THE BIG TEN
Among the "must read/must know/must do" passages in the Bible, let's not forget about what lies at the center of the book of Exodus. Exodus includes lots of amazing stories--God speaking to Moses through a burning bush, sticks turning into snakes, rivers turning into blood, invasions of gnats and frogs and other sordid plagues, the exodus itself, the parting of the Red Sea--you know...very cool stuff.
But when all is said and done what lies at the center of the second book of the Bible is the "Big Ten"--God's commandments of how we relate to him (first four) and how we are to related to each other (last six).
Read them; think about them; apply them. You will be amazed at how well life works when, for example, we choose to honor God first rather than trying to pretend that we are God. You will discover that lying, cheating, committing adultery, etc never really benefits anyone--least of all the one doing the lying, cheating, stealing, adultery, etc.
I know they are old, but so are some of the finest wines and instruments in the world. Age has nothing to do with it. Truth does. Call me "old school" if you want but I happen to believe that truth matters...and all truth (by definition) is absolute.
What I love about the Ten Commandments is that they are timelessness. They are "trans-generational" in that they apply to all people of all times. I also love the clarity. They are not fuzzy or ambiguous. They simply state it: Do or don't. Then we decide.
It's not always crystal clear as to why God says what he says. He doesn't lay everything out there for us: "Don't do this...because if you do..." I suppose that's where faith comes in. Do you believe that the God who created you and redeemed you would create commands and principles that would guide your life into anything other than a blessed life?
Think that one through...and then build your life with God and others on the unshakable foundation of these ancient truths.
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