What the Commandments Are For: One Year Bible Reading for March 26

 Today we read these verses in the One Year Bible:

Deuteronomy 5:1-6:25
Luke 7:11-35
Psalm 68:19-35
Proverbs 11:29-31

Let's look at Deuteronomy 5. Very famous chapter! Here we see the ten commandments. (This isn't the ONLY place they're found in the Bible, but one of them.) Now, when we take a look at these commandments, we see a snapshot of what it means to be called to holiness.

What do I mean by that?

Well, if you've been around the block a time or two, you know that the ten commandments are not just a list of cosmic buzzkill rules put together by a supreme killjoy who wants to rob us of pleasure. Right? Look through the list. It's not intended for us to slavishly follow a bunch of rules just because God "said so" in order to avoid having a good, fun life. Instead, we know that this list is actually ENABLING us to have a great life. If you kill someone, you'll probably go to prison. That's not good for your life enjoyment. If you are envying your neighbor, whether it's for their possessions or for their wife, you're making yourself unhappy. And if you don't get it under control, you'll end up doing something that will make you even MORE unhappy. If you steal, you'll probably get caught and people won't trust you anymore. 

Now, take a step back and realize that this same logic applies to our entire lives, and our call to holiness. God doesn't call us to be holy so He can kill our joy. Instead, He calls us to the best life we can possibly live - and that life is found in holiness.

So trust Him, ask Him to help you become holy, and get ready for some serious joy.

God, thanks for teaching us what rules are for.