Loving God of all journeys, journey today with this dear reader; hold his/her hand as needed. In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Our text for today comes from Exodus 20: 1 God spoke all these words: 2 I am God, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of a life of slavery. 3 No other gods, only me. 4 No carved gods of any size, shape, or form of anything whatever, whether of things that fly or walk or swim. 7 No using the name of God, your God, in curses or silly banter; God won't put up with the irreverant use of his name. 8 Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Work six days and do everything you need to do. 12 Honor your father and mother so that you'll live a long time in the land that God, your God, is giving you. 13 No murder. 14 No adultery. 15 No stealing. 16 No lies about your neighbor. 17 No lusting after your neighbor's house - or wife or servant or maid or ox or donkey. Don't set your heart on anything that is your neighbor's. 18 All the people, experiencing the thunder and lightning, the trumpet blast and the smoking mountain, were afraid - they pulled back and stood at a distance. 19 They said to Moses, "You speak to us and we'll listen, but don't have God speak to us or we'll die." 20 Moses spoke to the people: "Don't be afraid. God has come to test you and instill a deep and reverent awe within you so that you won't sin." (The Message)
Yesterday a colleague shared how much he dislikes going to the doctor. Can I get a witness? Those of us who tend to tip the scales away from health, hate stepping on them. I always hear what I read in a cartoon strip, "Elvis, is that you?" or worse, "One at a time!" And of course, stepping on the scale comes after a long wait of thumbing through magazines that highlight the news of the day, Grant being elected President; a thing called a car is going to be mass produced by a company started by Henry Ford. Then the cuff on the arm and the squeezing of life out of your arm in order to see if you're healthy. A probe under your tongue or in your ear and a reading that says if you're feverish or not. Then the doctor comes in and you exchange greetings, he asks questions, you answer; then the consultation, followed by the writing of a prescription.
The Ten Commandments can be seen as both a consulation with a divine doctor, and that divine doctor writing us a prescription. Our visits to a doctor are a desire on our part to be healthy as should we see the reading of the Commandments. They contain everything! Our proper relationship with and towards God, and our proper and healthy relationship with each other, and a proper and healthy relationship with ourselves. Read them again. Each has a powerful message of respect, dignity, humility, worship, reverence, and hope. Each leads us away from sin and its consequences towards a life filled with hope. Too many have called these the do's and don'ts of righteous living and that tends to make it seem too constrictive. See it as our prescription for fullness of life.
PRAYER: Loving God, we thank You for Jesus, Who brought us the fullness of life and the fulfillment of Your law. He did not abolish the law so we should read it and be guided by it as a remembrance of what pleases You. Let me be all about pleasing You this day; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
