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Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.  --Ecclesiastes 12:13 We live in a world today that’s been captured by the theory of relativism, the theory or idea that says you can’t firmly or finally say what is right or wrong. So the very idea of a rule or a “commandment” flies in the face of what most people in our world today believe. But God gave us his commandments not to restrict us, but to protect us. Why? So that we will live well upon the earth. You and I have a loving heavenly Father who wants to protect us from the very things that will harm us and ultimately destroy us. Think about Solomon. God says he was the wisest man who ever lived. Yet he had to learn the importance of this truth the hard way.  If you look at Solomon’s life, you find that he was a great king. He had everything going for him, including enormous wealth and power. Yet he took what God gave him and he abused it. As Solomon shares in the book of Ecclesiastes, he threw away his money buying everything he wanted. He had numerous wives so he could have sex any time he desired. Solomon did anything and everything he wanted to do. He didn’t let himself be limited by the commandments of God! Yet where did it get him? When Solomon looked back on his life, he said, “I’m a loser. My life has added up to a big fat zero!” That’s why his parting words at the end of Ecclesiastes are, “Fear God and keep his commandments….” Solomon learned life’s lesson that if you break God’s commands, you will be broken on them. This is a lesson I pray you and I will keep at the front of our minds so we don’t have to learn it the hard way like Solomon did.   YOU HAVE A LOVING HEAVENLY FATHER WHO WANTS TO PROTECT YOU FROM THE VERY THINGS THAT WILL HARM YOU Jesus Is Worthy Tuesday, July 09, 2019 by Dr. Paul Chappell “And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.” Revelation 5:1-3 It took Stephen Mills thirty seconds to open the safe in the basement of the Vermillion Heritage Museum in the small Canadian town some 300 miles northeast of Calgary. The safe had belonged to the Brunswick Hotel, which closed in the 1970s. It was donated to the historical museum, but no one knew the combination. For forty years, various locksmiths and safe experts attempted to open it without success. Even the safe manufacturer was unable to provide a working combination. Mills took his family on a visit to the museum in May of 2019. When the tour guide showed him the safe and shared the story, Mills looked at it for a few moments, and then tried a simple combination. He later said, “I gotta get down and try this for a laugh. I was doing it as a joke for the kids.” Everyone was shocked when the safe opened. All those who had come before had failed, but Mills succeeded. When John saw his vision of Heaven, he wept when he realized no one was worthy to open the seals. The angel told John that Jesus, having prevailed over death and the grave was worthy. We have a precious loving Saviour who is our friend and comfort. But we must never forget that He is also the King of Heaven, the omnipotent and almighty Lord. He has no equal, and nothing can be allowed to rival His rightful place on the throne of our hearts. Today's Growth Principle:  Jesus is high and lifted up above all others, and He alone is worthy of our praise.