Instructions For Life

For most of us we had some introduction with the “Ten Commandments” as children. If your childhood was anything like mine, you at least heard “Honor your mother and father.” And if your childhood was anything like mine, boy was that fifth commandment really hard to keep!

However, the Ten Commandments are more than just a set of rules handed down by God in order to rule over his creation. God handed these down to the people of Israel at Mt. Sinai three months after they had left Egypt. God in his mercy knew that the people of Israel would not be able to love God and love each other on their own. They would need something to guide them, to help them.

Is it not the same with us? Do we not also need guidelines to help us in our spiritual journey? These commandments are really the mercy and love of an infinite God who knew that we couldn’t do it on our own. He gave us ten rules to help us live out the most important commandment, “Love the Lord you God with all your heart, soul, and mind. And love your neighbor as yourself.” These Ten Commandments are not rules imposed to squelch us but they are rules to help us live the most fulfilling life in Christ and with each other that we can.

Renovation of the Heart...

What is the heart? What does it contain? Is it like a treasure chest filled with beauty and treasure of limitless value? Or is it a compass for moral and emotional guidance? If so, why would it need renovating?

Often we speak of our hearts as something much more than just a fleshy organ that pumps blood through a network of veins. A high priority is placed on "following our hearts" or "listening to your heart". We suggest that deep inside of us there is some source of great goodness that can guide us. Is that what truly lies within? It seems that human nature is bent towards evil and destruction with out some type of intervention.

The prophet Isaiah writes to us about this intervention and gives us a picture of the one who can preform the renovation of our heats. He tells us that it is only the God of the universe the one who has measured the heavens with his fingers, weighed the mountains on a scale, and the one who loves us more than anything else (Isa. 40:10-14, 25-26). The apostle Paul also affirms this idea that it is the one and only God of the universe that could change us. He goes on to explain that it is this transformation is the most brilliant and beautiful thing that could happen to us. in II Cor. 3:17-18 Paul explains that we are being transformed in the image of Christ and that transformation keeps happening and our lives grow more and more brilliant. This is all because of the work of Christ, not because of anything we have done. God is good and he desires that your life be the best it ever could be. That means loving him and having a heart renovated that begins to look more and more like Christ.