For Christ's Sake

By Dumas

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 16, 2009
• ISBN: 9781462817450

Dumas

My name is JOSEPH DUMAS and I was born on the first day of September, 1932 in Hartford Connecticut and was graduated from Springfield Technical High School in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1950. I received my bachelor in science degree in Marine. And Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in 1953 and upon graduation I was commissioned as an officer Ensign in the U.S.N.As an officer in the Navy, I served in the engineering department aboard two large aircraft carriers and finished my stint in the navy as a lieutenant. Early on in my naval career the former JEAN ANN BERNHARDT and I met by chance in her hometown of Rockville, Conn. And after a solid courtship, we decided to hook up replete with marriage license! I then joined the U.S. Merchant Marine Service as a third engineer, steam or diesel, any horsepower. It was here that I sailed the oceans of the world with ports of call on the six continents, the six great divisions of land in this world. I came ashore shortly thereafter to fulfill my family-man calling. JEAN ANN and I have been married for 57 Yz years and have raised 5 sons who have made me very proud; and I might add wise

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Copyright © 2009 by DUMAS.

I

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Contents

FOREWORD

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

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Author BUCK DUMAS and wife JEAN ANN of 56 years.

I dedicate this book to the late Arnold A. Aronson, a classmate and friend.

FOREWORD

This book is like no other and I promise that it will be a positive change in your life. The author is a former U.S. Naval Officer and also served in the Military Sealift Command. After he was graduated from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy; which is located on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, he married Jean Ann, nee Bernhardt; a beautiful and promising Summer Stock actress who hails from New York City. Jean Ann loves dogs, flower gardens and the army/navy. Simultaneously they produced and raised five sons.

This work reminds one of what is inevitable and it is a source of practical enlightenment in a world badly in need of assistance. It is a book that bombards in good faith and assails with argument the conventions in our world of today and as an ex-naval officer, I can attest to the fact that it disregards the sacred prohibitions and wardroom taboos; namely: women, religion and politics. It is a short ten chapters with anecdotal and interesting advice on how to live your life; and it’s a treasure with enduring intellectual appeal but primarily with a glimpse into the life of our Redeemer Jesus Christ. This publication is about the Ten Commandments of Almighty God which were carved out on stone tablets and given to Moses way up on a mountain somewhere in the Middle East.

I hope you will rest satisfied with the up close and intimate nature of this book entitled For Christ’s Sake and conclude that it has helped to disentangle some of life’s brain teasers.

This forward will also serve as a thumbnail account of the author who has sailed many times to the five continents in his travels while learning the wonders of the great human spirit; the common denominator of all people who are made in the image and likeness of God Himself!

The author has ridden out a typhoon twister in the Sea of Japan, being broadsided and slapped around by 40 foot waves; and one instance as the engineering officer of the watch when an intense situation developed. Suddenly the PA crackled with ATTENTION! ATTENTION ALL HANDS! THIS IS THE CAPTAIN SPEAKING! FIRE! FIRE IN HOLD TWO! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! THIS IS NOT A DRILL, ALL MEN TO THEIR STATIONS!

And a fire in the hold on board a fully loaded ammunition ship will get your attention! These are a few facts in the life of the author who is coincidentally, me!

It took about 3 years to write this book and during that time I was also employed as a licensed real estate agent and working for Realty Executives, Dillon. This fabulous company is owned and operated by Terry Dillon, a broker and an outstanding professional who is an inspiration to work with, and a woman who has done some real good for people; especially now during this very difficult real estate market.

BUCK DUMAS

INTRODUCTION

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Author Buck Dumas and his wife Jean Ann with his 5 sons (Jonathan, Alexander, Peter, Scott and Gregory.)

