The Ties That Bind God's People

 So much of what governs our lives are the social, religious, and legal rules we internalized from childhood. The ties that bind us together as a family and society should be the Ten Commandments God gave to Moses at Mount Sinai. It would take generations of struggle for the Israelites to understand and apply the commandments to their lives.

Although a newborn baby is a treasure from God and a source of joy, rarely is a couple prepared for all the adjustments this new baby will require. As a newborn baby interrupts the status quo of a family system, so the Ten Commandments would change the value system for binding God’s people together.

The commandments reflect God’s love for his people just as rules and boundaries represent a parent’s love. God’s love and mercy are revealed most completely in the gift of Christ Jesus, who became the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. Thank God for the gift of faith to believe and trust in his kindness and compassion.  

_____________ 

[Moses told the people of Israel,] “Meditate upon all the laws I have given you today, and pass them on to your children. These laws are not mere words – they are your life!”

~Deuteronomy 32:46-47 The Living Bible

 

God loves you and has chosen you as his own special people. So be gentle, kind, humble, meek, and patient, and forgive anyone who does you wrong, just as Christ has forgiven you. Love is more important than anything else. It is what ties everything completely together.  

~Colossians  3:12-14 Contemporary English Version

______________

Subscribe to the Attitudes Answers podcast on your favorite podcast platform to hear this and other 2-minute features 3 days every week.

The Ten Commandments: A Map for Reverence

Reverence as a virtue has always been associated with appropriate conduct. The Ten Commandments were meant to be a map for showing  reverence for God and all of life. The basic objective of parenting is to teach children to demonstrate appropriate conduct, a gracious disposition, and reverence for God – all based on the Ten Commandments.

Jesus emphatically stated that his objective was to fulfill the Ten Commandments. So no matter how sophisticated our culture becomes, we can never grow beyond our need for Christ Jesus and his command that we love one another as he has loved us.

An attitude of reverence for God provides hope for believing, "Greater is he, the Holy Spirit, who is in you than he, Satan, who is in the world." The more sincere our attitude of reverence is for God, the better equipped we are to fight the good fight of faith he entrusted into our care. God empowers us to live a life that honors him.  

_______________ 

Don’t suppose I came to do away with the Law and the Prophets. I did not come to do away with them, but to give them their full meaning.

~Matthew 5:17 Contemporary English Version

 

Blessings on all who reverence and trust the Lord – on all who obey him.  

~Psalm 128:1 The Living Bible

_______________

Subscribe to the Attitudes Answers podcast on your favorite podcast platform to hear this and other 2-minute features 3 days every week.

Values: Boundary Markers for Living - Part 2

Values serve as boundary markers for everyday living. Values are guidelines for management of personal conduct. Do they provide guarantees for a perfect, sin-free life? No! We cannot say, "I have values, and they protect me from any temptation or whenever internal impulses push me toward sin."

The Ten Commandments are about values. They help Christians establish values and serve as a reminder when there are deviations from those boundaries. Jesus said he came to this world to fulfill the commandments, not to do away with them. Our self-interest and desires pull us away from the commandments and our personal values.

Romans 11 clarifies. "When Israel tried to be right with God by pursuing her own self-interest, Israel failed. God’s chosen ones have always been those who would invite God to pursue his interest in them, and they in turn received his approval." Values become crystal clear when we permit God to pursue his interest in us. Can you do that without hesitation?