Solid Foundational Plans for an Abundant Life
From Exodus 20: 1-4; 7-9, 12-20: Then God spoke all these words: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name. Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they were afraid and trembled and stood at a distance, and said to Moses, "You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we will die." Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid; for God has come only to test you and to put the fear of him upon you so that you do not sin."
I confess. I love walking through Ikea. Ikea is an interesting store. Thank God there are none close to here. The nearest is in Round Rock, Texas. I hate buying things from there that require assembly. Okay, I shouldn't hate; I strongly dislike buying things that require assembly. I can do it, and have done it numerous times, but the idea of a floor full of parts, slats, boards, and a huge diagram of what to do just does not appeal to me. The reason I have been successful in putting things together is my daughter, Carli, who is a whiz at reading these things and knowing how to put everything together. When Carli is not with me to help me it will take me hours to put anything together. Thank God for the assembly guide and manual for putting things in order.
Today's passage is all about putting our lives in order. It is a passage that contains the Ten Commandments. They put everything in perspective. It starts, as did everything, with God. God declares and we should believe He is our God. The ten then begin: 1. We should have no other gods. God takes first place in our lives, minds, hearts, bodies. Anything else in first place is a god, with a little g. 2. We don't need manufactured representations of God. God is not limited to any image. Idols need not apply. God is everywhere. God is awesome! 3. God's name is sacred. Special. Blessed. Holy. In fact, too holy to be put in any swearing or cussing we think needs God's name. Use your own name to gripe. 4. There should be a holy day in our lives for God. For some, it is Saturday. For others, it is Sunday. Whatever the day is, set it apart just for God. Be blessed in it as you bless God. 5. Honor those who gave birth and life to you. Honor is a special, little used word anymore, but do show that special respect and place where your Mom and Dad should be in your life. For some this means different things. For others it may be a call to re-think and re-pray that relationship. Moms and Dads: There's other references about how we should treat and be with our children. 6. Life is sacred; we should not take it away, in any sense of the word from other living creatures. 7. God expects sexual purity from us. To take someone else's spouse is a sin. Sex is a beautiful gift from God as expressed in marriage; anything else cheapens us and takes away spiritual blessings. 8. God has blessed us with blessings; we should not take those blessings away from others. Respect private property. Leave only with memories of those things you'd like to have. 9. Be a person of truth and honesty. There is no need to make things up about someone else, especially if it leads to legal settings. 10. It's not okay to desire the possessions of someone else, especially when that desire takes us to actions that break any of the above commandments. Respect and enjoy what God has blessed with us; thank God for someone else's blessings.
Our Lenten Journey should be reminded of these ten solid teachings. Notice how they help us build proper relationships with God, ourselves, and others. Notice how strong your foundation will be for your life if you build on these ten!
PRAYER: Bless my life, Loving God, and living soul, bless the Lord and all those whom God has made. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
