Only Ten

~~~ Third Sunday of Lent ~~~

~~~ Exodus 20:1-17 ~~~ Psalm 19 ~~~ 

~~~ 1 Corinthians 1:22-25 ~~~ John 2:13-25 ~~~

Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.

God gave Moses his commandments his law.
Can you imagine only having ten laws in our society today.
What if your whole life was based solely
on just ten things you had to do to succeed in life?

Only one God no others...
not using God's name when we are frustrated and angry...
keeping the Lord's day holy, set apart from the rest of the week...
caring for your parents especially into their senior years
 when it becomes more of a challenge...

These are the first of the laws of the Lord.
Then we come to the ones we often warp into our own interpretations.

We would all agree that taking the life of another is morally wrong.
But when it comes the death penalty we feel it is
our right to condemn another to death.

God says vengeance is mine says the Lord.
We must 'play' the part of God.
It is God alone who gives life and has the power to take life.

I have never heard one homily about how we have
 a responsibility to preserve our own life.
How can we keep this commandment
if we smoke, drink in excess, daily over eat,
or become couch potatoes?

I know this is the commandment I must keep vigilant in my life.

The next laws deal with adultery, stealing, and lying...
These sins are often connected in many ways...
If you are guilty of adultery you are stealing
 from your marriage commitment...
and always hiding under the cover of lies upon lies. 

Perhaps all of these sins lead us to the point where everything
 on the other side of the fence looks better...
whether it is material objects or even the neighbors spouse.

For the foolishness of God is wiser 
than human wisdom, 
and the weakness of God is stronger 
than human strength.

Maybe God only had room on the tablets of stone
 for ten commandments,
but they contain more wisdom and deeper wisdom
than any human could dream up on their own.

Jesus understands our human behavior.
It is precisely because of this understanding that he forgives
 us as many times as we seek it from him.

Come to Jesus with a contrite heart...
He will Bless you.
~~~Peace~~~

Remove the "Lint" from Your Heart this "Lent"

~~~ Exodus 20: 1-17 ~~~ Psalm 19 ~~~ 1Cor. 1: 22-25 ~~~ John 2: 13-25 ~~~

"Lord, you have the words of everlasting life." (John 6:68c)

Following The 10 Commandments presents a real challenge to some for their entire lives. For some these commandments interfere with how they want to live their life. They want to live a life consumed by their whims and earthly pleasure. Following these rules are just too much trouble it is easier to take path of least resistance.

Paul hits the nail on the head so to speak the crucified Christ was a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles. They ask themselves WHY would anyone willingly subject themselves to this savage death by crucifixion. It is hard to wrap your mind around how anyone could make this kind of sacrifice.

If it is difficult to keep the commandments then trying to understand the crucifixion just might be beyond comprehension. One of the most humbling mysteries of our faith is that "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life."

Now is the time to search your heart, to look into the hidden pockets and pull out the little piles of lint. Pocket lint can go unnoticed even after multiple machine washings. Scrape the lint from your heart.

It is hard to ignore the times we have blatantly broken a commandment. But have you looked for the pieces of lint that have been patted down into the seams and corners? You know those sins that just hang around...you just cannot seem to remove them from your life.  They eventually become part of the fabric of your life...your heart. Turning the 'pocket' inside out may be the only way to find the hidden lint.

Jesus went into the temple and turned over tables spilling coins; he made a whip out of cords and drove them out of the temple. Living a life of surrendering to God may just mean allowing him to come and turn over the tables of your life. It may mean hearing Jesus say, 'take these out of here.'

It may mean removing debris to create space for something better.

Create in me a clean heart!

Do you believe in his name?

Lent...time to remove the 'Lint' from your heart.