God Said "I Promise" A refreshing way to look at the Ten Commandments
by Debbonnair Kovacs
This is a long quote I want to share but well worth the time to read it:
"What a revolution in thinking it would cause if we thought of the commandments that way (as a promise)! Take, for instance, "You shall not steal." Suppose a person had a serious problem with stealing. Suppose he thought God could not love him because he could not stop stealing. Then suppose he learned about the free gift of salvation. To his grateful astonishment, he learns that God loves him now -while he is still a thief!
Does God say to him sternly, "You shall not (read "must not) steal," or does he assured him, you shall not steal- I promise!
Imagine the difference to this struggler's future. He wants to stop stealing. It is the greatest desire of his heart. Nothing could comfort him more then the certain knowledge that God has the power to change him, for good!
What if Jesus' words, "If you love me, you will keep my Commandments" (John 14:15), weren't a threat, or a challenge, or even a measuring stick, but a simple promise? He said Himself that all the law and the prophets hung on love for God and love for others. What if He really meant it? What if all we have to do is love Him and love Him and love Him, and He will do all the transforming?
Then the law, which was a measuring stick of death before our conversion, will become a shining goal -something God holds up to us and says, "This is how I am, and this is how you shall be when I am through with you. You shall not lie or cheat or steal anymore. You'll enjoy a holy Sabbath, and love your family, and be content with what you have. You'll be called by My Name, and it will mean something." Pg. 7-8
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