COME AS A CHILD – LESSON 145 – HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER

THE COMMANDMENT WITH A PROMISE:

 (Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

Moses is still up on the mountain with God receiving the ten best ways to live.  The first four ways were all about honoring God.  

Now God gives Moses the fifth commandment:  “Honor your father and your mother that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.”

The things God begins to tell Moses now turn from how we should treat God to how we should treat one another. 

This fifth commandment is the first commandment with a promise:  “that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.”  

When you are a child your parents stand in authority over you.  They are the very first people who communicate the love of Our Heavenly Father to you.  In a way, they stand in the gap between you and God until you are old enough to be accountable for yourself.  God has considered their precious servanthood and stewardship in this very important role.  He asks that we show our parents the love and honor that they deserve for simply being our parents and bringing us into this world.  If they did nothing else but give us life; they deserve our honor and respect.  Most parents do SO much more.  Most parents would be willing to make any sacrifice required in order to give their child a safe and happy life.  They deserve our love and respect.  We could never repay what their love and concern have provided for us.    

This honor and respect that God demands we give to our parents while we are children should not end when we grow up and become adults.  At some point the responsibility shifts and the child becomes responsible for the parent.   As our parents age, they require extra care.  They cared for us when we were helpless infants; why should we not care for them when the problems of age arise in their lives?  When this happens, and it always does sooner or later, the children have the opportunity and the privilege to say “thank you” for all the things they were provided with in their raising and growing up.  This "thanks" comes in the form of our best effort to honor and respect their dignity as well as provide any needed help and/or support needed because of ageing.    

God hasn’t just commanded us to honor and respect our parents without first instructing our parents in their own unique role within the family.   In Deuteronomy 6:5-7:  God tells parents how to train their children:   “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.  And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” 

This is why God expects us to respect our parents; because He has instructed them in our training which includes knowing and honoring all of the commandments that God gave to Moses up on the mountain.  God expects the best out of those He blesses with children; and in return; God expects the best from those children of blessing!

 

Perhaps God gave us this commandment because He realizes that the health and well-being of a civilization is inextricably linked to the health and stability of marriage and family.   By honoring our parents we honor the institution of marriage, parenthood and family.

God is constantly drawing us all into His huge family.  He did this when He allowed His Only Begotten Son to come down to earth and live as one of us; then suffer a cruel death on a cross to pay the penalty for our sins.  We get to practice here on earth for becoming a member of God’s heavenly family in the afterlife.
  
Have you ever considered that?

What we do now, our decisions, our commitments, our giving and taking, will probably be the same as what we would do then.  God expects us to be transformed NOW, and not wait until we are on our death beds in order to start living the Kingdom life.  Because He is a good and constant teacher of all the things we need to know to live our best life now; God daily gives us all a chance to improve our relational skills during this present lifetime.  Through loving, godly parents God is beginning our days of training in how to get along with others.   What we learn here will carry over into eternity.  God will expect us to honor and cherish Him as our Heavenly Father; just as he expects us to honor and cherish our earthly parents in this life that He has granted us right now.

I hate to burst your bubble; but your best life now isn't about gaining material things and wealth.  It is probably just the opposite.  Your best life now is about learning to live in the ways of God.  This wisdom, applied daily will give you a good life.  It may not be the most prosperious life or the most leisurely life; but if you begin to live God's way and aspire to keep His commandments now, when you come to the end of your days you will look back and say; it was a wonderful life.  Part of that wonderful life is learning how to honor and respect other people.  The very first people we practice this life skill on is our own parents.  

The scriptures make it pretty plain that God wants our families to succeed and prosper.  He designed the family to be a foundation for building a society and a nation.  In order for communities to be stable the families in the community must be well and healthy.  Ultimately God wants us to have spiritually healthy families so we can produce godly off-spring (Malachi 2:15) and in so doing; expand God’s family.  The fifth commandment sets up the rules that make this work out best for all parties.  Good godly parents should produce good godly children who love, honor and respect them.   This is the way God intended for us to live.  It is a way of peace, joy and harmony.  When a family is really a family; there should be no fear in growing old, only honor.

