These are the commands (decrees, instructions, regulations, rules, words) that God has given to teach you... Listen, He alone is God. You must love God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength, committing yourselves wholeheartedly (passionately) to these instructions that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. and talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, and when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.[1]
Have you ever been punished for something you did not know was wrong? If so, you understand the importance of proper commandments or instructions. A commandment is defined as an important rule given by God that tells people how to behave, it's synonyms or words that have the same meaning are instruction, order, rules, saying, and word. God gives us instructions and wants us to know and understand what they are, to hold us accountable without instructions would not be His nature, which is good. We are to seek understanding and wisdom as if they were silver and gold. Understanding the why, the concept itself is powerful. I believe this is why Jesus spoke in parables, so the people would think, to agree, to buy in, and accept his words as an understanding of truth. I believe today he writes his instructions on our hearts so that we can understand, thus understanding him we seek to do his instructions. He gave us his word and holy spirit to guide us into all truth, and to relay instructions from the Father to us. To follow his instructions and commandments is to do his will.
God chose a people to be holy to him, not because of their number or righteousness but because He chose to love them.[2] He promised to keep covenant and steadfast love with them.[3] He is a God of Word, of covenant, he created everything with his word, he gave us his word, his instructions, and created covenants as an accountability of. He gives promises that if we follow his instructions and are true to his covenants we will be blessed.[4] God required his people to be set apart. He gave them instructions to wear tassels on their outer garments to remind them of His instructions.[5] Men were told not to cut their beards, so they would stand apart.[6] God designed garments for His priests to wear for glory and beauty, so that they would be consecrated to him.[7] While these were external symbols of his people, God gave his people instructions to put his words on their hearts, These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.[8] They did not keep his instructions on their heart and eventually they only looked good on the outside.
In their heart God's people left their first love, loving other things not of Him.[9] To make atonement God made a new covenant, with new instructions, that were old. He made redemption for all through his Grace, a gift from him, one that can only be received by faith. The substance of things hoped for and evidence of things not seen, is faith and it's author is Jesus, through his birth, death, resurrection, and authority God has provided a way for all. "And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."[10] The power of understanding faith is to understand the concept behind it, God wants our heart. God allowed his people to wander for 40 years in the wilderness, he was testing them to see their heart, to see if they would follow his instructions, if they loved him. He says to seek, ask, and knock for this faith. It is like receiving a gift you can not see but know is there. God makes a way for Cornelius as he seeks God, he asks praying in the temple, he knocks following instructions, giving to the poor and sending for Peter.[11]
We hope for life and love, we love Him whom we have not seen. God's instructions point to loving him, loving others, and to the understanding of living holy, set apart on the inside, a heart after his heart, not some outward pretense of righteousness.[12] If we are not following his greatest instructions of love foremost then the instructions, commandments, or rules we follow are meaningless, legalism. The rich young ruler stated, I have followed the commandments since I was a kid. Knowing his heart, Jesus loves him and tells him to sell all he has and follow him. The young ruler walked away sad, given an instruction hard to follow. Jesus gave instructions to eat his flesh and drink his blood, a hard teaching many said, so they walked away without understanding. Human nature is to not follow instructions. Adam did not follow instructions, he ate from the tree when he was instructed not to. When God holds him accountable he blames God; it's your fault God, you gave me that woman.
We must learn, to go against human nature and conditioning. Stephen Covey in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People writes that to overcome conditioning that is not of truth we must increase what he calls our circle of influence. We only allow things that we can control influence us. This circle of influence is equivalent to building a strong foundation or identity in Jesus. A strong foundation gives stability, storms do not shake our beliefs, values. This is what Jesus meant when he stated to turn the other cheek if slapped, I can't control you slapping me but I can control my response. Such an identity says that external influence not of truth reflects off me, a slap does not shake me, I am strong in truth. This contradicts conformity to this world, which says I must win for the wrong reasons, so I must train to renew my mind, to follow his instructions.
Jesus gives new instruction, If ever you may be loving me, my words (entolas; instruction, direction, command, requirement) keep you. I will ask the father and other consoler he shall be giving to you that he may be remaining with you so you may be remaining into the eon, the spirit of the truth... the one having the words of me and keeping them, that one is the one loving me and the one loving me shall be loved by the Father and I shall be loving him and disclosing myself to him... The one not loving me, the words of me not keeping, the words which you are hearing, which is not mine but of the one sending me, the Father, these things I have spoken as I remain with you. Yet the consoler, the holy spirit, which the Father will send in the name of me, that one shall be teaching you all and shall be reminding you all (words) which I said to you.[13]
If we understand who Jesus is, then we understand the concept behind loving him and following his instructions. In the beginning was the word and the word was toward God and God was the word, this was in the beginning toward God, all things through him came to be and apart from him came to be not even one thing which has come to be.[14] Jesus is the very words coming out of God, that created all things. He is the commandments, instructions, sayings, all of the words of God. God redeemed us through his word, the word became flesh and dwelt among us, his glory was of the Father, full of grace and truth.[15] God's instructions is His word, to understand this concept is to understand why following his commandments is so important. Oh to pray; Here's my heart Lord, speak what is true.
