Pastor’s Bible Reading Schedule:
Deuteronomy 22-25
The opposite of love is not hatred but selfishness which is often expressed with indifference. The Israelite who saw a neighbor’s ox or sheep straying was not to ignore it. He was to go through the trouble to take it back to him. The fact that the person might not live nearby was irrelevant; he lived somewhere! If he could not be located, the Israelite was to take the animal home where it could be fed and kept until the owner came looking for it. With this principle, Moses taught that we must show love for our neighbor. I just finished a lesson in Sunday school on personal responsibility in the life of the Christian from Proverbs 24. Being responsible includes getting involved when it is not always convenient.
In verses 3-4, the principle is expanded to cover any personal property of someone else. It mattered little whether the possession was a person’s donkey or his coat, or for that matter anything that he might lose. The person who truly loves is never indifferent to what might bring pain or loss to another person. It should be remembered that these animals were not pets. The animals enabled the farmer to grow his crops and take them to the market. If an ox or donkey was missing or injured, the owner’s livelihood could be in jeopardy.
Verse 5 might appear to be out of place in a discussion of the preservation of life, but that is not the case. The prohibitions against cross-dressing are not pointed at masquerade parties but at a larger issue regarding the loss of male and female roles in a healthy society. Israelites, just as we are today, were to respect God’s design and not call their assigned sexuality into question by wearing inappropriate clothing (or I might add, self-identifying). The Lord detests such behavior because it places a fog of confusion around distinctions that He created. God is against anything that blurs the lines of distinction between the sexes.
This is an important topic of conversation in our confused and ignorant society regarding God’s truth. One reason I am so involved in politics is, I believe, someone needs to keep truth before a society that is becoming increasingly indifferent and ignorant regarding God’s truth. I believe someone needs to be responsible and being responsible includes getting involved.
Prayer Requests:
Personal
- Lord, please help me to look for ways to help my fellow man. Help me to always help and to never hurt.
- Lord, please help me to be a responsible Christian by never turning a blind eye or deaf ear out of convenience.
- Lord, please help me to be a voice of truth in a world that is becoming increasingly more confused.
Political
- Senator John Bizon – District 19 – Battle Creek
- Representative Kyra Bolden – District 35 – Bingham Farms
- Representative Ann Bollin – District 42 – Genoa