But what if you were not blessed with godly, loving parents? 

The words of the commandment still say that you should honor and respect your parents anyway.  Those holy words do not say to honor your “perfect” parent, or your “godly” parent or your “righteous” parent.  The words simply say “honor your parents” and it doesn’t seem to define who or what they are to you or go into any mistakes that they might have made along the way in how they have treated you as you grew up.  You are to honor your parents.  No further explaination.

We all wish for strong families.  This is not always simple or easy to achieve.  One aspect of forming a strong family is a sense of deep commitment for one another.  It takes two parties to make this work perfectly, but two has to start out with one.  If neither party is willing to make the committment or take the first step to try to get along, all will simply stall out and there will be no real family.   

Family life isn't always a picture perfect post card.  When circumstances become strained or unpleasant and when the other party disappoints you, or lets you down, consider the fact that true families stay dedicated to each other and are committed to staying together through the good, the bad and the ugly.  

If your parent has turned out to be "not so perfect" love them anyway.  Beware that the definition of love is not the toleration of sin or the willingness to let someone have their way no matter what.  Love always demonstrates what is best and most needed for all.  It is not one-sided or biased.  Love is fair; yet forgiving and merciful.   Pray for your parents and ask God to show them where to change.  You do not have to accept the sins of another person's life; you simply have to accept the person whether that means they are imperfect or not.  You can hate the sin and still love the sinner.  Follow the many examples of Jesus. He was the expert in this field.. He is the definition of pure and honest love.   Also, ask God to open your eyes to things you may not be aware of.  Ask God if there are things that you may need to change in yourself.  Try to look inward before you start looking outward to be judgemental of others.  Have honest conversations with your imperfect parents and express your feelings, but show respect and treat them with honor and dignity through the process.    

Instead of letting hard times or bad circumstances crush your family relationships, try working together to overcome these things.  God wants us all to work together to correct our problems.  So often life doesn’t go the way we planned, or doesn’t offer a perfect little picture of what we think it is supposed to be.  We must remember the fifth commandment during these times and remember our part of the commitment is to love and honor our parents, even when from a human perspective, you could come up with a million reasons not to do so.  Stay deeply committed to your family members; no matter what.

But how would you go about this as your parents grow older and become more senile and set in their ways? 

We live in a fast-paced, busy world full of work and school activities and the constant care and maintenance of our own homes.  People expect more and more from daily living.  Family time with older parents can be hard to achieve under these busy and hectic circumstances.  Yet the first step in becoming a more healthy family is to find the time to be together in the midst of all the business. 

When we spend quality time together as a family we express by our actions that we value and care about each other.  This one thing alone will help you to feel more connected and whole.  Spending time together, no matter how difficult, bonds family ties.  One of the best ways to accomplish this is to share a meal together.  This seems to have been one of Jesus’ favorite family activities.  We could take a lesson from Him and move more in that direction with our own family members. 

Another thing that draws families together is to worship together; both in the home and within a church congregation.  Families that worship together tend to grow together.  

Some families like to play games, go on picnics, watch sports together, or enjoy recreational activities together, whatever activities they can find that makes them feel more connected.  It is good during these activities and times to put away our distractions of TV, music, video games and smart phones and simply do things that strengthen and build up our family relationships. 

Sometimes older parents just need someone to come over and help them take care of the maintenance of their home, cleaning, yard work, cooking, painting, etc.  This type of service shows the loving intentions of your heart, and even in the worst relationships, sometimes it can help to melt the icy past and warm up the future of your times together.  You don’t have to agree on everything to share a meal.  You don’t have to approve of one’s lifestyle to lend a hand here and there in their life.  Try to leave the negativity behind and turn a page, perhaps your efforts will bring a change of heart on their part too. 