Here's My Heart - ft. Crowder
Have you ever been punished for something you did not know was wrong? If so, you understand the importance of proper commandments or instructions. A commandment is defined as an important rule given by God that tells people how to behave, it's synonyms or words that have the same meaning are instruction, order, rules, saying, and word. God gives us instructions and wants us to know and understand what they are, to hold us accountable without instructions would not be His nature, which is good. We are to seek understanding and wisdom as if they were silver and gold. Understanding the why, the concept itself is powerful. I believe this is why Jesus spoke in parables, so the people would think, to agree, to buy in, and accept his words as an understanding of truth. I believe today he writes his instructions on our hearts so that we can understand, thus understanding him we seek to do his instructions. He gave us his word and holy spirit to guide us into all truth, and to relay instructions from the Father to us. To follow his instructions and commandments is to do his will.
God chose a people to be holy to him, not because of their number or righteousness but because He chose to love them.[2] He promised to keep covenant and steadfast love with them.[3] He is a God of Word, of covenant, he created everything with his word, he gave us his word, his instructions, and created covenants as an accountability of. He gives promises that if we follow his instructions and are true to his covenants we will be blessed.[4] God required his people to be set apart. He gave them instructions to wear tassels on their outer garments to remind them of His instructions.[5] Men were told not to cut their beards, so they would stand apart.[6] God designed garments for His priests to wear for glory and beauty, so that they would be consecrated to him.[7] While these were external symbols of his people, God gave his people instructions to put his words on their hearts, These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.[8] They did not keep his instructions on their heart and eventually they only looked good on the outside.
In their heart God's people left their first love, loving other things not of Him.[9] To make atonement God made a new covenant, with new instructions, that were old. He made redemption for all through his Grace, a gift from him, one that can only be received by faith. The substance of things hoped for and evidence of things not seen, is faith and it's author is Jesus, through his birth, death, resurrection, and authority God has provided a way for all. "And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."[10] The power of understanding faith is to understand the concept behind it, God wants our heart. God allowed his people to wander for 40 years in the wilderness, he was testing them to see their heart, to see if they would follow his instructions, if they loved him. He says to seek, ask, and knock for this faith. It is like receiving a gift you can not see but know is there. God makes a way for Cornelius as he seeks God, he asks praying in the temple, he knocks following instructions, giving to the poor and sending for Peter.[11]
We hope for life and love, we love Him whom we have not seen. God's instructions point to loving him, loving others, and to the understanding of living holy, set apart on the inside, a heart after his heart, not some outward pretense of righteousness.[12] If we are not following his greatest instructions of love foremost then the instructions, commandments, or rules we follow are meaningless, legalism. The rich young ruler stated, I have followed the commandments since I was a kid. Knowing his heart, Jesus loves him and tells him to sell all he has and follow him. The young ruler walked away sad, given an instruction hard to follow. Jesus gave instructions to eat his flesh and drink his blood, a hard teaching many said, so they walked away without understanding. Human nature is to not follow instructions. Adam did not follow instructions, he ate from the tree when he was instructed not to. When God holds him accountable he blames God; it's your fault God, you gave me that woman.
We must learn, to go against human nature and conditioning. Stephen Covey in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People writes that to overcome conditioning that is not of truth we must increase what he calls our circle of influence. We only allow things that we can control influence us. This circle of influence is equivalent to building a strong foundation or identity in Jesus. A strong foundation gives stability, storms do not shake our beliefs, values. This is what Jesus meant when he stated to turn the other cheek if slapped, I can't control you slapping me but I can control my response. Such an identity says that external influence not of truth reflects off me, a slap does not shake me, I am strong in truth. This contradicts conformity to this world, which says I must win for the wrong reasons, so I must train to renew my mind, to follow his instructions.
Jesus gives new instruction, If ever you may be loving me, my words (entolas; instruction, direction, command, requirement) keep you. I will ask the father and other consoler he shall be giving to you that he may be remaining with you so you may be remaining into the eon, the spirit of the truth... the one having the words of me and keeping them, that one is the one loving me and the one loving me shall be loved by the Father and I shall be loving him and disclosing myself to him... The one not loving me, the words of me not keeping, the words which you are hearing, which is not mine but of the one sending me, the Father, these things I have spoken as I remain with you. Yet the consoler, the holy spirit, which the Father will send in the name of me, that one shall be teaching you all and shall be reminding you all (words) which I said to you.[13]
If we understand who Jesus is, then we understand the concept behind loving him and following his instructions. In the beginning was the word and the word was toward God and God was the word, this was in the beginning toward God, all things through him came to be and apart from him came to be not even one thing which has come to be.[14] Jesus is the very words coming out of God, that created all things. He is the commandments, instructions, sayings, all of the words of God. God redeemed us through his word, the word became flesh and dwelt among us, his glory was of the Father, full of grace and truth.[15] God's instructions is His word, to understand this concept is to understand why following his commandments is so important. Oh to pray; Here's my heart Lord, speak what is true.
Here's My Heart - ft. Crowder