Lately it seems like I am seeing lots of “Rules to Live By” lists. God gave us the one and only list of rules to live by that we need, The Ten Commandments. Yesterday we looked at #1, #2, and #3. Today we continue with:
4. Spend Time with God and Balance Your Life Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy. Exodus 20:8-11
Priorities do more than manage a day, they display the valuesand character of a life and maintain order in the midst ofchaos. The first four of the commandments deal with our relationship to God. If these are not respected, the rest of the commandments will be impossible to follow fully. God made rest a commandment recognizing the tendency of man to abuse both his body and the creation. Lack of rest is a leading cause of mental, physical and emotional illness. God knows how He made us and prescribed the proper care for the best function of our bodies. To violate this commandment can ruin a life!
Jesus was not so concerned about what day as He was about you did on that day. Jesus said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. "So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." Mark 2:27-28
What profit is there to the worker from that in which he toils? I have seen the task which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves. He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end. I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one's lifetime; moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor—it is the gift of God. Ecclesiastes 3:9-13
5. Show Respect to Authority “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you.” Exodus 20:12
Teaching respect in the home should be a priority for parents. A disrespectful child can be anembarrassment to his/her parents. It is evidence of a home failure that will create a problem for a person the rest of their life.
Respect is modeled in the way parents treat each other and all other authority. Demeaning comments about other people, a boss, law enforcement or any other authority causes childrento have an attitude of, “I can’t wait until I’m big enough to be boss.”
God has ordained all authority whether we agree with it or not. Respect is not fear. Fear causes feelings of insecurity. Respect is a God-given command to show honor to those in authority over us.