Well folks, I’m very happy to have you aboard and reading my new book, FOR CHRIST’S SAKE! The book is new, however there’s nothing new in the content. Your view of reality may change, but in fact this story predates Moses and the Ten Commandments and that’s 1000 years before the birth of Christ, which was the greatest event in history on this planet. But people were so impressed with Christ that they decided to make a calendar and start counting since the day He was born. I did type my manuscript on ‘up to the minute’ Microsoft word but I’m two to three thousand years after the fact. However, important history has a certain dignity and will always be important because the truth cannot be changed! The ideas in this book are all non-fiction and I feel very strongly that they need to be brought to light again on account of these ‘changing times’ that we live in which are putting the world in an intense and dangerous state of flux. Moses never heard of ‘e-mail’ but it doesn’t matter, I know he would have liked it because it’s almost as fast as prayer and there are those of us who could use some sound advice; especially when Christ is not back yet to answer our questions about His Kingdom! But in the meanwhile, it’s good to have something in print that makes sense! Good reading.

CHAPTER ONE

THE FIRST COMMANDMENT

1ST I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD, YOU SHALL

NOT HAVE FALSE GODS BEFORE ME

And the Lord may have said: And I am a very jealous God, your respect for my wishes must be foremost in your short life. All the other commandments relate to this one but disobey any commandment in any way and you confront the First Commandment. Almighty God inscribed these ten special rules on a couple of tablets a long time ago and gave them to a famous Jewish leader way up on a mountain. He was a law maker named Moses and had just been through the hair-raising adventures of the Exodus which went on for forty years and with millions of Jews. He was their commander-in-chief, famous and well loved for his leadership and miracles before them. Almighty God could not have selected a more suitable man to present the remarkable and glorious Ten Commandments to. The Jews were God’s chosen people and Moses was His right hand man but even after 40 years of hardship in the Egyptian desert, they were not ready for God’s law and Moses got off to a rocky start. These 10 rules are meant to guide us through life! And we are incredibly complicated people, but unbelievably, there are only 10 rules! You may think it’s a piece of cake. And what’s the big deal because you can commit those 10 ideas to memory in a heartbeat, no problem! So consider it done, and please don’t hassle me about it. It’s not a troublesome situation for me, just please leave me alone. And I know that my readers want to know very soon what’s in it for them, because that’s the way readers are, they want to know why they spent their money to buy a book. Well, I know that negative stuff just doesn’t fly and will never answer your question but this book is about The Ten Commandments so straighten up and fly right because this book will help you do just that. I’m a straight shooter and you bought this book because you’re part of the rising tide. The mood and disposition of countless Christians around the world or just interested people like you are becoming more and more agitated and driven by the spirit. This may sound like a shamelessly bold attitude toward the 10 Commandments because it turns out to be a matter that is very difficult to deal with, with more questions than answers, so let’s put this into perspective. About a couple of millenniums ago, if memory serves, Blessed Jesus Christ was born over in the Near East (somewhere in the Near East region between Egypt and Arabia, I’m talking about the area around Israel, and the little town of Bethlehem). If you stand up and face north, the Near East would be to your right. And the reason He was born was a vastly important and weighty one, too enormous for us to understand. The populations on the planet were in a world of hurt and He set about, even as a child to slowly plant God’s ideas in the minds of men. As an infant He had humble beginnings but He grew up in a comfortable middle class, loving and peaceful home with his Mother Mary and under the protection of his Father, Joseph, the carpenter. Knowing He was going to be rejected and slaughtered, He was the personified and Incarnate Love of God, the sole volunteer for this mission on earth. He knew the hearts and minds of men and why they had made such a mess of things here. However, keeping things in perspective, let me say that we have dug up some artifacts and bits of human workmanship from those ancient times but even the most serious eggheads are unable to put historical data in undisputed chronological order going back 2000 years B.C., so there does exists some opposing and contrasting views and opinions. Please add yours to the mix and join the merry throng, your faith in Jesus Christ is the important thing.