Make time for conversations and be sure to do your part of the listening.  Try to develop constructive conversational skills   Be open and honest, but do this in a loving and respectful manner.  Focus on the kind of conversation that builds up and does not tear down.  Beware of the mistake of jumping to false conclusions or mind-reading in these conversations. If you are unsure of something; ask.  Asking for clarification expresses that you truly care and are concerned that you understand someone else's needs.  It is not an intrusion.  It shows that you are genuinely concerned and truly care about what the person really needs.  

When you feel truly appreciative of something try to genuinely express it.  So often we tend to criticize the bad and forget to praise the good.  Work on the positive aspects of the relationship and play down and try to forgive the negative aspects of the relationship.  Verbal communications and meaningful gestures matter to everyone, but especially to parents who often feel neglected.  Remember to give compliments and say thank you whenever it is appropriate to do so. 

Try to keep the “golden rule” tucked firmly into your mind as you develop your family relationships.  Do for them whatever you wish for them to do for you.  The more you practice this example that Jesus set down for us, the more your family dynamics will move from barely-there to high-functioning. 

Keep short accounts and always remember to ask for forgiveness when you know you have done something wrong or offensive.  Hurt feelings should not be allowed to fester and grow.  Misunderstandings are a normal part of family life, but if the parties do not make amends they can lead to bitterness and grudges on both sides.  When offenses occur these conflicts should always be resolved quickly.  Forgiveness must be asked for and forgiveness must be received.  Try to talk things out without attacking each other and stick to addressing the issues.  

Make it your goal to resolve any family issues before sunset because Ephesians 4:26 tells us that no one should go to bed angry.  Even though you will have clashes and misunderstandings in family dynamics from time to time, each person should be able to know that the other cares about the relationship enough to try to work things out.  Be patient and understanding when this happens. 

In the end it all boils down to the fact that parents, like children, are simply human.  All humans need love, respect, honor and dignity.  Do not be guilty of holding these things back from those that you call family.  When you have done your best, win or lose, with success or failure, go to sleep at night in peace knowing that your Heavenly Father has promised to look after you and will reward you one day in due time for keeping this fifth commandment. 

God always keeps His promises, whether it happens in this present day or sometime in eternity.  This commandment states that honoring your parents will make your days be long and that you will be blessed in the land.  Why does this work out this way?  Because you are cultivating love and anywhere that love goes blessings follow.  Remember, no matter what happens or how hard the circumstances get that God is watching.  He knows everything that is not seen by others.  He knows your efforts and your heart and He does not just look on the outward appearance of things as the world tends to do.   

Honoring your parents shows honor and respect for God too.  Let's all make the world a whole lot better place by honoring and keeping this fifth commandment.  

AN APPLE A DAY – 365 DAYS TO A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE - PUTTING A SONG IN YOUR HEART

DAY 24 – GOOD MUSIC CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

Did you realize that music has a variety of health benefits?  

Have you ever been feeling really bad or sad and then heard a snappy tune on the radio that somehow cheered you up and made you feel better?  There might just be more to that than you realize.  Music definitely has an effect on our health and well being. 

Scientist today have good evidence and  proof that listening to relaxing music helps to soothe chronic back pain. 

Listening to music seems to work on the autonomic nervous system – the part of the nervous system responsible for controlling blood pressure, heartbeat and brain functions. 

Music is also known to help the limbic system – the part of the brain that controls our feelings and emotions. When slow rhythms are played, blood pressure and heartbeat slow down (which helps one to breathe slower)   This slower breathing then reduces muscle tension in the neck, shoulders, stomach and back. 

So; next time you have a huge amount of back pain, go lay down for a few minutes and listen to some of your favorite tunes.  Let me know what the results are; I’ll bet your pain will be less, if not completely gone in a matter of minutes.

