Scripture to Read: Exodus 20:12
We are continuing our journey through the Ten Commandments. The first four commandments that God gave to Moses all dealt with the Israelites’ relationship with God and, of course, our relationship with God as well. These commandments from God are an incredible reminder to us of what Christ has done for us to broaden and deepen our relationship with God the Father. Remember that God had told the Israelites, and us, to have no other gods we worship, no idols, to never use God’s name in vain, and to remember the Sabbath. As Christians, we know there’s no god but One God, and He has revealed Himself to us as Father, Son, and Spirit. We know that our hearts must be sold out to Him. We know to guard our tongue and to worship Him alone, not just on our sabbath but every day. We must also remember that when Jesus was asked, in Matthew 22:35–40, about the greatest commandment, Jesus wrapped up all of the commandments into two. First, we must love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and second, we must love our neighbor as ourselves. So, today, in the Ten Commandments, God focuses our attention on our relationships with those here on earth. The first relationship is with our parents. Whether our parents (including guardians since some have stepparents, grandparents, foster parents, or adopted parents) are saved, lost, in deep fellowship with our Lord, or not at all really does not matter. We must honor those in authority over us. We’ll unpack more of this tomorrow.
Challenge & Application
· We know that to honor God, we must be in right fellowship with Him. So, how are you growing in your intimacy with our Lord?
· We also learned that we must honor our parents (legal guardians)—so, what does that look like for you right now?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!