Page 4 - 2017 JFBNews - November

from Pastor Tom Karl

Keep the Sabbath Holy God related things? …and even more horrifying, are we
“19 Thus said the LORD to me: “Go and stand in the People's aware of the consequences of our ill thought pursuits?
Gate, by which the kings of Judah enter and by which they go The Bible teaches that God must be first….and
out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem, 20 and say: ‘Hear the NOTHING should be second. It’s not about balancing scales
word of the LORD, you kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all to control who or what gets more. God is first. Nothing is
the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who enter by these gates. 21 second. Jesus implores us in Matthew 6 to “seek first the
Thus says the LORD: Take care for the sake of your lives, and Kingdom of God” then he says “…and His Righteousness”. He
do not bear a burden on the Sabbath day or bring it in by the doesn’t go on to say, “…and then seek family or career or
gates of Jerusalem. 22 And do not carry a burden out of your whatever you like…” There are no secondary pursuits listed
houses on the Sabbath or do any work, but keep the Sabbath in this passage or anywhere else I am aware of in scripture.
day holy, as I commanded your fathers. 23 Yet they did not Instead, Jesus says that if we do this, He will provide for our
listen or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck, that they lives and everything else will come together as He desires.
might not hear and receive instruction.” Do you want to have a blessed family? –pursue God. Do you
-Jeremiah 17:19-23 want satisfaction in life? –pursue God. He never promised to
give us all we want but we will never lack His presence, His
I always have to stop and think when I read things like love and His provision. That’s what we’re missing when we
this in the bible. What was the reason for the people of Israel don’t pull up the thorns. Remember, we became a Christian
to be so stiff-necked and rebellious? What was their deal? not to upgrade our lives but to get God.
Was it because they hated God or the things God wanted
them to do? No, I don’t think so. Was it because they “You can have all of this world… give me Jesus”
thought the concept of God was stupid? No, not that either.
When I put it in the context of my own personal rebellion to -=pastor tom
God as a Christian, it's a little easier to find an answer that
makes sense. Smells like another instance of human self-
centeredness.
For us, sometimes God's ways are inconvenient or
they get in the way of what we predetermine to be more
important or productive; His ways run contrary to our
personal or familial traditions and routines. In other words,
we are declaring with our actions that God is not as
important to us as our jobs and making money, family,
desires, wants, traditions or routines.
As Jesus spoke of the thorns in the parable of the
sower (Matthew 13), He indicated that there are things in
our lives that compete for our affections. If those things are
choking out your life in God, they are thorns; these are
things we give equal or greater emphasis to than we would
God. Listen, we need to assess our priorities in our lives
regularly. We need to ask ourselves if some things in our
lives are taking our affections away from what God is calling
us to do. How much importance do we place on these non-

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