Command The most famous commands are the Ten Commandments, which God gave to the Israelites thousands of years ago. The commandment "You shall have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3) means that we are not to honor anything above God-be it house, car, job or spouse. God gave the Israelites other commandments to help them know how to relate to him and to other people. Even now, the commands God has given to us help us know not only how we can please him, but also how we can get the most out of life. God knows how we're wired; he knows that will give us the best life here, as well as the best life after we die. Sometimes we miss the purpose of these commands, thinking that following them defines our relationship with God: "Of course I'm a good Christian. I don't life. I don't steal. I haven't murdered anyone..." The commands become our "checklist," our way to a spiritual A+. But the Bible says that if we keep God's commands without love, we haven't accomplished anything (see 1 Corinthians 13:1). In fact, Jesus said that the two greatest commandments are "Love the Lord your God" and "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:37,39). When love is our motivation for following God's commands, it's the difference between freedom and chains, the difference between living the abundant life Jesus Christ promised and merely trying to follow cumbersome rules. The final payoff for following these commands is that we get to know God better (see 1 John 2:3-6). It's like any relationship. We must spend time and do things with someone in order to know that person. When we follow God by keeping his commands, we learn, on a personal level, who he is. What
God commands us to do. |