Rules of God!
Ezekiel 11:12”……you shall know that I am the LORD. For you have not walked in my statutes, nor obeyed my rules, but have acted according to the rules of the nations that are around you."
Rules of God versus rules of the nation!
A domestic worker, mother of three kids joined her second son in our school and when I asked her for his name, she said, ’you name him’, so I named him ‘Moses’; however, this little Christian boy had lot of hair and when I asked the mother to cut, she firmly refused because she had to go to a particular church to offer the boy’s hair. Where in the Bible is this mentioned? Rules of the nation!
During Indian Christian weddings, there is a lot of fuss about auspicious day and timing, which they strictly adhere to - more than the hindus!!!! Where in the Bible is this mentioned? Rules of the nation! Wedding celebration in Hyderabad is an elaborate function that stretches for 7 days with rituals and what not! They have haldi day, mehndi day where the bride is smeared with all these powders and prepared for the great day! Further they have a ‘certain’ number of plates of various items that includes coconut, bananas and betel leaf that are all ‘must’ on the day of the wedding. These plates and all the items are exchanged right in front of the pastor! Where in the Bible is this mentioned? Rules of the nation! I wish the bride and bridegroom have Bible study on how to live a peaceful Christian life! God condemns idolatry in all of its forms!
After the birth of the baby, there are umpteen more rituals and customs followed by the parents: shaving the hair on the ninth month, piercing the ears, if it is a girl baby and much more. I am talking about Christian parents here!
Recently I was reading about a function in a hill-top church of Mother Mary at Phirangipuram in Guntur District, where lakhs of people attend every year. Here the Word of God is not expounded nor is Jesus glorified, lakhs of people and farmers come here to worship Mary so that they can be blessed with good harvest. This is their belief! Rules of the nation! It is heart-rending to watch lakhs of people go the wrong way! Look what Apostle Paul says: “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.”(Colossians 2:8)
Skillfully and elaborately planned wedding without God and His ways have fizzled out in a jiffy! The very next day of the wedding at times there is sorrow! This message comes with a caveat to strictly follow the ways of God; to start with, please read the Bible to know His ways!
We have heaps and heaps of blessings when we fear and obey the rules of God:
• Psalm 34:9”Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!”
• Psalm 128:1“Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways! 2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.
