through and will carry me on. And, Worshiping God is what will get you through life!
What are you worshiping to get you through a difficult time? Or are you relying on another person to lift you up, when God says, “He is the one who is the lifter of your head.” Did you know that your singing/worshiping brings Him Glory? Isaiah 43:7, “You were created for His Glory” and “You were created to set forth the praises of Almighty God.” Isaiah 43:21
Worship him when you first wake up in the morning, let His praise continually be on your lips all through the day, & let your worship be the last thing you do before going to bed.
Worship is so powerful & I believe the devil tries to steal our worship. He doesn’t want us to worship the King of Kings & Lord of Lords because he knows that chains are loosed & mountains are moved when we worship. Worship brings forth freedom, healing, and peace. I encourage you to give it a try? Most of us have tried everything else, why not worship him in Spirit & in Truth. All things grow strangely dim in the light of Him- when you worship. That is why we Worship!
Will you Praise Him in the midst of whatever you are going through and praise Him because of His faithfulness? Has God been good to you? Let’s lift our hearts and hands in worship & adoration to Him.
“Let everything that has breath and every breath of life, Praise the Lord!” Psalm 150:6
Why Worship
Posted on September 19, 2012 by katherine
I was having lunch with a friend yesterday & the topic came up about worship. He said, “Katherine you need to tell people why you worship & why they need to worship.” While driving home from lunch, I kept thinking, “Why Worship”? Immediately, I shouted.. because we were created to worship. Worship should be our lifestyle.
For a long time, I thought I wasn’t a worshiper since I don’t play or sing. That was so far from the truth. You see, “God created all things & for His pleasure they were created.” God won’t force you to worship. Worship is not only conducted by the praise team on Sundays, Worship is your being; its who you are.. You were created to worship! So, stop waiting for the praise team to lead you into worship, stir yourself up & be ready to worship everyday of your life.
When everything was pulled out from under me after I lost Bryan, I worshiped. Worshiping God is the only thing that has gotten me through and will carry me on. And, Worshiping God is what will get you through life!
What are you worshiping to get you through a difficult time? Or are you relying on another person to lift you up, when God says, “He is the one who is the lifter of your head.” Did you know that your singing/worshiping brings Him Glory? Isaiah 43:7, “You were created for His Glory” and “You were created to set forth the praises of Almighty God.” Isaiah 43:21
Worship him when you first wake up in the morning, let His praise continually be on your lips all through the day, & let your worship be the last thing you do before going to bed.
Worship is so powerful & I believe the devil tries to steal our worship. He doesn’t want us to worship the King of Kings & Lord of Lords because he knows that chains are loosed & mountains are moved when we worship. Worship brings forth freedom, healing, and peace. I encourage you to give it a try? Most of us have tried everything else, why not worship him in Spirit & in Truth. All things grow strangely dim in the light of Him- when you worship. That is why we Worship!
Will you Praise Him in the midst of whatever you are going through and praise Him because of His faithfulness? Has God been good to you? Let’s lift our hearts and hands in worship & adoration to Him.
“Let everything that has breath and every breath of life, Praise the Lord!” Psalm 150:6
DAY 33 - DAILY PRAYER (PRAYER AGAINST STEALING) - JUNE 26, 2013
June 26
Dear Lord, You give me everything I need and more. You give me
food, clothes, and a family. You give me friends, a church, and love.
Please help me to never dishonor You by stealing. Help me to
become a giver and not a taker. Help me to have open hands, not
hands that sneak and take things. I want to be known as one of
Your special people. Thank You for making me one of Your
treasures!
Dear Lord, You give me everything I need and more. You give me
food, clothes, and a family. You give me friends, a church, and love.
Please help me to never dishonor You by stealing. Help me to
become a giver and not a taker. Help me to have open hands, not
hands that sneak and take things. I want to be known as one of
Your special people. Thank You for making me one of Your
treasures!
In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
DAY 33 - DAILY QUESTION ABOUT GOD'S WORD (WHY IS 'YOU SHALL NOT STEAL' IN THE TEN COMMANDMENTS?)