 

Relaxing with music just seems to reduce physical tensions as well as mental tensions. 

Counselors working with mental health patients say  that listening to music helps their patients to feel better and they often recommend this after long intense therapy sessions.  Psychiatric patients often have to struggle with deeply buried emotions and anxiety.  Their sessions can take a toll on their physical health just because of the emotional responses that these sessions sometimes bring about.  When they are advised to listen to music after such heavy and intensely emotional  therapy, their anxiety seems to become less and less and they do not get as depressed afterward, as do other patients who do not use musical help after their more emotional sessions. 

It is interesting to note how music helps to remove people’s inhibitions.  People who cannot laugh or cry or show emotions might chose to seek help for this unnatural state.  These patients seem to respond better to therapy and receive more healing after listening to music before their sessions. People who are very shy and do not  tend to speak up when necessary, will sometimes express their feelings in lyrics to songs and through dance, if they are encouraged with music.

For many people suffering with memory loss, the ordinary spoken language simply becomes meaningless to them; but the language of music can help these patients remember tunes or songs and maybe begin to open up a path to help them remember other things about their own personal history. This happens because the part of the brain which processes music is located next to the part of the brain that gives us memory.  

Have you ever noticed when you have trouble remembering something, that it is easier to remember the facts in the tune of a song?  That is why we teach children to sing their alphabet and that is why we have little songs and jingles to remind us of the basics of learning.  Nursery rhymes that are difficult for young children to remember become easy as pie when they are sung to them.    

 Researchers from Norway's Sogn Og Fjordane College compared the effects of live, taped and no music with three different groups of people who were suffering from post traumatic amnesia - or memory loss. The patients were exposed to all three conditions of musical sound, twice over six consecutive days. Test results showed that when patients listened to live or taped music, two thirds of them showed significantly reduced symptoms of anxiety and enhanced orientation, and they fared much better than the group that didn't listen to music at all.

It is not really surprising to most people to learn that music is an important part of our physical well being, as we have all actually been self-medicating for years without really understanding what we were doing

Music just seems to be an instinct built into our bodies to help us stay healthy.  This is probably why some pregnant women have chosen to listen to certain types of music while they are in labor.  They claim the music distracts them from the pain and soothes their nerves and keeps them from being so anxious.  

Other people put on certain music and songs when they exercise or work out.  They claim that a certain beat or tempo inspires them to exercise harder and better.  Many of these people actually claim that listening to music helps to improve and enhance their levels of strength and endurance.  

Joggers have often been seen running down the street with music being piped into their ears from ear buds as their feet are pounding the pavement.  They say they run faster and longer when they are inspired by the music they listen to as they jog.

Have you ever noticed when you are feeling moody how you tend to select and listen to certain types of music, and how you sometimes just want to sit alone with a certain type of music and listen uninterrupted for awhile?  

Music seems to provide an escape from the normal routine boredom in our days.  The music seems to help us to be able to  re-group and find our own special place in the world again.  This instinctive seeking of music by all of us seems to help our brains to wake up to our present circumstances, whatever they might be; and  the music just seems to encourage and inspire us to keep going and keep trying inspite of sometimes hard circumstances.  Somehow the presence of music in our days just seems to make us feel like an essential part of the big picture and it unifies us with others inside our hearts; even though we might find ourselves on a long and lonely road and just singing to ourselves.  

It turns out that all of this is logical because of the fact that the reward center of our brain which produces dopamine responds to the sounds of music.  Studies have shown that listening to music actually heightens every area of our brain.  In some cases and/or illnesses (such as Alzheimer’s disease) the use of music has proven to be even more helpful than medications.

