Things to Do and to Avoid

 We have a lot of rules that we follow in life. We have family rules, which are usually based on what the parents want. There are rules for school that come from the principal and the teachers. Then, of course, we have laws that come from the local officials, the state, and the federal government. We should follow these rules, but even more important than doing those things is doing what God tells us to do and not to do.

God told the prophet Zechariah to tell the people some things to do, but He also told him to tell the people some things that He hates. (Zechariah 8:16,17) We are to speak the truth to our neighbors, and we are to render judgment that is according to truth, justice, and peace. We are not to think evil against our neighbor in our heart, and we are not to love a false oath. I think we can see a theme in these things that we need to address in our lives.

God loves truth. He is the Author of all truth. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth who leads us into all truth, and God's Word is truth. We are to love the truth and always speak truth to other people. We must not deceive others by what we say or what we don't say. In the same vein we are to render judgment when we make decision by using the truth, doing what is right according to God's Word, and what is according to peace, not conflict. God is watching to see if we do these things.

On the other hand God doesn't want us to think evil of other people. He wants us to love our neighbor as ourself. We don't want people thinking evil of us and being against us. We must do the same for others. We must not love a false oath by giving a false statement or by going along with something we know is false. God hates both of those things, so we must avoid them, no matter what happens. I pray we will live in a way that is pleasing to God, so we can receive His blessings.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read Zechariah 10-12.