The worldly stereotype of Christian morality is that it is constricting and takes the fun out of life. The truth is that it is the “owner’s manual” for a good life.

Psalm 19:8 says, “The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living.”

If we want a life that is peace and joy filled, the Bible tells us how. Following the commonly described “10 commandments” written in Exodus 20, and Deuteronomy 5, in my words, put all your trust in God and don’t make other things more important than Him, show respect for God’s name, go to church, respect and honor your parents and authorities; Don’t murder, commit sexual sins, steal, lie, or desire something so much that you would do wrong to get it.

And the two greatest commandments Jesus described in Matthew 22:36-44, when asked, “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

Many times in life it may look deceptively better to do something that is in conflict with these commands, but it will turn out to be the wrong path.

I recently heard a friend capture this concept very clearly like this, “Sin is its own punishment, and virtue its own reward.”

Dear Lord, Thank you for giving us the instruction manual for a peace and joy filled life through your teachings in the Bible. Help us study them and strive to follow. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Who is the better athlete, the record 100 yard runner, or the record marathon runner? We cannot really say, because to be the record holder in each takes the best, but these races are different and require different qualities.

In a similar way, we each have a different set of challenges in life, requiring different qualities and efforts to handle. We are each running different races.

Hebrews 12:1-2 tells us, ” let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith”

Though God has set a different race for each of us, keeping our eyes on Jesus and His teaching will bring us all to the same finish line.

Dear Lord, Help us keep our eyes on you as we run the race you have given us, so that we may stay on the right path to our eternal goal. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

I recently read a book that was separated into three sections, Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise.

I thought it would be interesting to look at what the Bible says on these subjects.

Healthy, Proverbs 3:8 says, “Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones.”

Wealthy, Psalm 128:1,2 says, “How joyful are those who fear the Lord— all who follow his ways! You will enjoy the fruit of your labor. How joyful and prosperous you will be!”

Wise, Psalm 111:10 says “The fear of The Lord is the beginning of wisdom”

Dear Lord, help us remember to center our lives on You. You are the source of our health, wealth, and wisdom. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Psalm 128:1,2 tell us, “How joyful are those who fear the Lord all who follow his ways! You will enjoy the fruit of your labor. How joyful and prosperous you will be!”

I, like many of us, find myself, occasionally focusing on all those things I want, hope for, and pray for but feel frustrated not having. Sometimes we think, we are living the lives God desires, but feel like we are not receiving the blessing the Bible promises. When this type of feelings come upon us, these lyrics from an old hymn, help me put things in perspective.

“When upon life’s billows
You are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged,
Thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings,
Name them one by one,
And it will surprise you
What the Lord hath done.
(John Oatman Jr.)

When we stop and think about the incredible blessings we all have, it takes away any reason we have to complain or be disappointed.

Dear Lord, we only need to take a look around to see the amazing blessings you have provided us. Our human nature leads us to take for granted what we have, and dwell on what we don’t have. Help us keep our perspective in order, count our blessings and be thankful to you for all you have done for us, most importantly our eternal salvation. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

I have heard it said that there is really only one sin, and that is the sin of Pride. All others sins result from this one. Pride is the desire to satisfy our self-centered focus above all other things.

There is a difference between the pride of feeling good for accomplishing something, or the pride in the success of our friends and loved ones and Pride of superiority. The problem occurs when, like many good things, the pride it is distorted and becomes above everything including God.

Pride was the cause of Satan’s fall. He was originally one of the angels, Lucifer, star of the morning. Isaiah 12:13 says about him, “You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God” Ezekiel 28:17 writes about Satan, “Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty. Your wisdom was corrupted by your love of splendor.”

We rationalize our sins when we put our love of ourselves, our pride, above God. “I want this or that,” gives us the reason, for greed, envy, lust, hate, etc.. Psalm 10:4 writes, “In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.”

I believe the antidote to this sinful pride is gratitude, or thankfulness. It is very difficult to be self-absorbed and be truly thankful at the same time; Particularly, we need to be thankful to God for all he has given us.

Dear Lord, everything good that we have comes from you. Help us remember to give our thanks to you for our success, intelligence, health, strength, family, friends and all good things, and protect us from the devils lure toward sinful pride. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.