The phrase about being born again was found in the Holy Bible and taken to our native language where it has been adopted today. It is a very meaningful expression that tells the world that you have put away the old ways and awakened to what ‘Jesus Christ’ was about. Being born indicates the pain and anguish of the transition but it’s the fascinating and spellbinding new gift of the spirit that makes life new and mysterious. Nevertheless it’s an imaginary place that exists mainly in your soul and you alone will quietly know with delight. But to focus again on God’s First Commandment, which is what this first chapter is all concerned with, I offer a few incitements of false gods. False gods are exactly that, fake gods, but it is us who make them ‘gods’ because there is nothing about them that is godlike except that we misworship and honor them and put them in first place. For instance, maybe we stay at home to watch a football game rather than attend mass on Sunday. Everybody knows that Sunday Mass is one way a Roman Catholic keeps holy the Sabbath day, the usual Christian day of rest and worship. And also, a sharp student will notice we are getting two offences for the price of one here. Knocking down the First and the Third Commandments together in one fell swoop! But it is us who put other things ahead of our obligations to God and make them more important, when nothing could be more important than our relationship with God. And it is ridiculous when we make a parody of God’s laws by giving first consideration to our desires and insult God in the process. We ignore His rules and the spirit of His law. This is how we drift away from what we know is right and harden our hearts but we can lose our souls in the action. The devil has many wiles, is cunning and is full of hanky-panky and I might add is smarter than we are. That’s why we need an ally in this battle my friend, and His name is Jesus Christ. There is nothing wrong with watching a football game and having a cool beer on a Sunday and it is a legitimate way of resting and keeping holy the Sabbath Day, as is taking a nap after Sunday dinner, visiting with relatives, friends and neighbors, or going to the movies. Yes, what Moses brought down from Mount Sinai has never changed and time has not modified its significance, which is amazing, isn’t it. Moses was an early Hebrew and Biblical scholar and if I may say so, he was a man who wore many hats, including lawgiver and he was one of the greatest figures in the Bible. The golden calf Jews of that day rejected Moses as traditional Jews rejected Our Savior Jesus. It’s also amazing that we can only guess at the exact location where Moses received the ten laws from God but probably somewhere in the South Sinai Peninsula, in Egypt. And this was quite an accomplishment for mankind wouldn’t you say; to now have a covenant with Almighty God, and in writing no less. The script is perfect because it was written by God’s hand but we did our part with our pathetic circumstances and so we were more than ready for a change. But there are certain things that people resonate to and this new enterprise with The Ten Commandments and their saintly comrade and close friend Moses was clearly one of them. But God’s plans always play out in good time and the fools that Shakespeare officially declared us mortals to be, so we are. And so be it today! We have changed a lot since then but God’s assignment and task allotted hasn’t, and his first rule remains the same; exactly the same. You May Not Have False Gods Before Me.

What kind of gods head up this list? If you guess money, you would probably be right. Next would be power and fame and all manner of pride. And with ego’s self love and the status symbols to go along with them, you thereby clinch a little celebrity. Next there is the never ending catalog of stuff but the index is long and grows with the world, including things like cars, credit cards and fancy clothes, not to mention all the far flung indulgences you have to yield to in order to get them. I’m truly sorry that you’re a sinner like me, but the truth is you can go with God if you decide to and go with God’s speed too. Now if you just happen to be looking for a good way to start, just take all your troubles and problems to His altar and leave them there. And you’ll know what to say and how to pray when the time comes. Of course nobody else wants to know your troubles except Jesus Christ because everybody has enough trouble of their own to bother with somebody else but your Divine Savior and Redeemer wants to show you the way out of that mess. But right now I’m dying to elaborate on my perspective so you can better appreciate who you really are and how you fit in. We all know that God made the world and everything else besides, but we also know that we don’t know very much about the world, and know practically nothing about everything else in the heavens. But hold on, this perspective that I’m about to explore, is beyond the power of the mind to grasp, so don’t worry about it. We have a word for it though, it is astronomy, and it’s the science of the stars and other heavenly bodies, and that is what my perspective deals with. Of course there are topographical maps for just about every area of interest on the earth too, with countries and borders carefully charted. We know things like the location of oil and where diamonds and gold can be found and that there are about one billion acres of farmland in the United States alone. My point is that we don’t have to leave the planet to get a comparison between us and some significant other thing, and what do you think you are anyway? Because walking completely around the earth would be a twenty five thousand mile journey in itself. Some of you fantastic people are indeed out of the ordinary, but nevertheless you are damaged goods and I wouldn’t recommend such a walk. Life is such an impossible assignment already, and then it turns out that we are all sinners. Nobody gets a 4.0 on this SAT (sins & trials) and I’m not trying to make you feel small, just average but very qualified and sinful. And even though you may have lived your life peeking out from behind a clump of willow trees with a guilty look, if you can get through this book, you’re halfway home; so don’t give up now, because you have no idea how much smaller you are going to get and how small you really are now! The following is so illustrative, it makes you stop and ponder your insignificance and how inconsequential you seem to be. But knowing that you are loved by God so much that He has every hair on your head counted, gives you hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel. If I could make this simple I would, but you will understand I’m sure. Let’s start with our sun. It is the self-luminous, gaseous sphere about which the earth and other planets revolve and which furnishes light, heat, and energy for the solar system. It is the star nearest to the earth; it is Old Mr. Sun.