One of the biological markers of stress is cortisol.  It seems that the relaxing effects of music can reduce the amount of the release of cortisol into the body.  Over a period of time excess cortisol builds up and causes us to gain weight.  It would be an interesting task to find out who listens to the most music; your friends who are over-weight; or your thinner friends.  More than likely you would find out that even though they both love music and use it in some ways in their lives, the over-weight group would be more visually inclined and spending more time watching tv and browsing the internet, while the thinner crowd might be more hearing-inclined and they would be at the bars and pubs and music halls listening to the local talent in night clubs, or busy singing in the church choir, or posibly pursuing a career in dance or theatre or radio.  

In one study 272 premature babies were exposed to different kinds of music for a course of three weeks while recovering in the neonatal ICU.  Different types of music and different deliveries of music were played and sang for them during that time.  The babies responded better when the music they heard was the sound of their own parent’s voices singing.  This sound seemed to reduce their stress tremendously.  Also, the parents who were asked to sing to their babies felt stress and anxiety relief too.  It was a win/win situation.  The next time your baby is crying endlessly try singing to them.  It doesn’t matter what song you sing; just the sound of your voice singing will probably help them to settle down and be comforted. 

In another study 60 people diagnosed with fibromyalgia listened to music for a four week period at random times during the day.  They experienced less pain and fewer symptoms than another group who did not incorporate music into their day at all. 

It is interesting to note how our bodies respond and how they release antibodies  in the presence of music.  In a random test given to volunteers certain sounds and their response was measured in scientific ways, counting the antibodies released in each situation.  One sound was a simple tone.  One sound was a radio broadcast.  One sound was not actually a sound but the absence of sound – that of total silence, and the other sound was a relaxing musical composition.  The soothing musical composition made the test show greater immunity and less reaction by releasing antibodies than any of the other sounds. 

While patients in a mental hospital are found to be clinically ill, and their stress hormones are extremely high; they have been exposed to studies that involved listening to  Motzart.  Afterward, upon hearing the music for some time, their hormone levels took a dive and gravitated back toward more normal levels. 

One group of patients with dementia were given voice lessons and asked to listen to music randomly for ten weeks.  Tests at the end of that time showed improved mood, orientation and memory.   It was also found by accident that their caregivers also benefited from taking the voice lessons with them.  It reduced the stress that they were constantly living under from dealing with those in their care.    

Some innovative employers have now taken to playing music in the background at their businesses.  They usually state that after making this change in the workplaces, they have found that the music helps their employees to feel more inspired and motivated, and that it helps the employees to feel physically healthier and more cheerful during the work day.  There also seems to be indications that human relations among employees have improved with the implementation of music into the work place.    

We read in the scriptures that King Saul would call for David to play his harp in order to soothe his mental health and well being.  Perhaps it would not be a bad idea for all of us to take time in our day-to-day lives to listen to soothing and inspirational music.  Psalms 95:1 says “Come let us sing for  joy unto the LORD, let us shout aloud to the rock of our salvation.”

Ephesians 5:19  also advises us to “speak to one another with psalms, hymns and songs of the Spirit.”  

Perhaps we would all feel much healthier and live much happier lives if we would just remember to always keep a song in our hearts.

   

COME AS A CHILD LESSON 144 - SIX DAYS SHALT THOU LABOR AND DO ALL YOUR WORK

THE OTHER SIDE OF KEEPING SABBATH

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

Moses is still up on the mountain getting the ten commandments directly from God.  He has heard, and we have discussed the fifth commandment that states we should observe the Sabbath Day and keep it holy. 

There is, however; another part of that commandment that many people never seem to hear or pay attention to.  They forget about verse nine of Exodus 20 that proclaims “six days shall you labor and do your work.”    That part of the equation is equally important.  If we are going to set aside one day to rest; then we are to be keeping the six other days of the week by working.  That was God’s own pattern; and that is the pattern he set for our time.

Remember what extra emphasis God put on this particular commandment?  It would be careless to observe and keep a portion of it and leave the other portion out as if it were not necessary at all.

