Day Five: Partnership with The Lord

The commandments that the Lord gave Moses on Mount Sinai are the commandments that each one of us can strive to live by today. A person might think upon first glance that the Ten Commandments are extreme or outdated. On the contrary each commandment, in addition to being powerful in its literal meaning, contains deeper meanings that are applicable in our lives. For example, people might think that the commandment not to murder is not one that they are likely to be tempted to break in their lives. But if it is understood that as physical murder takes a physical life, if we murder someone’s spirit we begin to take away their spiritual life. We can murder other people’s spirits with critical words or explosions of anger. There are many ways to murder a person’s spirit.

The Lord gives us the Ten Commandments as clear instructions for living a spiritual life. Our job is to shun these evils in our lives and open up a space for the Lord to flow in with angelic qualities. As we stop lying to ourselves and others, the Lord flows in with honesty and integrity. As we stop thinking and acting in ways that place certain activities and objects above the Lord, respect and love for the Lord increases. This is the core of spiritual life.

Key Point
The Ten Commandments provide clear direction when working on our spiritual lives. They have many levels to them, and can be used by people at all stages of their spiritual journey.

Reflections
What is your personal history with the Ten Commandments? Do they evoke a positive, negative, or mixed reaction?

	From Exodus 20:3-17	Message of Love	In Your Life (What I will carry forward)
1	You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image – of anything in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them nor serve them.	Identify what it is that gets between you and the Lord. Do not bow down to false gods in your life (addiction, anger, self-hatred, jealousy, competition, etc.).
2	You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.	Respect the Lord’s name, the qualities that He has made available to you (strength, guidance, wisdom, peace and joy, etc.)
3	Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.	Spend quiet time with the Lord.
4	Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.	Honor your mother and father. Also honor your spiritual father (the Lord) and spiritual mother (the church).
5	You shall not murder.	Be a life giver.
6	You shall not commit adultery.	Honor marriage.
7	You shall not steal.	Give credit to God and others.
8	You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.	Tell the truth.
9&10	You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.	Trust God’s plan for your life. Be content with all He has provided for you.

Download this Table and Reflection in printable form. (PDF)

Discussion Board
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Foundations

And Jesus said to the young man, "If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments... You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself." Matthew 19:17-19

Task for the Week

Choosing to Follow the Lord The Lord provides tools to live a spiritual life. Choose to use one of the tools you have learned to take a meaningful and positive step.
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Sermons

When You Have Eaten and Are Full
Speaker: Rueben Bell
Printable Sermon (PDF)

Exodus Part 10, The Ten Commandments
Speaker: David C. Roth
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The Promised Land
Speaker: Frank S. Rose
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