“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name." Exodus 20:2–7 NIV

The first three of the Ten Commandments set the stage and the tone of the rest -- God. No other gods, no idols and no misuse of His name. This is not some sort of ego trip by God, it is not as C.S. Lewis believed before falling in love with Jesus "like a vain woman wanting compliments." (Lewis came to understand that God's jealousy for His name actually reflected a great love for the people He created, for only in praising Him would we be truly satisfied -- all other objects of praise would leave us empty). Author John Piper puts it this way: "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." That is to say, that whatever gives us the greatest pleasure usually will or has become a god in our lives, and therefore if we are most satisfied and contented by the real God, we show His worth to us.

God wants each and every person on earth -- including you, "next step" reader -- to experience joy, peace, hope, love, reconciliation, restoration, and contentment, regardless of circumstances. He knows that if our ultimate hope is in anything other than Him, that hope can (and usually will) be taken away at some point and we will be left hopeless and adrift. If, on the other hand, our hope is in the person of Jesus, we know that whatever the circumstances, He will be there (even if we cannot feel Him, are angry at Him, or cannot explain what is happening). Our job as Christians, therefore, is to seek more of Him. Saint Augustine says we are to, "love God and do as you please." If you do this, you will walk in the way of God, overflowing in hope and mercy to your neighbor. If you love God, you will love people; if you do not love people, you cannot be fully loving God, if you do not love God, you cannot truly love people.

So, a couple of questions:

- Where do you think you are lacking on the Love God/Love People equation?
- What might you do to draw closer to God?
- What might you do to increase your love of people?
- Who do you know who can help you in one or both sides of this equation?

I'd love to hear from you if you have any comments or questions.

Peace, hope and love

The Law of the Lord is Perfect

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. -Psalm 1:1–3

The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. -Psalm 19:7

Hi Everybody

What kind of words come to mind when you hear the phrase "the law of the Lord"? Are they words like delight? Perfect? Reviving the soul? Or, by contrast, are words like burden or obligation the ones that come into your mind when you hear that phrase? Most of us do not want to be told what to do -- we learn this around 2 years of age and we call it the terrible twos. We all want in one degree or another to have "our way." And so, when we hear "the law of the Lord," I think our initial reaction is something less than delight -- but it should be.

It should be, because the law of the Lord -- the 10 Commandments -- gives us a reflected glimpse of God's kingdom. I say a reflected glimpse, because in God's kingdom, the 10 commandments would just seem silly. Silly, because in God's kingdom, things are exactly the way God would want them to be; the ways that we are told to live in the 10 commandments would be our first nature, and the ways we are told to avoid would seem repugnant. Take a look at these glimpses of this kingdom:

In chapter 61 of Isaiah we are told that there will be "good news to the poor," "binding up of the brokenhearted," "freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners." Five chapters later, Isaiah says, "Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; he who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth; he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed. They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the works of their hands. They will not toil in vain or bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the LORD, they and their descendants with them. Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent's food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain." (Isa 65:20-25) The last book of the New Testament, Revelations, says of God's kingdom, that God will "wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Revelations 21:4)

Now, with those kingdom visions in mind, read this paraphrase of the 10 Commandments: Love God -- not a life of other gods or idols or in disrespect of Him. Rest in the rhythm that God gives you. Respect your mother and father, don't murder each other, or steal each other's spouses or stuff, don't lie to one another and do not strive to get other people's things.

As we move further and further into living a life in tune with God's kingdom -- eventually living for eternity in perfect tune -- we will find that these commands become more and more natural, even to the point that it would seem silly that God would even have to command such things. In the kingdom of God, the Commandments of God are natural and easy; they become a delight, a perfect way that revives the soul.

By Your grace, Lord, make it so; by Your grace, Lord, make us people of your kingdom.

He Has Risen

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! -Luke 24:1–6 NIV

He has risen! (He has risen indeed).

Jesus was dead -- and then He wasn't. Think about that for a minute; really dead, then really alive, and still alive at this moment. The resurrection is an amazing reality that changes our lives. The amazing reality of Easter is that the resurrection is not just a ticket for another time and place, the resurrection is not an irrelevant part of the story, the resurrection is not just an Easter thing, the resurrection is an invitation to life, it is hope itself when all hope seems to be gone, it is peace in the midst of our greatest fears. Life, hope and freedom from fear. The resurrection is not a ticket to another time and place, but a reality that is meant to be played out every day in thousands of ways.

-- How has the reality of the resurrection played out in your life?
-- How might the reality of the resurrection be played out in your life tomorrow and the next day?

He has risen! (He has risen indeed).