We are made to work.  God created us to be that way.  God wants us to be useful in tending to the earth and taking care of those that we love and those who need our help.  God wants our actions to be self-sustaining, in that we are constantly providing for our needs by the labor of our hands, minds and hearts.  Because we can work and provide for ourselves and our families, we are very blessed! 

God gave this commandment to ALL of us; not just part of us.  We ALL have something useful and good that we can be doing to make a contribution to the betterment of the society as a whole.  We are all to be active and doing some form of work.   If we do not work as best we can and are able; we break one of God’s commandments and we live in sin. 

This doesn’t mean that someone who doesn’t get paid for the worthwhile things that they do are living in sin.  

A housewife works just as long and hard, if not harder than a person with a professional career.   A mother tending to a child works harder than anyone I know.  

A senior citizen may not be able to do a lot of physically demanding things any more, but they can mentor and advise people with the wisdom they have gained through a well-lived life.  

A person who is not able to find employment can offer their services in other ways until they do find employment.  This is often the first step to finding fulfilling employment.  

If you can’t think of anything more worthwhile to do; try smiling at someone or making someone laugh.  We all have SOME type of worthwhile work that we can do on this earth.  God meant for all of us to be using the capabilities and gifts He has given us for good in sustaining life on this earth.  He COMMANDED us to be about our work for six days of the week when he gave the fourth commandment. 

The two sides of this fourth commandment balance out our lives.  We work and we rest, and we work and we rest.  That is the rhythm that Heaven has composed and life is the dance; staying in sync with God’s patterns makes for a much happier life.  

We soon find out that in regards to work and rest, it takes doing one thing to be able to fully appreciate the other thing.  These are the laws that God put into motion on the earth that help us to realize that work is best for us in every way.  Keeping this commandment of work and rest in balance gives balance to our daily lives.  Keeping Sabbath makes our work a pleasure.  Keeping work makes our Sabbath a joy!

All of the rest of the scriptures support the fact that men were created to work for six days and rest for one day out of every week.  This is the pattern of time that God created for us and set into motion.  We are MADE for this pattern of time. 

This concept is totally lost in our society today, and I find it a very sad fact.  When you leave God out of every equation of your life, the first thing to go in most cases is the work ethic of the people. They begin to make government their god and they stand there with their hands out and their minds empty. There is more time for anger and resentment and hate.  People who work are too busy to hate.  They don't have time to feel sorry for themselves!  They are all about loving those that they labor for and helping those who have no means of helping themselves.  Keeping the work six/rest one pattern that God gave turns the worldly chaos of too much time into peaceful moments and happy memories.   

There was once a time, not so very long ago, when blessed and free people earnestly followed scripture and tried to do what they thought pleased God because of what they learned from studying the Word of God.  Work was seen as good, honest, moral behavior.  People worked in order to be accountable to God.  They had reverence for biblical authority, and they had a healthy fear of God.  They KNEW if they did not work and do their part to maintain the world that they lived within; that they were breaking God’s fourth commandment. 

Then society evolved to a place where many began to say “God doesn’t really matter, as long as I’m “good” I can pretty much do as I please.”  After that new concept they made their own definition of “good” which included neither work or a Sabbath rest.    In this type of fearless immorality the work ethic has changed.  Many do not feel they need to be making a contribution; they feel they automatically deserve to be happy and cared for simply because they exist.  They are very pleased to be their own bosses and answer to no one except themselves.  They try to re-make the world and change the basic rules of the universe that God set into motion when He began creation.  They tend to believe all of that talk about work is just an old worn out fairy tale; so they quit having a work ethic, and they quit worrying about things that other people decided were moral.  Now they make their own rules; without thinking about the fact that they set themselves up as their own little gods.  As long as it makes them happy; they believe they are entitled.  They answer to no one. 

These people tend to see work as a punishment instead of the blessing that God intended it to be.  Then they wonder why they can’t find happiness.  Out of their own selfish reasoning, they miss out on something very crucial to human happiness.  

