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Yes! There Is Good News!

Bill Rollins has been publishing each week a column in the local Elk Horn, Iowa paper for the past several years.
Note the original publication date on each blog post

Yes! There is Good News!                                       9.15.18

11/29/2021

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We’ve been considering, what I have called, the prime directive given to us from God. And we have come to see that Jesus labeled the words from Deuteronomy 6:5, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength,” as the greatest commandment (or prime directive). I’m not sure we’ll ever get anything closer than that.

But how do we attain that directive? It is my belief that this command to love God is a life-long goal for us. When you put together the heart, which in Hebrew is understood as our feelings, thoughts, motives, aims and will; the soul, which basically means a “breathing creature” and refers to the essence of life; and strength, which is easily understood as power; we have a complete picture of who we are. This may sound overwhelming at first but as in any journey, it starts with a single step!

So, what if I told you that this first step is as simple as obedience? But is obedience really all that simple? Yes, it can be! Take for example, “You shall not steal.” Is it difficult for you not to steal from another person? Is it difficult for you to logically consider that some tool, sitting in the middle of the shop floor when no one is around, really belongs to someone else?

The laws that God gave to us are for our own good and the good of society.

Stealing, lying, murder and adultery, etc. cannot be permitted if a society is to survive. But how does this apply to our love for God?

I’m glad you asked!! In John 14:21 Jesus says, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father and I too will love him and manifest myself to him.” He goes on in verse 23, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my words. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our abode with him.” To bring this down to everyday life; what parent wouldn’t feel the love of their children in their obedience to the rules mom and dad placed upon them – always coming home at curfew time, being honest about the company they keep, mowing the lawn without having to mention it more than once. Oh! Perhaps I’m talking about an ideal world!! But I think you get the point.

God delights in our obedience. God blesses us for our obedience. Our Father in heaven and His Son, Jesus Christ want to abide with us!! How amazing is that!! The God of all the universe, Creator of all things wants to have us near Him!! Friends and brethren, I get goose bumps just thinking about it.

This prime command that we are looking at is not unlike the first commandment, “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.” Let’s take a look at what it means to have no other god before Him.
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    Author

    Bill Rollins resides in Elk Horn, IA, with his wife, Sally, and has pastored the Church of God of Omaha, NE for more than 35 years.

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  • Home
    • Spring Feast 2022
    • FOT 2018 >
      • Feast Schedule
      • Feast messages
  • Essays
    • Psalms of Ascent >
      • Psalm 120
      • Psalm 121
      • Psalm 122
      • Psalm 123
      • Psalm 124
      • Psalm 125
      • Psalm 126
      • Psalm 127
      • Psalm 128
      • Psalm 129
      • Psalm 130
    • Yes, There Is Good News!
    • Timely Comments - Blog
    • Christian Walk
    • Holy Days >
      • Passover >
        • children's lessons
      • Days of Unleavened Bread >
        • children's lessons
      • Pentecost >
        • children's lessons
      • Trumpets >
        • children's lessons
      • Atonement >
        • children's lessons
      • Feast of Tabernacles >
        • children's lessons
      • Eighth Day >
        • children's lessons
    • Holidays
  • Current Sabbath School
    • Sabbath School 2023
    • Sabbath School 2022
    • Sabbath School 2021
    • Sabbath school 2020
    • Sabbath School 2019
    • Sabbath school 2018
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  • Hebron
    • Hebron - 2014 >
      • April 2014 - Michael Deering's visit >
        • Photos from Michael
      • May 2014 - Tom Benzen's visit >
        • Gardening photos
      • July 2014 - Apples >
        • More Apple Photos
      • August 2014 - New orphans
      • September 2014 - Education >
        • September photos
      • October 2014 - Cyclone
      • December 2014
    • Hebron - 2015 >
      • January 2015
      • March 2015
      • April 2015 - Passover
      • October 2015 >
        • Ice Cream photos
    • Hebron - 2016 >
      • January 2016 photos
      • Passover 2016 >
        • Passover photos
      • Pentecost photos 2016
      • July 2016 - Evening Prayers
      • Apples - July 2016
      • Aug 2016
    • Hebron Building Project >
      • photos of building project
    • Hebron 2017 >
      • Pentecost 2017 photos
      • July 2017 lunch photos
      • Nursing/regular students
      • Lunchtime - Oct 2017
      • Feast of Tabernacles photos
      • October Thank You
      • Nursing Students
      • December photos
    • Hebron 2018 >
      • Passover 2018
      • Baby boy!!
      • Feast of Tabernacles 2018 >
        • Feast photos
    • Hebron 2021 >
      • Photos January 2021
      • February photos
      • December photos
    • Hebron 2022
  • Career Direct