Do you remember learning in school that the sun is really a star? Well it is, but it is only 93,000,000 (93 million) miles from the earth but it’s the nearest star to the earth. All the other stars are much further away. The sun is 864,400 miles in diameter and about 1,300,000 times bigger than the earth. But here comes the unimaginable part. In fact, what I am about to tell you is so preposterous and so contrary to common sense as to be laughable, especially because I’m going to compare you to it. It is way, way beyond your imagination and these statistics are a bit of a stretch anyway. Nevertheless these are scientific facts with a paper trail to boot, and too awesome for words. When you realize that our sun is but one star in the Milky Way (our galaxy) and there are over one hundred fifty billion (150 BILLION) more stars similar to our sun in the Milky Way Galaxy. And if that isn’t enough to overload your little brain, then please consider the fact that there are over 200 billion (200 BILLION) galaxies (not stars, but galaxies) in the universe, and our galaxy is only of average size, with most being larger. And if you really can’t comprehend and take such big numbers up with the mind, try to remember that there are many, many times more stars in our universe than there are grains of sand on the earth! Furthermore, the latest astrophysical theory (String Theory) postulates, with a straight face, that there are probably more universes, I think about eleven. So get out your telescope and your adding machine and start counting but don’t cuss in front of people. You could say that you are a speck of dust on the Planet Earth, which is 1,300,000 times smaller than the Sun, now the Sun is a medium sized star in a 150,000,000,000 (Billion) star galaxy, our Milky Way. These are just numbers to me, with very little meaning; my point is that we are part of this existence, and a small part. Our puny telescopes can only peek out a short distance and do not even have a vague idea where anything ends and what could possibly come after that. Why God put all this existence out there is not known, and I don’t mean to over simplify our solar system but I do know that God created everything and we all exist here and now on earth because we’re special and we have a very special purpose. But we know so little about our lives and how we got here it really affects my tender emotions. In spite of the antics of the Bible archeologists, the story of creation, and the artifacts we have exhumed, our history is sketchy. The New Testament is somewhat better than the Old Testament but, you must remember we were still schlepping around on camel apples at that time, and hard to understand. But if you were to look at all these universes as a microcosm in infinity, you will start to better understand what you are, who you are and your real relation to God. What is basic and foremost for you to learn is that God made us to know Him, love Him, and serve Him in this world, so you can be happy with Him forever in the next. That’s enough for you to know right now because there is much to learn about God in this world and in your spirit life. However it’s important to learn the pre-eminent things first, and as soon as possible.

But we human beings are truly the most important creatures we know about on Planet Earth and truly we are part of God’s family. We are His children and He loves us and his Son has paid for all our independent sins and those to come. So now that we have been shown how we can be victorious over death and the devil, believe it or not life is complimentary. But we must learn about our Savoir, Jesus Christ and our spirit in order to Love, Honor and Serve Him. First of all, Jesus became one of us in every way except sin in order to court us and urge us on to his way of life which is the way to our salvation.