June 26
Question: "Why is 'You shall not steal' in the Ten Commandments?"
Answer: “You shall not steal” (Exodus 20:15) is one of the Ten Commandments people can readily recall, even though it is number eight in the Decalogue. And while there may be those who attempt to undermine the authority of the Ten Commandments by suggesting it is part of the Old Covenant, our Lord Jesus, speaking to the rich young ruler, quoted five of them, including this one (Matthew 19:18). The Ten Commandments are part of the moral law of God and, unlike the ceremonial and sacrificial laws of the Old Testament which were given to Israel, they apply to all men in all ages.
Stealing is defined as “taking another person’s property without his or her permission.” However, there are many other forms of theft. For example, taking longer over our lunch breaks at work or arriving late and leaving early are actually forms of stealing from our employers, stealing time they have paid for. Taking advantage of employers in that way indicates a lack of love for others. The apostle Paul, when discussing God’s commandments, sums up the entire law in the same way as our Lord Jesus did, with “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31;Romans 13:9). And, again like Jesus, he states that this is the fulfilment of the “Law” (Matthew 22:39-40). So, we know from such instructions that “Do not steal,” as with all of the Ten Commandments, is about “loving one another” (John 13:34-35).
Victims of theft know the horrible feeling it produces. The very act of someone taking what may have been an especially precious gift from a loved one really pierces our hearts and makes us feel vulnerable and unsafe. Theft has a tremendous impact not only on individuals, but on society as a whole. Theft disturbs societal stability and the results are feelings of fear and insecurity and a desire for revenge. One has only to look at some third world countries where laws against stealing are ignored to see how detrimental it is to the population. God’s laws are not only moral and spiritual; they are infinitely practical as well.
Christians have received tremendous physical and spiritual gifts from God, and we should desire to give back to Him all that we have. When we withhold the things that are rightly His—our time and talents, our possessions and our finances, indeed our very lives—we are in effect stealing from Him. The prophet Malachi put it this way when addressing the Israelites: “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' ‘In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse — the whole nation of you — because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it’” (Malachi 3:8-10). One day we will be judged by God and expected to give an account of what we did with the gifts God has so generously bestowed on us (Romans 14:12;2 Corinthians 5:10;Hebrews 4:13).
Recommended Resources:Logos Bible SoftwareandThe Law of Perfect Freedom: Relating to God and Others through the Ten Commandments by Michael Horton.
While he is not the author of every article on GotQuestions.org, for citation purposes, you may reference our CEO, S. Michael Houdmann.
Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/you-shall-not-steal.html#ixzz2XIRZAQtw
Question: "Why is 'You shall not steal' in the Ten Commandments?"
Answer: “You shall not steal” (Exodus 20:15) is one of the Ten Commandments people can readily recall, even though it is number eight in the Decalogue. And while there may be those who attempt to undermine the authority of the Ten Commandments by suggesting it is part of the Old Covenant, our Lord Jesus, speaking to the rich young ruler, quoted five of them, including this one (Matthew 19:18). The Ten Commandments are part of the moral law of God and, unlike the ceremonial and sacrificial laws of the Old Testament which were given to Israel, they apply to all men in all ages.
Stealing is defined as “taking another person’s property without his or her permission.” However, there are many other forms of theft. For example, taking longer over our lunch breaks at work or arriving late and leaving early are actually forms of stealing from our employers, stealing time they have paid for. Taking advantage of employers in that way indicates a lack of love for others. The apostle Paul, when discussing God’s commandments, sums up the entire law in the same way as our Lord Jesus did, with “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31;Romans 13:9). And, again like Jesus, he states that this is the fulfilment of the “Law” (Matthew 22:39-40). So, we know from such instructions that “Do not steal,” as with all of the Ten Commandments, is about “loving one another” (John 13:34-35).
