The Ten Commandments were given to us for a reason. Or maybe several reasons. They were not given to control us. They were given to us to help and protect us. But let's take another look at them in that context.
1. We are not to have other gods before the one true God. You take a look at how many so-called gods there are in this world. How confusing it must be to keep them all straight if we worshiped more than one. At least it would be for me. But aside from gods that are statues and the like, there are other gods that we can worship. Our money, our possessions, and even our families can be gods to us if we put them before the God of the bible. God wants to give us good things. He wants us to have healthy families. But he wants to be first in everything we do and not put anything or anyone ahead of him.
2. We are not to worship any image. What does that mean? It means that we do not pray to any statue, or picture or anything that is supposed to be a god or even represent any kind of god. God wants us to pray directly to him because although some may disagree, those things cannot answer our prayers. They are just things. God wants our full attention on him in our prayer life.
3. We are not to take his name in vain. That one is not so easy for a lot of people. I saw a sign once in a little store that said:" God's last name is not damn." If I hit my thumb with a hammer, or drop and break something, it is not God's fault that I did that. Why use his name to say that it is. Because when I do, that is actually what I am saying.
4. Keep the Sabbath holy. I know this is something that in this day and age, is not easy. Most single moms do have to work. And sometimes it has to be on Sunday. But in keeping with it and refusing to work on Sunday, God considers that obedience to him is much better than our sacrifice. 1 Samuel 15:22. He would much rather have your obedience then offer him a sacrifice of praise. If you are a single mom having to work on the Sabbath, pray that God will give you another job in which you don't have to. Or better yet, refuse to work on Sunday and trust that he will supply all your needs as you are obedient.
5. Honor your parents. Umm, For many people that is a hard one. And I know there are many people that just can't seem to do that. Maybe they have been abused as children somehow. Or maybe their parents had problems while their kids were growing up that prevented them from just being the kind of parent that they should have been. I had a mentally ill mother and resented her for years until one day God gave me insight into the fact that she couldn't love me the way she should have, due to her illness. Forgiveness goes a long way in helping a person to honor their parents. Sometimes it takes a long time to get to that point. But God honors your attempts to get there and will help you as you trust in him.
God has given us these ordinances because he loves us and he wants a real relationship with us. If we were left to our own ways, it would be impossible. Easy to live by? No. Impossible? No. He will help us when we ask.
2. We are not to worship any image. What does that mean? It means that we do not pray to any statue, or picture or anything that is supposed to be a god or even represent any kind of god. God wants us to pray directly to him because although some may disagree, those things cannot answer our prayers. They are just things. God wants our full attention on him in our prayer life.
3. We are not to take his name in vain. That one is not so easy for a lot of people. I saw a sign once in a little store that said:" God's last name is not damn." If I hit my thumb with a hammer, or drop and break something, it is not God's fault that I did that. Why use his name to say that it is. Because when I do, that is actually what I am saying.
4. Keep the Sabbath holy. I know this is something that in this day and age, is not easy. Most single moms do have to work. And sometimes it has to be on Sunday. But in keeping with it and refusing to work on Sunday, God considers that obedience to him is much better than our sacrifice. 1 Samuel 15:22. He would much rather have your obedience then offer him a sacrifice of praise. If you are a single mom having to work on the Sabbath, pray that God will give you another job in which you don't have to. Or better yet, refuse to work on Sunday and trust that he will supply all your needs as you are obedient.
5. Honor your parents. Umm, For many people that is a hard one. And I know there are many people that just can't seem to do that. Maybe they have been abused as children somehow. Or maybe their parents had problems while their kids were growing up that prevented them from just being the kind of parent that they should have been. I had a mentally ill mother and resented her for years until one day God gave me insight into the fact that she couldn't love me the way she should have, due to her illness. Forgiveness goes a long way in helping a person to honor their parents. Sometimes it takes a long time to get to that point. But God honors your attempts to get there and will help you as you trust in him.
God has given us these ordinances because he loves us and he wants a real relationship with us. If we were left to our own ways, it would be impossible. Easy to live by? No. Impossible? No. He will help us when we ask.
Come back tomorrow for part 3, and commandments 6-10.
I am happy you came to visit Friends! Stay blessed!
No comments:
Post a Comment