Thus, remembering our previous perspective and our view of the trillions of stars and all the endless creation, where exactly do you fit into that picture? You really do fit in somewhere but why are you walking around with your nose in the air thinking you’re something special, when you’re really just part of the mystery and confusion on the planet earth? Some author’s write what they think their audience wants to hear but my secret is to write what my readers don’t know about so they can catch on by themselves. And what’s so special about my readers is that besides being characteristic friends of mine, we share similar traits and peculiarities as part of the great human family. But the great human family has drifted off course and because of all the uncertainties and controversies; you are looking to see whether this author can put some illumination on this brain-teaser. Also you are an infinitesimal speck of dust, helplessly and unimaginably inconsequential when compared to God’s world and universe. I know that in this war of words that there is more than 200 billion ‘galaxies’ out there in space, and tons more stars to go along with them than there are grains of sand on the earth. And there are so many grains of sand on one little beech, in one little corner of my city that it is unthinkable to count them. And what if, just what if there is life out there on every star in this entire universe? Moreover, the limited range of our telescopes tells me that we don’t know the half of it! Infinity is infinity, you know. So I suggest you stop and consider your position, and ask God to help you to comprehend the meaning of the 1st commandment, I Am The Lord Your God. Thou Shall Not Have False Gods Before Me. After all, God created all this out of nothing, so pay homage to God; I know it’s tough to do, but it will help you to put things in order! Consider the incredulity of what Almighty God said: I will give you anything you ask Me for, if you ask in Christ’s Name" but remember what He said about being a ‘Jealous’ God, so be careful to have Him foremost in your thoughts. The first commandment is the most important commandment; the other nine have to do with our human nature, and our pitiable self control! But many evangelical types of today preach and write about God in a way that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, with the preacher being just a wonderful ‘Christian Man’. His collection basket is full to overflowing and sadly, being helped along by the jack easy lawyers of the A.C.L.U. who act as a solvent on our principles. The corrupt judges with their adulterated politics; personifies this social cancer for what it is but the American ‘Heart and Soul’ is still very much in place. I believe in the basic wholehearted goodness of people and that we are made in the image and likeness of God. That is one incredible thing you can say about us. We are made like Him! But how can we be made in the image and likeness of God and do the things we do and be the way we are? And that begs the question, ‘what is wrong with this picture’? Well the truth is that there is nothing wrong with the picture.

I believe in the wholehearted goodness of people because we are made in the image and likeness of God. This is a true statement and you can see that we have a lot of work to do. But we are made like Him and that is one incredible thing you can say about us. But how can we be made in the image and likeness of God and do the things we do and be the way we are? What I say is true so how can we act this way and what is wrong with this picture? Well the truth is that there is nothing wrong with it but there is every thing wrong with it because the picture doesn’t lie. It simply reveals the existence of sin which has found a livelihood in us and even though Gwendolyn would say, The devil made me do it, we find it convenient to just blame somebody else for our stupid mistakes and personal failures. But if we blame the devil, like Gwendolyn, you would be half right. Nevertheless everything is coming along according to God’s plan with Everyman doing his thing. Some are going that way and some are coming this way but we are free to do it our way because God gave us the dignity of our freedom but the responsibility that goes along with it. If you know what you’re doing and you do bad stuff, you are at least half to blame because you don’t ask for help and the devil must have your cooperation to get the job done. I believe that the devil is always right at our elbow trying to lure us into doing it his way and he knows where our Achilles heel is. One on one we don’t stand a chance against him and he is the cause of the unthinkable woes in the world today. When we finally grow up and see the world for the first time and we become accountable for what we do, then we begin to realize what a mess were in. It is one tough life but God is a straight shooter, fair and just and he is giving you the opportunity to save your soul so give praise to God. It is not possible to understand or know what is behind God’s ways and someday you might be in for a surprise. Try to understand but who can evaluate Jesus returning to Jerusalem and volunteering his passion and death? He gave this for us! The answer to sin is to use your ‘free will’ and not sin. It sounds simple and it is but our circumstances and approach to life is the way we’ve been accustomed to living and that can make a simple thing very difficult. The God given power of our free will is the solution to this problem and our enormous dignity will sanction our choice but free will is part of us; we’re made that way. The beautiful part of this is that you can accept God’s will and good favor and all the happiness that go with it and stay out of the muck and mire this world offers. And you can share your happiness with others because good works go hand in hand with good intentions. But you are in a tug of war with Satan pulling on one side and Jesus Christ and His Ten Commandments and His endless grace on the other. But God is all loving with endless forgiveness and mercy but He wants you on His side because He loves you and wants you enjoy His wonderful way of life. Now doesn’t that surpass all belief? Your Heavenly father will give you the comfort and strength you need to accept your trials and the grace to come out a winner. But the confidence you have to ask for this kind of help comes from God of course, and it is a wonderful and mysterious secret shared by those who experience it. So go for it and go with God’s speed—you know there is no other way—the power of positive thinking, my friend.