Victims of theft know the horrible feeling it produces. The very act of someone taking what may have been an especially precious gift from a loved one really pierces our hearts and makes us feel vulnerable and unsafe. Theft has a tremendous impact not only on individuals, but on society as a whole. Theft disturbs societal stability and the results are feelings of fear and insecurity and a desire for revenge. One has only to look at some third world countries where laws against stealing are ignored to see how detrimental it is to the population. God’s laws are not only moral and spiritual; they are infinitely practical as well.
Christians have received tremendous physical and spiritual gifts from God, and we should desire to give back to Him all that we have. When we withhold the things that are rightly His—our time and talents, our possessions and our finances, indeed our very lives—we are in effect stealing from Him. The prophet Malachi put it this way when addressing the Israelites: “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' ‘In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse — the whole nation of you — because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it’” (Malachi 3:8-10). One day we will be judged by God and expected to give an account of what we did with the gifts God has so generously bestowed on us (Romans 14:12;2 Corinthians 5:10;Hebrews 4:13).
Recommended Resources:Logos Bible SoftwareandThe Law of Perfect Freedom: Relating to God and Others through the Ten Commandments by Michael Horton.
While he is not the author of every article on GotQuestions.org, for citation purposes, you may reference our CEO, S. Michael Houdmann.
Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/you-shall-not-steal.html#ixzz2XIRZAQtw
DAY 33 - DAILY HISTORY - AMERICAN MINUTE FOR JUNE 26, 2013
June 26
American Minute for June 26th:
Download MP3
The United Nations Charter was signed JUNE 26, 1945, by 51 member nations.
With lofty goals, the name "United Nations" was coined by Franklin D. Roosevelt for countries fighting the National Socialist Workers Party (Nazi) and their axis powers. The United Nations had a goal of protecting the Jews, as FDR spoke on Justice for War Crimes, March 24, 1944:
“The United Nations are fighting to make a world in which tyranny and aggression cannot exist...In one of the blackest crimes of all history-begun by the Nazis...the wholesale systematic murder of the Jews of Europe goes on unabated...Hundreds of thousands of Jews...are now threatened with annihilation as Hitler's forces descend...
The United Nations have made it clear that they will pursue the guilty...All who knowingly take part in the deportation of Jews to their death...are equally guilty with the executioner.”
On November 11, 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt complimented the Jewish Theological Seminary of America:
“If the world to emerge from the war after a victory of the United Nations is to be a world of enduring peace and of freedom, that peace and that freedom must be founded on renewed loyalty to the spiritual values...
Enemies of mankind who are arrayed in battle against us realized this, and therefore began their effort to subdue the world with an assault on religious institutions...which...taught...the dignity and worth of human personality...
In cooperation with Catholic, Jewish, and Protestant scholars...it will in time, I trust, become an increasingly powerful instrument for enlightening men of all faiths.”
The day after Franklin D. Roosevelt's funeral, President Harry S. Truman told Congress, April 16, 1945:
“Our forefathers came to our rugged shores in search of religious tolerance...Within an hour after I took the oath of office, I announced that the (United Nations) San Francisco Conference would proceed...
In the memory of our fallen President...I appeal to every American...to support our efforts to build a strong and lasting United Nations Organization...with Divine guidance, and your help...I humbly pray Almighty God, in the words of King Solomon: 'Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart...'”
In April 1946, President Truman addressed United Nations delegates:
"At no time in history has there been a more important Conference than this one in San Francisco which you are opening today...We beseech our Almighty God to guide us in the building of a permanent monument to those who gave their lives that this moment might come."
The United Nations began with high hopes, as President Harry S Truman stated, March 6, 1946:
“We have just come though a decade in which the forces of evil in various parts of the world have been lined up in a bitter fight to banish from the face of the earth both these ideals-religion and democracy....founded on one basic principle, the worth and dignity of the individual man and woman.
Dictatorship...is founded on the doctrine that...men and women and children were put on earth solely for the purpose of serving the State...
The Protestant Church, the Catholic Church, and the Jewish Synagogue-bound together in the American unity of brotherhood-must provide the shock forces to accomplish this moral and spiritual awakening...Unless it is done, we are headed for the disaster we would deserve...We have tried to write into the Charter of the United Nations the essence of religion.”
