To Obey or Not
The Ten Commandments of God.
Everything we do has rules. Games we play, our jobs, school, and society all have rules. God gave us rules to make our lives better and our relationship with Him secure.
Our choice in life is if we are going to follow the rules or do things our way. Man’s natural desire is to do things in a way that they feel will be best for them.
The world says that you are to take care of yourself first. You are most important.
God says that the only way to real joy is to be right with Him and follow His teaching, in other words, obey God.
I have found in my eighty years that God is always right. Living for Him is the only way to be happy and at peace with others.
For us to have all that He has planned for us we must obey His Commandments and trust Him for our happiness.
So what are they?
The Ten Commandments of God
He gave them early on to the children of Israel and Jesus made clear that they still applied today.
Some may argue that they do not apply today, however, we have the following words from Jesus.
17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Matthew 5:17-18 NKJV
Only the ceremonial laws were fulfilled in Jesus when He became the Lamb slain for our sins. His death did not change what is evil in God’s sight.
God says in Exodus, “I am the Lord your God.”
3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.
7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
13 “You shall not murder.
14 “You shall not commit adultery.
15 “You shall not steal.
16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” Exodus 20:3-4, 7-8, 12-17 NKJV
The commandments of God are simple and yet cover almost every possible sin that man can come up with.
Reason Why
God knew His creation could and would make bad choices and yet He gave us the freedom to do so. He did not want robots who obeyed Him because they had no choice.
God loves us and wants what is best for all of us.
He knew that our wrong choices would separate us from Him and hurt others; so He gave us some simple laws to follow.
Did Jesus change God’s laws
Jesus was asked about God’s commands and this is how He answered. He gave us the condensed version to make it clearer, but He did not in any way replace the revealed Law of God.
All of the Ten Commandments still apply today.
1st. As in the first 4 commandments Jesus told us our first responsibility is to love God and obey Him.
37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment.
2nd.The following verse covers the commandments five through 10.
39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
It took me a while to get my mind around the idea that I would be obeying all the laws with just these two commands. If you love your neighbor you will not do anything to bring them harm.
3rd.Jesus points out a truth that most of us fail to realize, that obeying these two covers it all.
Jesus says, 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40 NKJV
We will do all that God wants from us if we follow these two commands. However, it has never been easy to put God and others first.
The World
The world follows Satan. Satan promises pleasure and happiness by doing whatever pleases you. The great deceiver, the devil, would have you ignore the commandments of God.
How often have you heard people say, “Do what feels right to you?” Following your wants will not bring you into a saving relationship with Jesus.
Those who follow Satan will tell you that there is nothing wrong with little lies, or cutting someone down to make yourself look better. Sin is always destructive. Lying, stealing, killing, or sexual perversion all lead to destruction.
Satan tells you the Commandments of God do not apply to you, and that you should make your own decisions about right or wrong.
BUT SATAN IS A LIAR!
The truth about Satan is as follows.
Jesus says, “He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” John 8:44 NKJV