However there are two halves to this equation, the positive and the negative half; and we are only concerned with the upbeat God given winning half that we are on! So take heart my brothers and realize your good fortune to be living in the United States of America. Being the most powerful country in the world means we have more responsibilities than the peoples of all other countries! We have to put our shoulder to the wheel to help this country to become the country that Almighty God wants us to be because there is no other way to go but to improve. Our good faith paid the price in blood justice and it is your singular and prayerful effect that will help to further unite us and make us the super strong nation that is God’s design. Think only positive, and because there is so much that is wide of the mark and evil with the world, I advise you to avoid negative thinking because it can become a habit that wastes an entire lifetime before you finally realize it. It’s like the song says, You got to accent-uate the positive and elim-inate the negative. However here we are talking about the 1st Commandment which is the 1st and most important Commandment that was brought down the mountain by Moses. Two slates with ten laws carved in them for us mortals, but the curious thing about all this is that God doesn’t have policemen and judges so why bother to keep His laws? We all know that laws without law enforcement lead to anarchy and God’s laws with all their ramifications cover everything and you can’t get away with anything. God’s laws are broken by a conscious, voluntary and willful act, and can be entirely hidden in your mind and soul, without any other person knowing about them, but God knows! On the other hand, you can be falsely charged and falsely arrested and then convicted on civil or criminal charges and jailed. (Butta-bing, butta-boom, and just like that you go away.) It happened to Christ so I guess it can happen to you! There are consequences when you break anybody’s law; the difference with God’s law is that it is overshadowed by His outstretched hand. He loves you and forgives you for your sins but wants you to step up to a better way of life. He loves you, and as in the beginning when He made you and gave you this short life, He now wants you to get to know him so you will want to be with Him forever in the next life. Can you believe that? God wants you to learn how to behave so you can live with Him forever, and in paradise. So keep your chin up, it will help you to think positively, instead of looking down in the pit and thinking negatively. That is why God gave us the 10 commandments, so we can learn what they are about and obey them. They’re in writing so we can’t change them around and they are written in Almighty God’s simple syntax so they can be understood by everyone. But on top of that, there are only 10 of them and they have to make do for about 7 billion people all over the globe so we all must have a lot in common! If you obey the 10 commandments, you are automatically a happy person. Don’t you see that they are for your benefit because it is necessary for you to act and think positively to comply with the Ten Commandments? But you can’t obey the 10 commandments and think negatively all simultaneously. However when you think positively and obey His Commandments, you are very happy and will have no anxiety. Because God loves you and wants you to be His friend and to be very happy, no matter what. But you have been given free will; you remember free will, so use it wisely and if it concurs with God’s will you’re in business. All you have to do is to co-operate with God’s will, pray and ask God for a little help.

