|
| (Part 2) Do the Ten Commandments Apply in Today’s World? |
|
| |
You have left some thought provoking comments on the first part of this blog Do the Ten Commandments Apply in Today’s World? (Part 1). I hope that the thoughts shared here will make you think more about what the Ten Commandments mean to you in a world that seems to have forgotten their existence.
One of the hardest commandments for me to follow is Honor your Father and Mother…my mother was easy to honor, but my dad, not so easy. He never physically abused me, but he did emotionally. He never showed love, rarely ever told me he loved me, was a very negative, selfish person, and treated most other people with disrespect, especially as he got older. It seemed as if nothing I did was good enough. I went through my life constantly butting heads with him over everything I did (or didn’t do). We actually had a fight not long before he died because I took his car away from him. His doctor had told him not to drive, and I had told him that also, as well as other people in my family. He was endangering not only his life, but that of others as well, but he didn’t care about that (he actually told me that!).
So how do you show respect to someone who is hard to respect? Every time I went to visit him I would come home in a horrible mood. Especially after my mother died. I got so I would make excuses not to go see him. Once he got sick, he was even worse to be around, and although I still went to see him, it was the most difficult of times for me. After he died, I had to make peace with him, and forgive him for the way he had treated me and others in his life, and forgive myself for not being a better daughter. I couldn’t have done it without God’s help.
Does a parent deserve our honor if they don’t earn it?
Another commandment that I think is difficult to follow is to not make for ourselves an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below….
How many things in our lives could be classified as idols? I think sometimes children can become idols to a parent. We can make an idol out of a celebrity figure, or objects such as computers, or televisions, etc.
The dictionary says that an idol is “1. An image, as a statue, worshiped as a deity. 2. Any person or thing devotedly admired.
That covers a lot of things! I think we all could be guilty of this in some way. Where do we draw the line?
God set down these Ten Commandments as guidelines for us to follow. They are what our law system is based on, and yet, some would have religion taken completely out of the courts. How can our country survive without the basis of religion that it was founded on? What are your thoughts?
|
|
| To add a comment to "(Part 2) Do the Ten Commandments Apply in Today’s World?" |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| June 30, 2007 |
 |
|
|
| Lisa, thanks for the great comments, and I do understand what you are saying. We don't have to agree with our parents to honor them...it took me a while to figure that out, and it was all a part of forgiving my dad after he died. I forgave him for me, not for him. |
|
|
| June 30, 2007 |
|
|
|
Yes there has never been a time on earth where the 10 commandments were easy.today's times especially,but it is harder to live with out them than with them or at least stirving to live up to them all,as we all know we cannot or Jesus would have not had to die for us as the only sinless one so we can go to heaven and not be accountable for our sinful ways in heaven since we will be perfect and covered in the blood.I do think we should all examine carfully the 10 commandments more and pray hard for God to show us how to follow them in our life's and what area's we really fall short.I pray He shows us all as we can handle it and work on it with His help to immulate Jesus in our daily walk with Him.To shine for all the world to see and want what we have.(Jesus in our live's)
All my love and His from above,Diana ds123zz |
|
|
| June 30, 2007 |
|
|
|
Lisa, thanks for your message and the words that you found. Having a closer relationship with God definitely helped me to forgive.
Diana...thanks for those wise words. We do anything with God's assistance, we just have to let Him help us. Blessings to you both ~Deb~ |
|
|
| June 30, 2007 |
|
|
|
I have to agree with PslamGirl on this one. Honoring is a lot different than loving. Quite honestly, if you fight with your parents all the time, one way to honor them may be to limit your time with them. If by limiting your time you can speak of them to others in a better light, then you are giving honor. By carrying their name forward, you give honor. By putting a gravestone up where they are buried, you give honor. We don't teach honor in the US any more, so many of us don't know it when we see it.
Regarding the idol law...my spouse is the closest thing that comes to an idol with me. She doesn't, but it would be easy to let my mind be consumed with her instead of God. I like it that God allows newly weds to take a year off to enjoy each other. It is almost like He knew it would be hard to not fall into that.
I love serving my God and I am so glad He knows my limits and has covered me with His blood. |
|
|
| July 01, 2007 |
|
|
|
DC, I guess I did honor my parents then, even if at sometimes I didn't love my dad (I did love him, but there were times, well you know what I mean)...I still tried to do for him when I could, but in the end I had to limit my time with him or my own sanity would have been gone. Thanks for your comments.