They miss out on the fact that our work can bring value and meaning to our days.  They don’t see that work can glorify mankind and make his days much more interesting and rewarding.  Even better the greatest work within all of us can glorify and honor God.   These people, by making up their own laws, miss out on the joy of providing for a family and loved ones, and being able to help another fellow human being who is having a hard time or a bad day.  Everything is simply taken for granted; nothing is special.    

By rejecting God’s ways they miss the dignity that comes from being created in God’s image and the joy that comes from being creative in the purposeful ways that God made each individual person unique and distinct from others.  They miss the blessing of seeing what work can do for civilizations and society as a whole.

Take a survey of the whole world in your mind.  What countries seem to be suffering and in despair?  Are these not mostly countries which have governments in strict control which have failed to implement a work ethic among their people?  There are starving people living in poverty all over the globe; many of these come from countries where their citizens are oppressed and not allowed the freedom to work under free enterprise in order to make their lives better and more abundant.  There is no answer for these people; the cycle of poverty goes on and on because either they are not allowed or they do not share the mind-set to work and improve their situation.  If they share God’s view of work; they cannot implement it because the governments have oppressed people and do not allow them the freedom to live out God’s ways and reap the joy that comes from a continuous pattern of work and rest in their daily lives.  Every day is the same old drag to them.  Nothing ever changes.  Nothing is ever new and fresh.  Nothing they do actually matters.  They lose all motivation to thrive.  

This isn’t ALWAYS the case; but it is true of many such cases where there is poverty around the world.   Well wishers go in hoping to make a positive difference.  They see good changes come about, but when they leave everything regresses back to poverty and want again.  The people have not been taught the pattern of work and rest provided by God.  Poverty and oppression isn’t the way that God wants His people to live.  God wishes for each person to have an abundant joyful life where they can use the gifts He has given them in their daily lives.  God set up the commandments so that we can learn the best ways to live and work.  It is greedy and selfish men who have brought poverty and troubles upon mankind and perverted the natural patterns of God that help a worker to thrive and survive in abundance.  

Then there are those countries that DO have the freedom we speak of; yet the people abuse it and take it for granted.  Perhaps too many generations have had life too easy and have not taught the ethics of work to their children.  So many do not appreciate the right to work and provide for themselves and their families by the fruit of their labor.  Honest work and a decent job seem to be beneath their dignity.  Some just want everything handed to them on a silver platter.  Unfortunately; someone has to do the work that makes those silver platters possible!  

God’s way is one of equality and equal distribution.  There is equal distribution of work and equal distribution of rest for everyone who wants to obey Him and take up His ways.  All who work get to enjoy the fruits of their labor.   

Work is one way that God gave us to help to redeem the curse originally caused by the enemy of God on the earth.  God’s enemy, Satan, used mankind to accomplish this.    The perfect redemption was the blood of Jesus shed on the cross for redemption of our sins; Jesus did the work that repairs our souls.  The work of Christ was the most important work ever done.  

Mere humans cannot repair our own souls; we are too sinful and imperfect. Christ was the only perfect sinless One qualified for that job and He came and He did the work that He set out to do for all of us.  He set the exmple, both in resting and in working.

All we humble humans can do now is try to repair the damage that our sin has wreaked over the earth.  Jesus redeems our souls and we go to work.  We bring about restoration through our work.  Things are in constant decay because of the results of sin; but our combined work with the work Christ has done in our souls helps to temporarily repair the decay until He returns to make all things new.

It is the law of God that keeps and redeems the earth and the creation.  The laws have all been broken over and over again.  They were broken to the point of the ruin of all the souls of mankind; but Jesus came to repair our souls.  Once He repaired our souls, we became able to participate with Him in this holy process by keeping the commandment to do our work which helps to repair the world by restoring what He has designed us to be.   It is a very small way that we can play into the redemption story along side of Christ.  There are so many broken pieces that must come together!  Keeping God’s laws in grace and love are how the brokeness begins to be restored.    