This way and you will see very quickly what’s in it for you! We’re talking about your infinite spiritual life and if you will pardon the expression and your choice is God’s idea, then the door will automatically open to a happy fulfilled life. God’s grace and your positive response will do it every time! The 1st three commandments are close to God’s heart. They show that we are allied with God Himself; we are His kin. Therefore they are the most important ones. But you can break God’s laws with any of the 10 commandments in such a way that you commit a serious and mortal sin, and possibly fall into a sinful habit that will condemn you to the fires of Hell. This kind of judgment, of course is left up to God and to burn for all eternity in the fires of hell is something we cannot possibly decide for another. However there are many souls in Hell but we have made the acquaintance of that ilk here on earth so be careful who you associate with because you cannot always tell who’s who. There is much to-do and stir about God’s Commandments that 1st appeared on those two tablets of stone given to Moses and published so many centuries ago. Moses was a man of God and added to his accomplishments is the amazing feat of teacher and educator for God’s Ten Commandments! But Jesus Christ had a tryst with us and was born over a millennium later. With His strategy of Love and His beloved Apostles, they continued to spread The Ten Commandments everywhere. The Commandments have been transcribed and made into laws in all countries and eventually into federal legislatures to become part of the law of the land. This is especially true here in the United States, where our constitution was founded on Christian principles and the fundamental truths of our Judeo-Christian Faith. But we are talking about the 1st commandment of God here, and it’s a Commandment that is far more important to you than any mandated civil law, but one that can condemn you to Hell faster than any other. But God makes no arrests, there are no warrants and you are free to come and go as you please; you are given complete free will. If you are arrested by civil authorities and taken into custody you may spend a great deal of time in jail or possibly forced to spend the rest of your life there. Christ doesn’t have any jails but you’ve got to believe that His justice is always served: God is love and His perfect justice gives us wisdom and understanding. However patient, forgiving and forbearing, God’s justice is intrinsic and at too great a distance for us to fathom. Your remorse, reparation and true sorrow for your sins are enough for your complete forgiveness. Jesus Christ knows and can judge culpability where we can not: we don’t know where to start. Breaking God’s laws has a psychological effect and is upsetting to us but it serves as a lesson of instruction as we build our faith. God made us and allows us to grow up and reach the age of reason when we begin to learn right from wrong and mature to adulthood. Then we accept the responsibility for our decisions and actions because we understand that we have free will to choose between good and evil; and our preference is right over wrong. But, in the beginning and after many millenniums of time, the world’s populations were struggling and in mass confusion so God decided it was time to do something about it. Actually the peoples of the earth were so distraught that they were hopelessly lost and didn’t know what to do. At this time the Egyptians had betrayed the Jews and forced them into slavery. This was an insufferable state of affairs for the resolute Jewish people. But this was the time when the heroic Moses was called upon directly by God to have confidence and to confront the Egyptian Pharaohs. He insisted that they free the Jewish people from slavery and the terrible oppression they were being subjected to by the cruel Egyptian leaders who were void of pity. And Moses warned the Egyptians that God would send 10 plagues to their country if they refused to release the Jews.

The Egyptians had about 2000 gods at that time and couldn’t care less about this god that Moses spoke of. And they could not even find him listed in their book of gods and scoffed at Moses. But the plagues began to descend on Egypt until they were suffering from all of them and it was obvious that the Jews were being spared. The Egyptians were finally persuaded and were now ready to cut a deal and make an agreement with Moses for the release of the Jews if only the plagues would stop and Moses didn’t hesitate for a minute. He seized the opportunity and immediately organized the Jews and fled out into the desert to get away; throngs of frantic and excited people making history with the ‘Exodus’ now just underway. The Egyptians were stunned and unprepared for the magnitude of the demographics that would prevail over their country but more importantly, the millions of Jews on the lam were soon to become miserable, downhearted and in a panic; being totally unprepared for their odyssey in the desert heat and now being pursued by the well equipped chariots of the Egyptian army. However Moses, by the grace of God, would save them with one of the greatest miracles in the history of the world. But then Moses and the rescued Jews would go on to a 40 year test in the desert with unfolding trouble that you wouldn’t believe and it was more than they could bear. God’s chosen people didn’t measure up and even Moses himself didn’t make it to the Promised Land. It’s a tough life today too but the way that story is documented, it doesn’t really seem fair but someday we’ll know. But remember this, like the Jews; you are to encounter trouble like you won’t believe either but God wants you to reach the top. He wants us to go as far as we can possibly go with the talents he gave us. It sounds simple, and you know it is, because it is unbelievably simple to be a very happy person. So why complicate things. We all know it was a long time ago when God singled out Moses, and asked him to participate with the Ten Commandments, way up there on that scary mountain perchance in the South Sinai Peninsula. And Moses, up on the mountain, was given an everlasting place in the history of mankind, with those 10 rules. And the Ten Commandments were chipped out in stone and they were to become the anchor of Christianity! And it was due time to put them in writing. However, God has a plan for everything and never does anything without a good reason. When Moses was 1st sighted carrying a couple of stone tablets around with important data carved on them, one would think that an old man with a gray beard lugging a couple of heavy stone tablets would be noticed. Especially with commands so inclusive it absolutely directs us in our relationship with God and all our fellow men, enabling us to save our souls! That is to say; pull ourselves up out of the muck and mire and go with God! And in the 21st century vernacular—be born again, as they say! Moses had to read and interpret them so he could carry those tablets down the mountain and tell us what they mean. We needed a transfusion of new thought of the kind that comes from God. Now we would start to learn directly what God was teaching us and the salvation of our souls hinged on yet another mountain event. It was actually the beginnings of formal Christianity 101, chipped in stone and about which the multitudes of humanity knew practically nothing.