Lisa, my dad was a soldier in the army and fought in WW2. My brother was in the marines and fought in Viet Nam war. They both have two totally different personalities. I get along great with my brother, never did with my dad. lol At any rate, I still tried to honor him. It is easier now that he is gone, which sounds awful, but I guess since we didn't get along well in this life, there is peace now. Does that make sense? Thanks for your comments as well. |
|
|
| July 01, 2007 |
|
|
|
I was thinking about your post about your mother and father. Coming from a similar history, I 've thought about that passage too, and interpreted it to mean, "respect their position as your physical creators and recognize their relation to you, which cannot be undone". In this world, there are good people, there are bad people, and there are every level of people in-between. Everyone makes mistakes, and not everyone is good at parenting (it's definitely a learned skill). Ideally, we would have fantastic relationships with our parents. They would have dedicated their lives to seeking greater truth and improving their own lives so that we can learn from their experience and stellar example. That's ideal, but not always realistic. Just as God wants us to honor family, he also wants us to honor justice and dignity of the human person, and I really don't think that means following blindly when the leader is (sometimes) blind (metaphorically). In my personal experience, no matter what he did or didn't do, he will always be my father. If my relationship is great with him or strained to the point of being cut-off, he will always be my father. It's my duty as his daughter to pray for him and show compassion to try to help in whatever way I can that does not put me or anyone else in unnecessary danger. It's in my best interest not to spit words of hatred about him no matter what injustice I feel has been done to me. Then again, I guess that's true of anyone in our lives. Forgiveness can be very difficult. I took a class on it a few months ago, and I learned a lot. That too is a skill that has to be practiced and learned, as I found out. Wow... talk about going on a tangent, huh? Great topic, as usual! :o) |
|
|
| July 01, 2007 |
|
|
|
| Thought-provoking blog, Deb! |
|
|
| July 02, 2007 |
|
|
|
Kristin, thank you for your thoughts. You have great insight into the situation! And I agree, fogiveness is vitally important to do, but not an easy thing to do. I heard once that it is something you have to choose to do, and sometimes you have to do that on a daily basis, until it is truly released. Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Kathy, thank you...
Lisa, I had to laugh at what your mom said...I could hear my dad saying the same thing. He felt he was entitled too. Thank you for your great comments, as usual :) |
|
|
| July 02, 2007 |
|
|
|
Many parents do not deserve our honor. Does that relieve us of their honor? Perhaps a few other questions will provoke a good answer.
Do our enemies deserve our love? Probably not, but Jesus told us to love them AND pray for them.
Does the guy who demands that we carry his gear a mile deserve it? Maybe, maybe not, but Jesus told us to carry it an extra mile.
Does an enemy suing us in court for the shirt off our backs deserve that shirt? Maybe, maybe not, but Jesus told us to give him our coat too.
Did the guys spitting on Jesus, and harrassing him deserve his forgiveness? Not really, but Jesus prayed for them, saying, Father forgive them, they don't know what they're doing.
I often pray, Father, it's hard to forgive; I choose to forgive; help me to actually forgive from my heart. |
|
|
| July 02, 2007 |
|
|
|
Grant, I agree with all that you said. So true..but so hard to do. Thanks for your comments.
Lisa, I was thinking maybe a part 3, but not sure yet :) I'll keep you wondering for now. |
|
|
| July 02, 2007 |
|
|
|
| Honoring father and mother was hard for me for a time then it was to late to honor my father he was gone he died at 41 and and for thirth four years I have missed him and ofter wished I had honored at least his best wishes for me life might have been very different beter or worse I can not say just different. Honoring my mother was hard as well as she used to much alcohol and had to many husbands. then when I was able to see my self --- after I fecieved Jesus--- I saw I had the same flaws and my children did not honor me I learned to forgive honor and respect her and she in turn grew closer to Jesus before she Died. She had always called herself a backslid christian and did not go to church as she said it would flaunt her condition and she had more respect for God than that. I also learned to love her that seemed the hardest of all as I had hated her for divorcing my Daddy. With both gone home (I say this in faith that if a child is brought up in the way it should go when it is old it shall not depart from it. My Granparents brought them up right. And in the end they were at least studing to show them selves approved. |
|
|
| July 02, 2007 |
|
|
|
| This part about Idols is very dificult for me as I have this need to create Works of art i.e. images the quakers leader and founder neaver has a picture of her self or any thing around her myself I try to consider the building of Solomon's Temple the artifacts the cheribuim the grape leaves and almond buds and so many beautiful things. But most of the artists I see in the street will tellyou they know they are breaking a commandment and they are sinning but they can not stop the calling. Such a conundrum I shurly do not worshib any artistic creation though I admig=re the skill in creating the work. I also know many do worship works of art. |
|
|
| July 02, 2007 |
|
|
|
| Valerie, I can see how far you have come in your walk with Christ just in the comments you made. I think that artists should be encouraged to create...I think that when we forget who the one is that gave us the talent, then we are in trouble. If we give God the glory for the things we do, then we are on the right path. I thank you for sharing your thoughts. |
|
|
Follow this blog