The Jewish people have a saying:  “tikkun olam.”   It is often spoken and taken out of context.  It means “repair the world.”  To repair the world one must begin to reverse the curse of sin.  God gave us His laws to help us with this.  We humans cannot fulfill the law; only Christ could accomplish that; but with His help, we all have a part to play on the stage of the world to restore what is left of what Christ has fulfilled.  Since the world was broken by men disobeying the commandment of God, after Jesus has purified us and through Him working within us, we can begin to make restorations and repairs by obeying God’s law and working.  It is a great mysterious reversal that is in continuous process through the saving of the souls of the earth.    We must all do our part and that part begins with us using our physical bodies, minds, and hearts to do the work that God has given to us.  This counteracts the death and destruction of the earth that was caused by sin. 

If Jesus has made our souls clean, we will have a great desire to do any of the work that is required to bring about the changes that are needed to repair the world.   It all starts with working six days and resting one.

We are to work for six days because it took six days to create the world.    So we work for six days and we rest for one day; and we start all over again.  

The fourth commandment is all about keeping God’s time and His ways in our lives.  It is just as important today as it was in the day of Moses; maybe even more so as time draws to an end and we anxiously await the coming of our Groom; Jesus Christ. 

How long O LORD?

 

 

.

FOOD ART AND FAMILY TRADITIONS: LEMON GARLIC SALMON:

(From the recipe collections of Sheila Gail Landgraf)

Need a little fish in your diet?  Salmon is tasty, healthy and makes a delicious meal.  Be careful to buy wild Alaskan Salmon.  The best place to get this fresh in the south is Whole Foods Market.   This side dish of baked cauliflower will wean you off of mashed potatoes forever.  Just add the simple green salad and some hot buttered bread with your favorite beverage and you have a wonderful late winter meal.

FRESH GREEN SALAD

Ingredients:

2 cups shredded fresh spinach leaves

2 cups shredded lettuce

1 onion – chopped

1 cup cauliflower – chopped

2 cups fresh blue cheese dressing

Directions:

Mix spinach leaves and lettuce.  Add onion and cauliflower.  Pour blue cheese dressing over all and chill until time to eat.  Should be served ice cold.

 LEMON - GARLIC SALMON

Ingredients:

6 boneless salmon filets

3 lemons – sliced thinly

2 onions – sliced thinly

3 tablespoons minced garlic

1 cup lemon juice

2 sticks of butter – melted

1 cup Parmesean Cheese, grated

Pinch salt

Pinch pepper

Directions:

Place the filets in a baking dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place onion slices over fish.  Place lemon slices over onions.  Sprinkle minced garlic over all.  Pour melted butter and lemon juice over all.  Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and cover with foil.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees and cook for 50 minutes covered. 

TWICE BAKED CAULIFLOWER

Ingredients:

1 head fresh cauliflower (cut into tiny pieces)

1 whole onion, chopped

1 quart sized beef flavored broth

4 teaspoons minced garlic

2 cups cheddar cheese (shredded and divided in half)

1 8oz. block of creamed cheese cut into small chunks and left at room temperature

1 stick butter (melted)

1 cup sour cream

1 pkg. bacon bits

Directions:

Chop the cauliflower pieces and the onion and place inside a medium sized sauce pan.  Pour in 4 teaspoons minced garlic.   Fill the sauce pan the rest of the way with as much beef broth as is safe to boil the cauliflower in and turn the heat on medium high until the vegetables are soft.  Drain the broth and mash the vegetables together.  While the mix is hot pour in one half of the cheddar cheese and mix well.  Pour in the melted butter, sour cream, cream cheese and bacon bits and cream all together.  The mix will have the consistency of mashed potatoes.  Grease a quart casserole dish.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Pour ingredients into casserole dish.  Top with remaining cheddar cheese and cook for 30 minutes.