Commandments*

Early this year my Pastor spoke a couple of sermons on the 10 commandments. Then Another Pastor I listen to has a series on the Ten Commandments. These commandments are something you learn early in Christian education. At least the shortlist where they are called out in order from 1 through 10.

1. You shall have no other gods before Me.
2. You shall not make idols.
3. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
4. Remember 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 against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet.

 I kinda grew up thinking I know the 10 commandments and what they are. Today I feel I really know very little after reading and listening to these sermons. Each of these commandments can be a struggle in our lives as you review them. The fifth commandment which every child is familiar with, Honor your father and your mother, sounds so simple. It should be easy, everyone loves their father and mother. One Pastor explained how this is how we learn respect for authority, we start by respecting our parents. What happens when we have less than perfect parents? I am one of those less than perfect parents. Then we see the disrespect given to our police officers since the Brown incident in Ferguson, MO.   I reflect on the many things I hear and read, see on the Internet regarding our current President. I realized I had a problem some years ago. When Clinton was President, I had a very low opinion of him and was quick to share it. Then came a President I really liked. George W. Bush, I really didn't like the disrespect shown towards him. Titus 3:1-2 "Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentile, shewing all meekness unto all men." So I now started to realize that I needed to respect not just the Presidents I liked and voted for but all.  If God put George Bush in office, I have to acknowledge the same when Obama gets elected.  This verse helped me to temper some of my comments, and I do try and show respect towards Obama as President even though down deep I really do not like him. How do I balance all this is my life? How do I stand for what I believe when I feel it is at odds with what our current President is doing? How do I resolve my feelings for imperfect parents that I had and that I was? It bothers me to see the disrespect given to all our police officers after a couple of bad incidents. Are we as a nation reaping what we sowed? I often think of 2 Chronicles 7:14 and I have known some time that we as a nation need to repent. But as I think about this fifth commandment and the lack of respect we see displayed every day in this nation towards our law enforcement officers and our Federal and State leaders from the President on down, are we reaping what we have sown? I have written some time back about dysfunctional families like the one I was raised in, and it really is commonplace to come from a dysfunctional family.  I know many stories worse than my own. I have considered that sometimes we grow up with a twisted view of God because of an imperfect Father in our earthly family below. These Pastors have helped me to realize that honor does not mean we have to agree with and obey everything our earthly parents say. Honor means to give weight to consider what parents tell us. Even ungodly parents can give us good advice. We don't have to agree with everything we hear from the authorities in our lives from our parents on down. But do not take what they say lightly. God sets up kings and takes them down, God is sovereign, Perhaps God gives us a ruler to punish us for our disobedience. When we see the trouble in our land today, perhaps we are just now starting to see the need to repent as given to us in 2 Chronicles 7:14. The honor we are told to give to parents in the fifth commandment is not dependent on them having been a good parent. It is a blank statement, no disqualifiers. It does not say to honor them only if they were good parents. It says to honor period. So it is with all authority, all must be given respect. Civil authority is ordained by God. Just because of a less than perfect past, does not give us the right to dishonor and disrespect our civil authorities. These commandments are a mouthful and I do not think I understand any of them in their fullness.  It really makes me wonder what we are to reap. We need to turn this around in this country and repent again and again as God sheds new light on our wicked ways. I think I am just beginning to understand,  2 Chronicles 7:14  The Bible is relative to our lives and the sooner we realize it and change, the better off we'll be.  God bless, LVZ.