But it was time for the world to be constructively notified and it was according to God’s timetable because nobody knew anything about The Ten Commandments! But it was a surprise and very important for this event to be documented and remembered so Almighty God had these Ten Commandments permanently engraved in stone and won’t we all be astonished when those tablets turn up some day lost away in a cave. And baby Moses, ironies of ironies, (who was found floating in a basket among the weeds in the Nile River) would eventually grow up, become a personal friend of Almighty God and lead his people out of Egypt. Moses was the man; he was familiar with the South Sinai Peninsula and after his dramatic [Exodus] escape from Egypt, this courageous prophet saved the Jewish Nation and by the grace of God and his command of the Red Sea, he swamped the pursuing Egyptian army. This marked the end of this dramatic rescue but the beginning of a new and tumultuous 40 year era for the Jewish people; where they would suffer with this trial but get to know Moses and his intimate mind and soul. Moses was the most famous law maker, beloved leader and hero of ‘Exodus’ fame and that is why he was authorized by God to introduce us to the Ten Commandments and teach us what they mean. However when Moses entered the scene with the Ten Commandments, this was after his 40 year trek with the downtrodden Jews in the desert. It was his academic challenge to teach the world but more than 10 centuries would pass before the birth of Christ! Christ was planning His own birth and he was well aware that the story of His birth and His wonderful life of teaching with parables, sermons and example would be wasted unless the people were educated about the Ten Commandments. Moses did his job well and God knew it was ‘crisis’ time; it was time for Jesus Christ! But the people were frustrated, Satan had a grip on them and even though they didn’t know it, they were capable of enough hate to Crucify Christ. But God the Father must have had a feeling for drama because he was also planning the blessed death of His only Son on the cross. But the followers of Moses, for over a millennium, took God’s word and the Ten Commandments to the people, wherever they were. Alas Christ decided to come to earth as a baby and was born in a dirty stable. His birth in that humble stable in Bethlehem would be our first Christmas and it would be a happening that would change the world. An innocent baby would be Christ’s calling card and He would serve as a comfort to those who were sincerely seeking Him. And who could despise a benign and faultless baby? Besides, it was our first Christmas! But by this time the people were confused and corrupt enough to murder Jesus Christ. Yes, the people were ready and the day this was done is called, of all things, Good Friday! But Moses, over a millennium B.C. and until his common and humble death in some mountain in the Sinai Peninsula, would share his friendship, wisdom and knowledge of God with the world. And I’m sure his spirit continues to this day to mitigate the monstrous controversy and the anxiety the Jews have about their present survival amid all their enemies, in their tiny and troubled microcosm in the Middle East. But Israel is now our committed friend and needed ally, united with America for a specific purpose.

Israel’s political predicament is acute today and Moses hears their prayers and he is still in the picture. They continue to need his help, because they are surrounded by arch enemies and evil people who threaten their national existence. However, God’s Ten Commandments are austere and exacting to the stubborn and rigid Jews, who are being severely tested by God; but remain in the shadow of the golden calf. It is obvious that Israel continues to prevail in the world today, even as they continue to agonize and endure much. Whereas God and Moses rolled back the Red Sea on the pursuing Egyptians and then