Teaching to Live By
Exodus 20:1-20 (NIV)
God gives His people the Ten Commandments, calling them to worship Him alone, honor His name, keep the Sabbath holy, honor their parents, respect life, remain faithful, live honestly, speak truthfully, and resist coveting what belongs to others.
1 John 3:23 (NIV): “And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another.”
In “Teaching to Live By,” Pastor Carol Brown reminds us that sometimes we need to hear familiar truth again. The Ten Commandments may be well known, but their purpose still speaks directly to the way we live today.
Our natural response to commandments can be resistance. We do not always like being told what we must or must not do. Yet Pastor Carol challenged us to see God’s commands differently. “The commandments in Scripture are not simply requirements and regulations. They’re tools for dreaming.”
Each commandment points toward a life centered on God and shaped by love.
Putting God first means examining what receives our greatest attention and devotion. As Pastor Carol asked, “Do I seek God first?” God should not receive the leftovers of our lives. Nothing, including money, possessions, careers, relationships, or popularity, should take His place.
Honoring God also means carrying His name faithfully. If we call ourselves Christians, our lives should reflect Christ. Sabbath rest reminds us that life cannot be only about producing, achieving, and accumulating. God gives us a rhythm of work, worship, reflection, and rest.
The commandments also shape the way we treat one another. We are called to honor family, protect human life, remain faithful in relationships, act with integrity, speak truth, and live with contentment. Pastor Carol reminded us that integrity means “doing what is right even when nobody’s watching.”
Truth matters too. Before speaking, we can ask three simple questions: Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it loving? Gossip and dishonesty can damage relationships, families, and churches, while truthful and loving words can build others up.
The command not to covet challenges the comparison that so easily steals our gratitude. When we constantly measure our lives against someone else’s, we lose sight of what God has already given us. Contentment allows us to receive His gifts with gratitude instead.
None of us keeps God’s standards perfectly. “We all sin. We all fall short of the glory of God.” That is why the commandments ultimately point us toward Christ. Jesus provides salvation by grace, gives us new hearts, and teaches us to live differently.
Pastor Carol invited us to imagine what life could look like if these teachings shaped our homes, churches, communities, and world. Imagine people putting God first, respecting life, keeping their commitments, telling the truth, choosing peace, and being content with what they have. The commandments become not only rules for obedience, but a vision of “a brighter and a holier future, a brighter and a holier present.”
The main point is simple: God’s commands teach us how to love Him and love one another. This week, put God first each morning, make intentional room for worship and rest, choose honesty when no one is watching, guard your words before speaking, forgive rather than hold onto bitterness, and practice gratitude instead of comparison.