Flourishing Life

I’ve come up with an idea: a way to contemporize the Ten Commandments. I thought I would offer these as a way of making the Bible more approachable. I was thinking about producing a new film, instead of  “Moses and the Ten Commandments,” I’ll name my film, “Moses and the Ten Suggestions.” Instead of someone in the lead role like Charlton Heston, I thought we’d go with Larry the Cable Guy.

Moses and the Ten Suggestions

1. I am the Lord thy God, thou shalt not have many other gods before me.

2. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain unless you hit thy thumb with a hammer, or someone cuts you off in traffic, or you get a bad grade on an exam, or… oh what the heck, don’t do it unless something bad happens.

3. Remember the Sabbath day is the day for golf, fishing, shopping, sleeping in, thy kid’s sporting events, or anything that seems mildly fun or interesting.

4. It’s probably a good idea to call thy mother on Mother’s Day. Dad can take care of himself.

5. Thou shalt not murder anyone who doesn’t deserve it.

6. Thou shalt not commit adultery unless thy spouse has not been paying attention to you lately.

7. Thou shalt not steal when someone is watching.

8. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor if telling the truth is to thy advantage.

9. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, unless it’s really, really cool.

10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, unless she’s really, really hot.

Unfortunately, this is how some of us approach the commands of God, we obey when it’s convenient, when someone else is watching, when it won't cost us too much. We fail to realize the instructions from God that are in the Bible, the commandments God gives are for the purpose of helping us live the very best life possible. The commands of God are really life preservers, boundaries set up to empower us to live a life of happiness, wholeness, and abundance.

Jesus says: “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (John 14:15 NIV84). If we really want to show God how much we love him we can follow his plans and principles because he loves us so much. You’ll never regret following God.