Scripture: Exodus 20:1-4
Then God spoke all these words: 2 I am the LORD your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3 You must have no other gods before me. 4 Do not make an idol for yourself—no form whatsoever—of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth.
Thought for the Day: When someone you do not know begins to place limits and constraints upon you, the first reaction is to rebel. How dare this stranger see it within his authority to lord over me! But when you know the person and you feel as if you have a trusted relationship, you find yourself more willing to accept such limits as you assume they must be offered in love. When someone has regularly established a record of doing things in your best interest, you more easily trust a given boundary as a gift of love. As God set out the Decalogue (or what we know as the 10 Commandments), the divine voice reminded the people of the relationship they had with God that started with a loving and liberating act. Though some might see these ten instructions as oppressive and restrictive, they are the very opposite. They are a gift from One who loves us and set boundaries that help both individuals and communities live more fully. To accept that, we must first accept God’s good track record on our behalf. It is the same struggle we had with our parents when they set boundaries. Most often, they knew what they were talking about and did so out of love…but we had to test them nonetheless.
Prayer: Gracious God, may my relationship with you continue to develop so I can more fully trust the healthy perimeters you set. Amen.
A SECOND SUNDAY
