Do not gossip. (Exodus 23:1)

Exodus 23:1

New Living Translation (NLT)

23 “You must not pass along false rumors. You must not cooperate with evil people by lying on the witness stand.

Making up or spreading false reports was strictly forbidden by God. Gossip, slander, and false witnessing undermined families, strained neighborhood cooperation, and made chaos of the justice system. Destructive gossip still cause problems. Even if you do not initiate a lie, you become responsible if you pass it along. Don't circulate rumors, squelch them.

Joe

Express God's love to foreigners. (Exodus 22:21)

Exodus 22:21

New Living Translation (NLT)

²¹ “You must not mistreat or oppress foreigners in any way. Remember, you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.

God warned the Israelites not to treat foreigners unfairly because they themselves were once foreigners in Egypt. It is not easy coming into a new environment where you feel alone and out of place. Are there foreigners in your corner of the world? Refugees? New arrivals at school? Immigrants from another country? Be sensitive to their struggles, and express God's love by your kindness and generosity.

Joe

Honor your parents ! (Exodus 20:12)

Exodus 20:12

New Living Translation (NLT)

¹² “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

This is the first commandment with a promise attached. To live in peace for generations in the promised land, the Israelites would need to respect authority and build strong families. But what does it mean to "honor" parents? Partly, it means speaking well of them and politely to them. It also means acting in a way that shows them courtesy and respect. It means following their teachings and example of putting God first. Parents have a special place in God's sight. Even those who find it difficult to get along with their parents are still commanded to honor them.

Joe

Do not misuse the name of the Lord. (Exodus 20:7)

Exodus 20:7

New Living Translation (NLT)

⁷ “You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.

God's name is special because it carries His personal identity. Using it frivolously or in a curse is so common today that we may fail to realize how serious it is. The way we use God's name conveys how we really feel about Him. We should respect His name and use it appropriately, speaking it in praise or worship rather than in curse or jest. We should not take lightly the abuse or dishonor of His name.

Joe

Tell your family about the Lord.

Exodus 18:8-11

New Living Translation (NLT)

 

⁸ Moses told his father-in-law everything the Lord had done to Pharaoh and Egypt on behalf of Israel. He also told about all the hardships they had experienced along the way and how the Lord had rescued his people from all their troubles. ⁹ Jethro was delighted when he heard about all the good things the Lord had done for Israel as he rescued them from the hand of the Egyptians.

¹⁰ “Praise the Lord,” Jethro said, “for he has rescued you from the Egyptians and from Pharaoh. Yes, he has rescued Israel from the powerful hand of Egypt! ¹¹ I know now that the Lord is greater than all other gods, because he rescued his people from the oppression of the proud Egyptians.”

Moses told his father-in-law all that God had done, convincing him that the Lord was greater than any other god. Our relatives are often the hardest people to tell about God. Yet we should look for opportunities to tell them what God is doing in our lives because we can have an important influence on them.

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving...Take the time during your Thanksgiving gathering to tell your family about God.

 

 

Joe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We need to "lift up the hands" of our spiritual leaders. (Exodus 17:10-13)

Exodus 17:10-13

^10-13 Joshua did what Moses ordered in order to fight Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went to the top of the hill. It turned out that whenever Moses raised his hands, Israel was winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, Amalek was winning. But Moses’ hands got tired. So they got a stone and set it under him. He sat on it and Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on each side. So his hands remained steady until the sun went down. Joshua defeated Amalek and its army in battle.

Aaron and Hur stood by Moses' side and held up his arms to ensure victory against Amalek. We need to "lift up the hands" of our spiritual leaders as well. Shouldering some responsibility, lending a word of encouragement, or offering a prayer are ways of refreshing spiritual leaders in their work.

 

Joe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Complain or Pray ? (Exodus 17:2)

Exodus 17:2

New Living Translation (NLT)

² So once more the people complained against Moses. “Give us water to drink!” they demanded.

“Quiet!” Moses replied. “Why are you complaining against me? And why are you testing the Lord?”

Again the people complained about their problem instead of praying. Some problems can be solved by careful thought or by rearranging our priorities. Some can be solved by discussion and good counsel. But some problems can be solved only by prayer. We should make a determined effort to pray when we feel like complaining, because complaining only raises our level of stress. Prayer quiets our thoughts and emotions and prepares us to listen.

Joe