Happy New Year, everyone. As I write this we’re just a few days into 2014, and there’s still time to set your goals and aspirations for this coming year. Regardless of whether you have locked your resolutions in stone or not, I have a most excellent suggestion as to how you can live the happiest, healthiest, most wise year possible.
Actually, it’s not my suggestion at all. In fact, the word suggestion is also in error. You see, we have a Creator, someone who loves and cares for us enough to give us life, and also who shows us the best way to live our lives. Our Creator is God the Father, the one true God revealed in Holy Scripture. And He spells out quite clearly His “best way to live life” in His Ten Commandments for us.
Our Creator’s loving call to us in this new year is that we again give ourselves over to His commandments because He knows that life lived “His Way” is by far the best way for us to live.
Now, before we go back over what those commandments are, which come through Moses in the Old Testament, we must say this: No matter how hard we try, we will never fully and perfectly keep these commandments of God. Because of our sin, our fallen human rebellion against God, we are incapable of fulfilling His commandments, and we rightfully deserve only His punishment.
However, and that is a huge “however,” God the Father sent His Son, Jesus, to be our Savior, so that we might be forgiven of our failure to keep His commandments, so that we might be forgiven of all our sin. And, of course, that is what makes Christmas so important to us as we celebrate the coming of our Savior into our world to save us.
Therefore, and that’s a huge “therefore,” Jesus’ perfect keeping of God’s commandments gets credited to us simply by us believing in Him — all because God loves us and wants us to live for Him now and for eternity… which brings us back to God’s Best Way of living life as given originally in The Ten Commandments.
Perhaps you have memorized The Ten Commandments, some of us have even memorized a set of explanations, and perhaps you know that there are two different “numbering systems” for the ten. For me, one of the best ways to put God’s Best Way of living into our minds and lives is to know one of my favorite children’s songs called “The Perfect Ten.”
As you prayerfully “resolve” your life for 2014, “may I suggest” God’s Best Way of living your life:
“Number one, we’ve just begun, God should be first in your life.
“Number two’s the idol rule: those graven images aren’t nice.
“Number three, God’s name should be never spoken in jest.
“Number four, the Sabbath’s for our worship and for rest.
“Number five, we all should strive to honor father and mother.
“Number six, don’t get your kicks from killing one another.
“Number seven, life is Heaven when you’re true to your mate.
“Number eight, don’t steal and break this rule for goodness sake!
“Number nine, don’t be the kind who goes around telling lies.
“Number ten, don’t covet when you see your neighbor’s house or wife.
“That’s the list and God insists we stay away from these sins;
“That is why we memorize commandments one through ten.
“The perfect ten, the perfect ten;
“They’re just as true as they were way back when.
“God gave the perfect ten, the perfect ten;
“God gave the perfect ten!
“One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine the perfect ten!”
(This arr. ©2012 PraiseGathering Music.)
As you go back over these, you’ll see that the first four all show us God’s Best Way to live with Him; keeping Him first in our lives, having no priorities over Him, keeping His Name holy, and honoring Him with our worship.
Then you’ll see that the remaining six all show us God’s Best Way to live with others around us in our homes and in our world; obeying and honoring and caring for our parents, refraining from violence, keeping marriage between one man and one woman sacred, refraining from stealing anything that does not belong to us, not speaking derogatory concerning others, and not yearning and plotting to take precious things away from others.
This year when you encounter someone, and that may even be yourself, who is miserable, ineffective, and sour on life, just review the way they/you are living and I believe you will see glaring examples of not living anywhere near God’s Best Way of life.
And when you encounter someone, and hopefully that includes yourself, who is content, productive, and with a true joy about life, just review the way they/you are living and I believe you will see heartening examples of taking God’s love and forgiveness in Christ and living toward God’s Best Way of life.
Yes, these are The Perfect Ten for 2014. Happy New Year.
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[Contact Kollmeyer at princeofpeacefayette.net.]
