From the CANON on this blog:
How the
worship of Baal breaks the Ten Commandments
1. Thou
shalt have no other gods before me.
Tyrants do not believe in the true God. Their god is Tyranny. They cause their subjects to worship and be
dependent on them, rather than God.
10. Thou shalt not covet.
This is what causes Tyrants and their
subjects to violate all the other commandments.
The Tyrants covet, and their resulting actions cause their subjects to
covet.
Solutions
1.
God is omnipotent and therefore can solve any problem. He may choose to use the solutions listed
below, but he often provides in ways you could have never imagined. The poor should cry out to God for help,
rather than depending on Baal.
From today’s scripture reading:
Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it
again -- rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do.
Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don't worry about anything; instead, pray
about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If
you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than
the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as
you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, let me say one
more thing as I close this letter. Fix your thoughts on what is true and
honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable.
Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into
practice all you learned from me and heard from me and saw me doing, and the
God of peace will be with you. How grateful I am, and how I praise the Lord
that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned
for me, but for a while you didn't have the chance to help me. Not that I was
ever in need, for I have learned how to get along happily whether I have much
or little. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have
learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full
stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything with the help
of Christ who gives me the strength I need.
Philippians 4:4-13
(NLT)
From today’s devotional:
In today’s reading,
the apostle Paul says he has learned the secret of experiencing contentment in
all circumstances, good or bad. Does it surprise you that he wrote this when he
was in prison, unsure of his future? We’re often discontent even when all is going
well. Consequently, we wonder how it’s possible to be truly content during our
most difficult trials, especially when there’s no end in sight. So what is
genuine contentment? Paul is speaking of a freedom from worry and frustration
in all aspects of life—even unfulfilled desires.
It’s usually when we
cannot control or change our situation that we feel discontentment. As long as
our satisfaction depends on whether certain things actually work out, we’ll
allow circumstances to cheat us out of peace. I’m not saying there’s some spiritual
stage where you will never again experience anxiety or frustration. But what
matters is how we respond when those feelings grip us.
This is something
that the apostle had to learn. Paul endured amazing suffering, from shipwrecks
and hunger to unjust imprisonment and beatings (2 Corinthians
11:24-30). He had gone through countless situations that were
uncertain, extraordinarily painful, and seemingly hopeless. But he finally
discovered that contentment could not be dependent upon his circumstances.
How do you respond
when circumstances are out of your control? Do you get angry? Do you try to
escape? Does despair make you want to give up? Paul chose to give his anxieties
to Jesus in exchange for peace that “surpasses all comprehension” (“If you do this, you will experience
God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand.
His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians
4:7). That same peace is available to you!
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