Ten Commandments: Conclusion

Chuckle: A Sunday School teacher asked a new boy, "who led the Israelites across the Red Sea?" "It wasn't me," he said. "We've just moved here from Missouri."

Quote: "His Light gives wisdom and knowledge, and his Love gives power and strength, to run the ways of his commandments.” --John Bellers

"Oh, how I love your law! I think about it all day long" (Psalm 119:97 NLT).  "Your Word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path" (Psalm 119-105 NLT).

In the limited space we have for these daily lessons, I have tried to make the Ten Commandments come alive in each of us in a new and fresh way. I believe a fresh study of the Ten Commandments is extremely relevant to our time. You are aware of the challenges to the Commandments being posted in court rooms and other public places -- even though they are the basis for our laws and legal system in this country.

A basic truth that we must never forget is that God and his moral laws do not change and are as binding today as they were when God gave them to his people. They are to govern our conduct. Unfortunately, dismissal and ignorance of the Commandments have become so prevalent in our society that fewer and fewer people have a clear understanding of the difference between right and wrong. Even worse is the fact that as long as they have what they want, many don't care about right and wrong.

"As far back as November 16, 1997, the Sunday times (in Britain) reported that the Church of England had decided to remove the Commandments from the holy communion service in the new millennium prayer book. Philip Gore, a leader in the church stated that many in the church do not want a God who makes too many demands on them. Therefore, they want to dismiss the Ten Commandments as irrelevant to our times."

Let me summarize for all of us what we should take from this study. First, God knows everything about us -- every joy, every sigh, every hardship, and every song. "He guards the course of the just and protects the way of the faithful ones" (Proverbs 2:8 NIV). One of the ways He guards us is through His commands. They reveal His heart! He cares deeply for us. What should our response be? Listen to the psalmist:

"I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees: I will not neglect your word. . . My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times. . .Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors. . . .I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free. . . Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. . The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold" (Psalm 119:15-16,20,24,32,35,72 NIV).

Remember how God reminded Moses that "I carried them (my people) on eagles wings and brought you to myself" (Exodus 19:4 NIV). He still does. He keeps swooping down and plucking us out of danger and soaring with us into His presence. Jesus came to fulfill the law and to be your Savior. Hallelujah, He came so that I could trust Him to forgive my sins, give me the abundant life here on earth, and eternal life with him in heaven. My faith in Christ is manifested in my obedience to God's Word. Do you love God's Word as much as your favorite TV program? Do you depend upon it for direction in your life? Do you realize what a treasure you hold in your hand?

Love, Jerry & Dotse