Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Zechariah 8:1-17“The word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath. Thus says the Lord: I will return to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts shall be called the holy mountain. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of their great age. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Even though it seems impossible to the remnant of this people in these days, should it also seem impossible to me, says the Lord of hosts? Thus says the Lord of hosts: I will save my people from the east country and from the west country; and I will bring them to live in Jerusalem. They shall be my people and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Let your hands be strong—you that have recently been hearing these words from the mouths of the prophets who were present when the foundation was laid for the rebuilding of the temple, the house of the Lord of hosts. For before those days there were no wages for people or for animals, nor was there any safety from the foe for those who went out or came in, and I set them all against one another. But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as in the former days, says the Lord of hosts. For there shall be a sowing of peace; the vine shall yield its fruit, the ground shall give its produce, and the skies shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things. Just as you have been a cursing among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you and you shall be a blessing. Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong. For thus says the Lord of hosts: Just as I purposed to bring disaster upon you, when your ancestors provoked me to wrath, and I did not relent, says the Lord of hosts, so again I have purposed in these days to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah; do not be afraid. These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another, render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace, do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath; for all these are things that I hate, says the Lord.”
I’m pretty sure everyone has experienced at least one time when someone has said to them, “You can’t do that!” My poor parents, I heard it more than once in my life, sometimes directed at me and probably more to my brother. (HaHa)! Often we hear that we can be anything we want it to be. There’s a phrase that comes to mind, “The world is your oyster,” meaning that you can achieve anything you wish in life or go anywhere because you have the opportunity or ability to do so.
Life is filled with rules, the do’s and don’t and in most cases they are for our protection. The life of a Christian is similar in that the do’s and don’t not only protect our human life but more importantly our spiritual life too. From the very beginning God laid the very first do/don’t to Adam and Eve in the garden. God continued His guidance through Moses and Noah; and continued through Jesus and the Disciples.
“And the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.” ~Genesis 2:16-17
At first glance one might think God has a lot of rules:
How many laws are there in the Old Testament? Many Bible scholars are in agreement that there are 613 Commandments in the Old Testament; 248 Positive Commandments and 365 Negative Commandments. *Google search
The Seven Laws of Noah include prohibitions against worshipping idols, cursing God, murder, adultery and sexual immorality, theft, eating flesh torn from a living animal, as well as the obligation to establish courts of justice. *Google search
The biggest DO, the the Bible is “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” This verse is found in both the Old and New Testament. *See verses below.
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.” ~Deuteronomy 6:4-5
“So now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? Only to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,” ~Deuteronomy 10:12
“Moreover, the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, in order that you may live.” ~Deuteronomy 30:6
“He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” ~Matthew 22:37-40
“Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” ~Mark 12:29-31
“He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” ~Luke 10:27
The second greatest DO is to love one another.
“He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ~Matthew 22:37-39
“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” ~John 13:34-35
“Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor.” ~Romans 12:9-10
“Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.” ~1 John 4:7-8
“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.” ~Matthew 5:44-45
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” ~John 15:12-13
“Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” ~Romans 13:8
Prayer:
Lord, you are love. As your star charts a course for the manger, let me show the same love and mercy you have shown to me to those around the world, my community, my neighbors, and those I hold dearest. ~Amen.
~Hope-Peace-Joy~
References:
https://www.bellenglish.com/news/world-your-oyster-phrase-week
http://gods-word-first.org/bible-study/613commandments.html
Top 7 Bible Verses About Loving One Another
https://thelearningcounsel.com/do-educators
https://smejoinup.com/marketing-dos-donts-email-campaigns/
HOPE SEEKER 
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