As a Mom, I am learning more and more about God. I am seeing Him in a whole new light than I did before I had my kids.
I love them ALL the time. Nothing will change that. I love them when they are good and when they are bad. But…..my rewards to my children vary depending on their behavior!
(I know…..AMEN to that! LOL)
When they behave themselves and follow the simple rules of the house, I find myself going out of my way to do special things for them. And when they get their chores done without me even asking? Oh my……rest assured, there is some YUMMY goodness in store for them!
The rules at my house are pretty simple:
Be kind. No fighting. No throwing or bouncing the balls in the house. Obey your parents. (There’s more, but they aren’t prudent right now…..)
If they follow those rules, I’m a happy Mom and chances are good that I will reward the following of those rules.
What are the rules that God laid down for us to follow?
- Do not worship any other god than the one true God. All other gods are false gods.
- Do not make idols or images in the form of God. An idol can be anything (or anyone) you worship by giving it more importance than God. If something (or someone) has your time, attention and affections, it has your worship. It could be an idol in your life.
- Do not treat God’s name lightly or with disrespect. Because of God’s importance, his name is always to be spoken of with honor.
- Dedicate or set aside a regular day each week for Sabbath rest and worship of the Lord.
- Give honor to your father and mother by treating them with respect and obedience.
- Do not deliberately kill a fellow human being.
- Do not have sexual relations with anyone other than your spouse. God forbids sex outside of the bounds of marriage.
- Do not steal or take anything that doesn’t belong to you, unless you have been given permission to do so.
- Do not tell a lie about someone or bring a false accusation against another person.
- Do not desire anything or anyone that does not belong to you. Comparing yourself to others and longing to have what they have leads to jealousy, envy and other sins. Be content by focusing on the blessings God has given you and not what he has not given you.
Pretty simple actually. Pretty cut and dry.
But how often do we do that? Are we more prone to do what we want though?
Life is a series of decisions, hour by hour, minute by minute. We have the choice from day to day what we base our choices on. And if we are Christians, we have God’s moral law to uphold. We are to be holy because God is holy.
I love the story of Cain from Genesis 4, my favorite passage is:
When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain cultivated the ground. 3 When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. 4 Abel also brought a gift—the best of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, 5 but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.
6 “Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? 7 You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”
Did you notice that? I highlighted it for you because I’m so nice. In verse 7 God knows what was in Cain’s heart. God knew Cain was angry and He was trying to guide him to a better choice. “If you do this…….this will happen. But if you do this……..this will happen.”
Let’s see another one:
Deuteronomy 30:9-10 (New Living Translation)
“The Lord your God will then make you successful in everything you do. He will give you many children and numerous livestock, and he will cause your fields to produce abundant harvests, for the Lord will again delight in being good to you as he was to your ancestors. The Lord your God will delight in you if you obey his voice and keep the commands and decrees written in this Book of Instruction, and if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and soul.”
Obedience is PURE loyalty to our Savior, not for the goodies He can give us, but because He is my Savior. He saved me from myself and my destruction. Obedience is not something we dread, or feel we have to do, nor is it bondage in a negative sense. It is the joy of knowing our Lord and staying with Him so we can fully live in His love and grow in Him further, deeper, and stronger. The result is that we become more mature, of more use to His glory, and become willing to express His love with eagerness to others.
And I look forward to showing my obedience through wise choices I make!