One of the first acts of the United Nations was to recognize Israel as a nation.
In 1953, President Eisenhower addressed the United Nations:
"The whole book of history reveals mankind's never-ending quest for peace and mankind's God-given capacity to build."
President Eisenhower's delegate to the United Nations was Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., who sent a letter to every member state, December 30, 1955:
“I propose that God should be openly and audibly invoked at the United Nations...I do so in the conviction that we cannot make the United Nations into a successful instrument of God's peace without God's help-and that with His help we cannot fail. To this end I propose that we ask for that help.”
Lodge's proposal was not acted upon.
Nevertheless, Charles Habib Malik, President of the United Nations' General Assembly, 13th Session, who helped write the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, stated in 1958:
“The good (in the United States) would never have come into being without the blessing and power of Jesus Christ...Whoever tries to conceive the American word without taking full account of the suffering and love and salvation of Christ is only dreaming.
I know how embarrassing this matter is to politicians, bureaucrats, businessmen and cynics; but, whatever these honored men think, the irrefutable truth is that the soul of America is at its best and highest, Christian.”
In subsequent years, the mission of the United Nations became increasingly unclear.
Former President Herbert Clark Hoover suggested reorganizing the United Nations in a speech to the American Newspaper Publishers Association, April 27, 1950:
“I suggest that the United Nations should be reorganized without the Communist nations in it. If that is impractical, then a definite New United Front should be organized of those peoples who disavow communism, who stand for morals and religion, and who love freedom...
What the world needs today is a definite, spiritual mobilization of the nations who believe in God against this tide of Red agnosticism. It needs a moral mobilization against the hideous ideas of the police state and human slavery...
It is a proposal to redeem the concept of the United Nations to the high purpose for which it was created...It is a proposal for moral and spiritual cooperation of God-fearing free nations...in rejecting an atheistic other world.”
By June 10, 1963, President Dwight Eisenhower confided to the National Junior Chamber of Commerce:
"The United Nations has seemed to be two distinct things to the two worlds divided by the iron curtain...
To the free world it has seemed that it should be a constructive forum...To the Communist world it has been a convenient sounding board for their propaganda, a weapon to be exploited in spreading disunity and confusion."
Ronald Reagan address the United Nations General Assembly, June 17, 1982:
“Eleanor Roosevelt, one of our first ambassadors to this body, reminded us that the high-sounding words of tyrants stand in bleak contradiction to their deeds...
In these times when more and more lawless acts are going unpunished...some members of this very body show a growing disregard for the U.N. Charter...
President Truman said, 'If we should pay merely lip service to inspiring ideals, and later do violence to simple justice, we would draw down upon us the bitter wrath of generations yet unborn.'"
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The United Nations Charter was signed JUNE 26, 1945, by 51 member nations.
With lofty goals, the name "United Nations" was coined by Franklin D. Roosevelt for countries fighting the National Socialist Workers Party (Nazi) and their axis powers. The United Nations had a goal of protecting the Jews, as FDR spoke on Justice for War Crimes, March 24, 1944:
“The United Nations are fighting to make a world in which tyranny and aggression cannot exist...In one of the blackest crimes of all history-begun by the Nazis...the wholesale systematic murder of the Jews of Europe goes on unabated...Hundreds of thousands of Jews...are now threatened with annihilation as Hitler's forces descend...
The United Nations have made it clear that they will pursue the guilty...All who knowingly take part in the deportation of Jews to their death...are equally guilty with the executioner.”
On November 11, 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt complimented the Jewish Theological Seminary of America:
“If the world to emerge from the war after a victory of the United Nations is to be a world of enduring peace and of freedom, that peace and that freedom must be founded on renewed loyalty to the spiritual values...
Enemies of mankind who are arrayed in battle against us realized this, and therefore began their effort to subdue the world with an assault on religious institutions...which...taught...the dignity and worth of human personality...
In cooperation with Catholic, Jewish, and Protestant scholars...it will in time, I trust, become an increasingly powerful instrument for enlightening men of all faiths.”
