Dear Heart of a Shepherd Followers,

I invite you to join Hillsdale Baptist Church this Sunday, 10:30 AM as we continue our series on the Ten Commandments.   My focus this week is the 6th command: “Thou Shalt Not Kill” (Exodus 20:13) and the principle that all human life is sacred and ordained by God.

We will consider not only the gift of life, but also the duty of man to protect and preserve human life.

Indeed, to fulfill “love thy neighbor as thyself”, we must not only keep the command, “Thou Shalt Not Kill”, we must also accept, “Love worketh [commits] no ill [not injure or harm] to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling [performance] of the law” (Romans 13:10).

I believe it is our failure to value and preserve human life that is one of the root causes of our turmoil and troubles as a nation.  We read in the Book of Numbers:

Numbers 35:33 – “So ye shall not pollute [defile; corrupt] the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth [corrupts; pollutes] the land [earth; country]: and the land cannot be cleansed [purged; atoned; forgiven] of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it [pour out; expend].”

I know it is a holiday weekend, but I believe your heart will be encouraged and challenged as you join us for worship and consider,  “Thou Shalt Not Kill” (Exodus 20:13).

With the heart of a shepherd,

Pastor Travis D. Smith

Copyright 2017 – Travis D. Smith