Date: 02-07-2021

Title: Living As God Desires

(S) cripture:
    Exodus 20:1-17 (NLT2) Then God gave the people all these instructions: 2 “I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. 3 “You must not have any other god but me. 4 “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 5 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. 6 But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. 7 “You must not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name. 8 “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 You have six days each week for your ordinary work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the LORD your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy. 12 “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God is giving you. 13 “You must not murder. 14 “You must not commit adultery. 15 “You must not steal. 16 “You must not testify falsely against your neighbor. 17 “You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.”

(O) bservation:
    What we call the Ten Commandments are the terms of the covenant God is making with the people of Israel. Living this way will set them apart from all the other nations. In the coming chapters, God will flesh these out to show how they are to be applied to daily living. The people agreed to live this way, but it didn’t take long for them to fail to follow God’s commands.

(A) pplication:
    I don’t think that God has changed his mind about the Ten Commandments. They still outline how we are to live in relationship with God and with each other. For the Christian these become a guideline for living as God would have us live. Our focus is not on “keeping” them in our own strength but rather on walking by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit knowing that the Holy Spirit will not lead us contrary to God’s Word. They give me a knowledge of sinful behavior that I need to confess. Again my focus is not on the commandments but rather on following the Holy Spirit’s direction in my life.

(P) rayer:
    Lord, make me aware of when I am not walking by faith so that I might confess my sin and again walk by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen