Hope you are well. I am as always. I have been away for a while because quite a bit has been going on and have been busy. But right now today, I am here with you, and that is a blessing.
I was just thinking about compromise for the last few days. I have been given opportunities to go to some seminars which I have always wanted to go to but can not afford. The problem is that these seminars as anything else that is Continuing Education related mostly fall on the Sabbath day, because that is the day when most are free and can travel.
In my case however, that is God's time and He gets first place on that day, ideally. So the first problem is that as badly as I would like to attend, I have told myself that I will not attend unless if held at other times than the Sabbath. I explained this and the person who had offered to help was displeased as they could not understand why I would pass up such an opportunity just because I had to observe Sabbath. To him it is just nonsense as he does not understand.
This is a problem for me because I am really tempted to do this but another problem develops if I compromise. If you compromise once, you are likely to compromise again because there is always going to be a situation which can be rationally justified as a good reason to not observe it. Also, once you compromise, people will be quick to remind you in the future that "you have done so on one incident, why not this one. What makes this situation so special that you will not compromise at all this time?"
So the position I have chosen is not to do it. I appear foolish but I trust that the Lord of the Sabbath, He himself will provide the funding for me to do this. Some have said "what if He has already provided through this opportunity?" But I say that God does not contradict Himself. He will not ask you in the 4th commandment to observe the Sabbath and keep it holy, and at the same time provide for you to do the opposite. He will not facilitate you to break His Law. On the other hand, I perceive it to be a test because I stand to gain a lot from this but I would have to compromise and break the 4th commandment in the process.
I hope I am not coming across as someone who is "holier than thou" when talking about this Sabbath observance. I need God's help and strength to not only keep His Sabbath but also all the 9 commandments. I am not perfect but should also not give up just because I am not perfect. Some say "why are you so picky about the Sabbath" but I say it is one of the 10 commandments. Just as much as we should not lie, covet, murder, etc, we should keep His Sabbath holy. Though I do not keep perfectly the other 9 commandments as anybody else, it doesn't mean that I should willfully ignore the 4th commandment because it is so much trouble to try to keep it, either. Just because one has trouble to stop lying, does not justify them to commit adultery in another situation since they are failing dismally in another area. You don't sin more because you are already sinning saying "it is pointless".
God's law is spiritual as is written;
[14] For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. Romans 7:14.
The Law is spiritual but we are carnal or fleshly. We can not keep a spiritual law if we are carnal or in the flesh. It is written:
[23] But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
[24] God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. John 4:23, 24.
Thus for us to keep a spiritual Law, and to worship God in Spirit and in truth, we have to be in the Spirit.
For us to be in the Spirit, we have to be connected to Christ through the Holy Spirit. We mantain this connection by:
[23] And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. Luke 9:23.
When we die to self by carrying our crosses daily;
[20] I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20.
By carrying our crosses daily, we are crucifying self which is carnal or the flesh and allowing to Christ to live in us:
[13] For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Philippians 2:13.
When we carry our crosses daily, we crucify self and allow Christ to work in us to will and to do of His good pleasure. When self is dead Christ is alive working in us to do His will. What is his will or His good pleasure?
[37] Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
[38] This is the first and great commandment.
[39] And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
[40] On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Matthew 22:37-40.
The first thing above all is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and love for God is summarised in the first four commandments. Love for man is summarised in the last 6. That's why on these 2 commandments, hangs all the Law because they summarise love for God and love for man.
1st [3] Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
2nd [4] Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
[5] Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
[6] And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
3rd [7] Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
4th [8] Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
[9] Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
[10] But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
[11] For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
5th [12] Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
6th [13] Thou shalt not kill.
7th [14] Thou shalt not commit adultery.
8th [15] Thou shalt not steal.
9th [16] Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
10th [17] Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.Exodus 20:3-17.
But it is important for us to understand that we cannot keep God's Law in our own strength or by our own efforts, lest it becomes righteousness by works. It is impossible to keep God's Law on our own. Only by Him dwelling in us by faith can He work in us to will and to do of His good pleasure, which is keeping the Law.
For Him to dwell in us and therefore work in us to keep His Law or to do His good pleasure, we have to carry our crosses and die daily, so that self or the flesh is dead and He is the one instead doing all these things for us that we cannot do for ourselves.
