31 Days of Devotion, Day 3 by Ashley Cole

Daily Reading: Exodus 20:1-21

The God of Israel led his chosen people out of slavery in Egypt with an unmistakable and awe-inspiring fervor, parting the Red Sea and demonstrating miracles and displays of His provision and protection for those He called His own. In the wilderness, separated completely from the life and any comforts they once knew and fully dependent on God, the question was everywhere: what happens next?

The answer came down from Mt. Sinai on stone tablets – ten commandments that would create an ethical code for God’s chosen people to follow. These were, perhaps, an even greater display of God’s provision than the parting of waters.

Consider these commandments for a moment. It is easy to see them as a rubric to follow for a “good life”, but even now, they give us a reflection of what God is like and what matters to Him. The first four commandments outline how to love and serve God in a way that brings Him honor and glory. The last six, give us a blueprint for honoring and loving our neighbors.

Today, the list of “rights and wrongs” may be intimidating, but we have a reason to celebrate. When asked the greatest of all commandments, Jesus explained that the first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord with all our hearts, and the second, to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:37), a bridge to summarize all ten of God’s commandments.

Brought out of our own wilderness by the grace of God and the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins, our salvation is not dependent on how well we follow words written on stone. Instead, we have the opportunity to follow God’s commandment out of LOVE for God. Jesus was clear in John 4:15-24: “If you love Me, keep my commandments…He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.”Let us consider how we can serve God and others out of our LOVE for our Savior – the greatest commandment of all.

Daily Prayer
Dear Lord, help me understand what it means to LOVE you with my whole heart. In a world of competing authorities, deepen my confidence in your word’s instructions about the kind of living that brings us life as you intend for it to be. Amen.