By Felichi Pangilinan-Buizon, co-host, The 700 Club Asia
Isn’t it amazing how the Lord reveals Himself through any part of Scripture? No wonder the psalmist prayed, “Open my eyes to the wonders of Your word.” Last week, I shared about learning more about God through the first five of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:3-17. Now we visit the next five.
6/10
13 “You shall not murder.
How precious is each life to You, Lord! Your word declares our bodies as Your temple, the place in which You dwell! Still baffles me how the Almighty One is also our Emmanuel (God with us.) How each life, prominent or not, popular or not, belongs to You, thus, no one has the right to take it and end it. Not by sword nor by thought. For our good and Your Glory.
7/10
14 “You shall not commit adultery.
One with only one. This is Your design for marriage. In Your wisdom, You ordained exclusivity in a marital relationship. Our marriages, our bodies are set apart, sacred. Too many partners, real or imagined, result in too much pain. Again, You have our good and Your Glory in mind.
8/10
15 “You shall not steal.
Contentment in the daily bread You provide and confidence in Your promise to provide all we need. You respect private property. Stealing, killing and destroying are not aligning with You, but with the enemy. The end does not justify the means. You are an uncompromising God of integrity. Help us trust in Your timing by not grabbing “blessings” ahead of time.
9/10
16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.”
You are the God of truth. The Father of truth. You delight when we walk in truth. You know how lies can damage others and us. Our eyes were created to seek You, our ears, to obey and our lips, not to slander, backbite or malign but to praise You and speak the truth. For our good and Your Glory.
10/10
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.”
You are our portion, Lord. Our satisfaction is found in You and not in a bigger house, a better spouse, a higher position, or greater possession or any created thing. You are our inheritance. Rather than envy and be distracted by blessings, You want us to be grateful and focus on You, the Blesser. For life is not measured by how much we own. In You, we learn contentment. In You, we find sufficiency. For our good, and Your Glory.
When I was learning to drive in my teen years, my Dad instructed me to follow without questioning whatever instructions he gave, even if I disagreed. “Clutch, Gear, Gas, Break!” He knew I knew not, and so his clear instructions were given to assist and protect me, not to defeat or endanger me. It helps to remember that God commands, not to confine us, but to set us free, to position us to experience His best for us.
I believe the Lord continually reveals Himself to us that we may learn to trust in Him. Obedience is an evidence of that trust. Obedience that is only possible when we admit our own disobedience, our inability to keep all His commands and express our need for Christ, the Savior by simply asking.
“Forgive me Lord for I have gone astray from Your laws. Thank you for what Jesus did for me on the cross. He was pierced as payment for my sins. He was punished that I may be forgiven and He rose again, that I, too, may have eternal life. I need you, Jesus, please be my Savior and Lord. With your help, I can turn away from my sins. Mold me into the kind of person You want me to be.”
