He who loves God must love his brother, including every fellow human being. Our closeness with God transcends the other human relationships.

There is a direct relationship between loving Christ and doing the right works. God's love for us places us under a compelling obligation to reciprocate.

In Luke 14:25-33, two parables and an exhortation urge us to forsake all that we have as a mandatory condition for becoming Christ's true disciples.

Moses asks God to teach us to number our days, realizing that our physical lives are finite, requiring a sense of urgency to get rid of our sins.

Micah provides a formula for being a Christian: 1.) Doing justly, 2.) Exercising mercy and 3.) Walking humbly. These demand total commitment, not a pretense.

If our worship of God ends in slavish obedience, so does our salvation! While He wants us to obey, God is not looking for obedient drudges but loyal children.

Like the marriage covenant, counting the cost is the most serious part of the baptismal agreement, not something to be taken lightly.

Much of Protestantism misconstrues the significance of the New Covenant as a 'free pass into Heaven' without paying attention to the Law within the Covenant.

Baptism symbolizes a burial and resurrection, or the crucifixion of the carnal self. After a person realizes his ways have been wrong, he should counsel for baptism.

We must seek God as ardently as we would a physical love relationship, spending quality time with Him. If we make no effort, the relationship cools.

Deuteronomy could be considered the New Testament of the Old Testament, serving as a commentary on the Ten Commandments. It gives vision for critical times.

Mixing the solid foundation of Christ's teachings with the sand of worldly philosophies and traditions ends in calamity. We must build on the Rock.

Consider two end-time, dominant forces: the Beast power of Revelation 13 and God. To whom will we yield to in the coming years?

The fifth commandment bridges the two sections of love toward God and love toward man. We begin learning righteous conduct at home, with our parents.