The day after Franklin D. Roosevelt's funeral, President Harry S. Truman told Congress, April 16, 1945:
“Our forefathers came to our rugged shores in search of religious tolerance...Within an hour after I took the oath of office, I announced that the (United Nations) San Francisco Conference would proceed...
In the memory of our fallen President...I appeal to every American...to support our efforts to build a strong and lasting United Nations Organization...with Divine guidance, and your help...I humbly pray Almighty God, in the words of King Solomon: 'Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart...'”
In April 1946, President Truman addressed United Nations delegates:
"At no time in history has there been a more important Conference than this one in San Francisco which you are opening today...We beseech our Almighty God to guide us in the building of a permanent monument to those who gave their lives that this moment might come."
The United Nations began with high hopes, as President Harry S Truman stated, March 6, 1946:
“We have just come though a decade in which the forces of evil in various parts of the world have been lined up in a bitter fight to banish from the face of the earth both these ideals-religion and democracy....founded on one basic principle, the worth and dignity of the individual man and woman.
Dictatorship...is founded on the doctrine that...men and women and children were put on earth solely for the purpose of serving the State...
The Protestant Church, the Catholic Church, and the Jewish Synagogue-bound together in the American unity of brotherhood-must provide the shock forces to accomplish this moral and spiritual awakening...Unless it is done, we are headed for the disaster we would deserve...We have tried to write into the Charter of the United Nations the essence of religion.”
One of the first acts of the United Nations was to recognize Israel as a nation.
In 1953, President Eisenhower addressed the United Nations:
"The whole book of history reveals mankind's never-ending quest for peace and mankind's God-given capacity to build."
President Eisenhower's delegate to the United Nations was Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., who sent a letter to every member state, December 30, 1955:
“I propose that God should be openly and audibly invoked at the United Nations...I do so in the conviction that we cannot make the United Nations into a successful instrument of God's peace without God's help-and that with His help we cannot fail. To this end I propose that we ask for that help.”
Lodge's proposal was not acted upon.
Nevertheless, Charles Habib Malik, President of the United Nations' General Assembly, 13th Session, who helped write the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, stated in 1958:
“The good (in the United States) would never have come into being without the blessing and power of Jesus Christ...Whoever tries to conceive the American word without taking full account of the suffering and love and salvation of Christ is only dreaming.
I know how embarrassing this matter is to politicians, bureaucrats, businessmen and cynics; but, whatever these honored men think, the irrefutable truth is that the soul of America is at its best and highest, Christian.”
In subsequent years, the mission of the United Nations became increasingly unclear.
Former President Herbert Clark Hoover suggested reorganizing the United Nations in a speech to the American Newspaper Publishers Association, April 27, 1950:
“I suggest that the United Nations should be reorganized without the Communist nations in it. If that is impractical, then a definite New United Front should be organized of those peoples who disavow communism, who stand for morals and religion, and who love freedom...
What the world needs today is a definite, spiritual mobilization of the nations who believe in God against this tide of Red agnosticism. It needs a moral mobilization against the hideous ideas of the police state and human slavery...
It is a proposal to redeem the concept of the United Nations to the high purpose for which it was created...It is a proposal for moral and spiritual cooperation of God-fearing free nations...in rejecting an atheistic other world.”
By June 10, 1963, President Dwight Eisenhower confided to the National Junior Chamber of Commerce:
"The United Nations has seemed to be two distinct things to the two worlds divided by the iron curtain...
To the free world it has seemed that it should be a constructive forum...To the Communist world it has been a convenient sounding board for their propaganda, a weapon to be exploited in spreading disunity and confusion."
Ronald Reagan address the United Nations General Assembly, June 17, 1982:
“Eleanor Roosevelt, one of our first ambassadors to this body, reminded us that the high-sounding words of tyrants stand in bleak contradiction to their deeds...
In these times when more and more lawless acts are going unpunished...some members of this very body show a growing disregard for the U.N. Charter...
President Truman said, 'If we should pay merely lip service to inspiring ideals, and later do violence to simple justice, we would draw down upon us the bitter wrath of generations yet unborn.'"
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