Making The List

To many people, Christianity is a downer made up of do’s and don'ts. It’s restrictive and oppressive, stripping away every kind of freedom. Yes, from a distance, being a Christian appears to be all those things especially in reading today's verse selection.

When God called Moses to the top of Mount Sinai to witness the supernatural inscription of the Ten Commandments on stone tablets, Moses immediately followed his Lord. He knew his creator so intimately that the laws being formed before Moses’s eyes never appeared to him as restrictive.

That's because he resided in the security and peace of God's will, knowing that the decrees were for his protection. The Israelites, who were travelling with Moses, made camp at the base of Sinai and waited while Moses communed with his heavenly father.

Once the Ten Commandments were completed, the Israelites, “saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear.” (Exodus 20:18). Perhaps the fear was due to a lack of relationship with God. They were dreading the passing down of God's laws to them, even though it was to test them so that they feared God and didn't sin (Exodus 20:20).

It’s easy to become fearful and rebellious when we don't fully know or trust God as a father who cares for us deeply and desires to keep us free from the harm of sin. We might think the Ten Commandments are harsh and they might rub us the wrong way When we receive salvation through Jesus Christ, though, our perspective of those commandments changes. As Christ enters our hearts and begins the transforming work through the Holy Spirit, our hearts are opened to truth.

God allows us to see the truth that the Ten Commandments are God's sacred and protective promises to us as we, joyfully, live in complete surrender and obedience to God and his laws. As God’s children, every point on that list becomes a reassuring gift of what we can look forward to as we follow in the freedom of our Lord.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your great and precious laws and helping me to carry out each one as your faithful promise to me in being your daughter. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Throughout This Day: Reflect on the entirety of today’s scripture reading. Receive God’s laws as the great and wonderful promises you now have as his adored son or daughter.