Will stop here for now.
I was just thinking about compromise for the last few days. I have been given opportunities to go to some seminars which I have always wanted to go to but can not afford. The problem is that these seminars as anything else that is Continuing Education related mostly fall on the Sabbath day, because that is the day when most are free and can travel.
In my case however, that is God's time and He gets first place on that day, ideally. So the first problem is that as badly as I would like to attend, I have told myself that I will not attend unless if held at other times than the Sabbath. I explained this and the person who had offered to help was displeased as they could not understand why I would pass up such an opportunity just because I had to observe Sabbath. To him it is just nonsense as he does not understand.
This is a problem for me because I am really tempted to do this but another problem develops if I compromise. If you compromise once, you are likely to compromise again because there is always going to be a situation which can be rationally justified as a good reason to not observe it. Also, once you compromise, people will be quick to remind you in the future that "you have done so on one incident, why not this one. What makes this situation so special that you will not compromise at all this time?"
So the position I have chosen is not to do it. I appear foolish but I trust that the Lord of the Sabbath, He himself will provide the funding for me to do this. Some have said "what if He has already provided through this opportunity?" But I say that God does not contradict Himself. He will not ask you in the 4th commandment to observe the Sabbath and keep it holy, and at the same time provide for you to do the opposite. He will not facilitate you to break His Law. On the other hand, I perceive it to be a test because I stand to gain a lot from this but I would have to compromise and break the 4th commandment in the process.
I hope I am not coming across as someone who is "holier than thou" when talking about this Sabbath observance. I need God's help and strength to not only keep His Sabbath but also all the 9 commandments. I am not perfect but should also not give up just because I am not perfect. Some say "why are you so picky about the Sabbath" but I say it is one of the 10 commandments. Just as much as we should not lie, covet, murder, etc, we should keep His Sabbath holy. Though I do not keep perfectly the other 9 commandments as anybody else, it doesn't mean that I should willfully ignore the 4th commandment because it is so much trouble to try to keep it, either. Just because one has trouble to stop lying, does not justify them to commit adultery in another situation since they are failing dismally in another area. You don't sin more because you are already sinning saying "it is pointless".
God's law is spiritual as is written;
[14] For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. Romans 7:14.
The Law is spiritual but we are carnal or fleshly. We can not keep a spiritual law if we are carnal or in the flesh. It is written:
[23] But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
[24] God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. John 4:23, 24.
Thus for us to keep a spiritual Law, and to worship God in Spirit and in truth, we have to be in the Spirit.
For us to be in the Spirit, we have to be connected to Christ through the Holy Spirit. We mantain this connection by:
[23] And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. Luke 9:23.
When we die to self by carrying our crosses daily;
[20] I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20.
By carrying our crosses daily, we are crucifying self which is carnal or the flesh and allowing to Christ to live in us:
[13] For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Philippians 2:13.
When we carry our crosses daily, we crucify self and allow Christ to work in us to will and to do of His good pleasure. When self is dead Christ is alive working in us to do His will. What is his will or His good pleasure?
[37] Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
[38] This is the first and great commandment.
[39] And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
[40] On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Matthew 22:37-40.
The first thing above all is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and love for God is summarised in the first four commandments. Love for man is summarised in the last 6. That's why on these 2 commandments, hangs all the Law because they summarise love for God and love for man.
1st [3] Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
2nd [4] Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
[5] Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
[6] And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
3rd [7] Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
4th [8] Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
[9] Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
[10] But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
[11] For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
5th [12] Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
6th [13] Thou shalt not kill.
7th [14] Thou shalt not commit adultery.
8th [15] Thou shalt not steal.
9th [16] Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
10th [17] Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.Exodus 20:3-17.
But it is important for us to understand that we cannot keep God's Law in our own strength or by our own efforts, lest it becomes righteousness by works. It is impossible to keep God's Law on our own. Only by Him dwelling in us by faith can He work in us to will and to do of His good pleasure, which is keeping the Law.
For Him to dwell in us and therefore work in us to keep His Law or to do His good pleasure, we have to carry our crosses and die daily, so that self or the flesh is dead and He is the one instead doing all these things for us that we cannot do for ourselves.
Will stop here for now.
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