Seasons Change…Whether We Like It or Not
EXODUS - WHAT’S THAT?
Our Sunday sermons (I like to call them “Lessons”…’cause I’m learning, too) have been coming a lot from the book of Exodus lately. In case you forgot, that’s the 2nd book of the Bible, right after Genesis. It tells a very long story about how God rescued his chosen people, the Israelites, from slavery in the land of Egypt…and then what happened after that.
The part we learned about last Sunday was the part where God gave the Ten Commandments. I invite you to read all about it in Exodus, chapter 20. The point is that in order to better understand the Ten Commandments, it helps to compare them to wedding vows. In a wedding, two people give themselves to each other “as long as we both shall live.” So vows are the promises the partners make to each other about how to make their relationship work and be a positive, give-and-take, win-win relationship for both of them…as long as they both shall live.
In a nutshell, that’s what the Ten Commandments are intended for, particularly for those people who want to be a full-fledged, card-carrying member of God’s family. Just like in a marriage, God has given himself, first to the Israelites in the Old Testament. Then in the New Testament, God gave himself to ALL of us in his son, Jesus Christ. The question is: Who wants to accept God’s gift of himself…and give themselves to God in return?
If you DO want to give yourself back to God, but wonder how to do that…THAT’S what the Ten Commandments are for. Like marriage vows, they are promises you make to God so that your relationship with him will be positive and long-lasting.
It sure helps me to view the Commandments like that, because they seem much less negative and much more positive. In modern language, they might sound something like this…
ALWAYS put God first in your life; NO ONE or NOTHING can take God’s place.
Respect, love and care for your Mom and Dad.
Respect your body and everyone else’s by not having sex with someone you’re not married to.
Don’t kill anybody.
Don’t steal people’s stuff.
Tell the truth; don’t lie.
Don’t spend time obsessing about getting somebody or something to satisfy your selfish desires. Why? …Go back to Commandment #1: Life if about God…NOT about you.
And THAT’S how to give yourself back to God in a positive, long-term relationship!