Living His Way
God showed us what he expects of us when he sent Moses the commandments:
1. You shall have no other gods before me.
2. You shall not make for yourself a carved image...you shall not bow down to them nor serve them.
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
4. Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
5. Honor your father and your mother
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness.
10. You shall not covet.
(Deuteronomy 5:6-22)
The Lord has given us specific rules to live by. He wants us to know His ways so that we may have a good life. A word of caution: just following these commandments and trying to live a righteous life will NOT save you from hell. The Bible tells us,
"There is none righteous, no, not one." (Romans 3:10)
We must trust the Lord as our Savior--that doesn't mean only having a head knowledge that Jesus is God's only begotten Son. We must make a decision to repent of our sins and believe that Christ took our place on the cross. That we are saved through the grace of God and not through works.
"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." (Ephesians 2:8,9).
Once we have accepted the Lord as our Savior, He expects us to always follow Him. Deuteronomy 6:5 tells us,
"You shall love the Lord your God will all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength."
Does God want us to follow Him with some of our heart, with half our soul, and maybe a little of our strength? No! Isn't a little bit of commitment to God better than none? No! The Lord does not want a lukewarm relationship with you: "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth." (Revelation 3:15,16).
Should we be cold then in our service to the Lord? I would not advise it. God wants to give us all the blessings He can. He wants to give us peace and joy in our lives. By following God with our whole being, we trust Him to take care of our needs. The Bible tells us,
"You should do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may be well with you." (Deut. 6:18).
What a promise the Lord has given us! He is willing to give us a good life if we are willing to hand our life completely over to Him.
God not only wants our complete service to Him, but He also wants us to teach our children about His ways. "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up." (Deut. 6:6, 7). God has given you a special gift in your children and expects all parents to teach their children about God. That doesn't mean just sending them to church on Sundays, but to show them everyday what God expects in our lives. To be an example to them. To love the Lord with all of your heart, soul, and strength.
The Bible tells us that we need to live according to God’s expectations.
“You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice, and you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.” (Deut. 13:4).
This is not a Sunday-only commitment to the Lord. Or even a follow-Me-when-you-have-the-time commandment. Once we have accepted the Lord Jesus as our Savior we do not own our bodies anymore—it belongs to Christ. Why? Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians,
“For you were bought at a price, therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
Because we were purchased by Jesus’ blood we are God’s servants, not the other way around. God is not to be thought of only in times of crisis, when we want miracles, or when we want something. He wants us to give our whole life over to Him. Not just an hour on Sundays. Not just in times of need. But 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Are you going to ignore His words to follow Him, or are you going to show that you love the Lord with all of your heart, soul, and strength?
