By Felichi Pangilinan-Buizon, co-host, The 700 Club Asia
Recently, we had an exercise that led me to contemplate on who God is in the light of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3-17). I was delighted to discover so much about Him. Here we go:
1/10
3 “You shall have no other gods before me.”
There is none, no, not one, like You. You designed us to love You with our whole heart. Giving you any less only gets us in harm’s way. You were meant to be first in our lives. Seeking you second, third or last won’t do. Reign in our hearts without any rival. For our good, and Your Glory.
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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. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.”
Nothing created can ever compare with nor represent the uncreated. You are Spirit, Lord. Worthy of our undivided worship. You are Spirit, Lord. Everywhere at all times. Not confined to a corner or a pedestal. Not misrepresented. You are Spirit, Lord. You have eyes and You see all, You have ears and You hear all, and You speak Your Word of power into our lives. The Father seeks those who worship Him, in spirit and in truth. For our good and those that come after us, and for His Glory.
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7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.”
God takes His Name seriously. So should we. For our good, and His Glory. Give the Lord Most High the glory due His Name, which is above every other. Would I ever use the name of my child to curse someone? Or be the butt of a crass joke? Enough said.
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8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”
Even if God does not need to rest, He ordained it for us. He knows our frame. He knows our tendency to wear busyness as a badge of honor so He has set boundaries. He knows the Spirit will not thrive in activity but in quietness so He expects us to pause, to take stock, to rest. For our good and His glory.
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12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”
Family relationships are close to Your heart. How we regard those in our family, specifically, those in authority over us, matters to You. It matters when we obey their lawful commands, respect and esteem our parents, submit to their counsel & corrections, and even when we make their old age easy. So pleasing is this to You that You added a promise of blessing to those who abide. For our good and His Glory.
As I reflect on the first half of the Ten Commandments, I rejoice in what God reveals of Himself and at the same time overwhelmed at what He calls us to do. How I fall short?! Then, I realize that following Christ is not done through our strength, but His. Indeed, apart from Him, we fall apart but as we abide in Him, we are made fruitful. Join me again, next week as we discover more of who God is from the 6th to the 10th commandment.
