How Does One Become Righteous?

Today's Reading:

• Deuteronomy 5:1 - 6:25
• Proverbs 11:29 - 31

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Deuteronomy 5:1 - 6:25
I loved these two chapters in Deuteronomy.  These chapters both sum up the commandments and tell us why we should obey them.  These chapters also sum up the events surrounding the issuance of the commandments.  I have a feeling I'm going to really like Deuteronomy for the way it summarizes Israel's journey in a more conversational tone.

There were two sets of verses that most caught my attention today.  The first is 6:5 - 7:

5  You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength

6  And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today.

7  Repeat them again and again to your children.  Talk about them when you are home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.  

 I was thrilled when I read verse 6:5 -- to love the Lord God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength -- because it is such a famous verse, and one I love dearly.  And unlike some of my other favorite verses (like John 3:16), I didn't know where this verse was in the bible.  Such a lovely verse to live by!

Verses 6 and 7 struck me differently.  Here we are told to wholeheartedly give ourselves to the commands, as well as teach them to our children every chance we get.  When I read this it made me wonder how often do I wholeheartedly give in to the Lord's commands?  It seems that I give away to failure too easily.  And don't get me wrong, I'm not talking just about the Big Ten -- but I'm talking about all the ways that we are supposed to live according to Jesus Christ. 

The verse about teaching the children made me pause.  I take my children to church each Sunday and they enjoy going and learning.  I ask them about the things they learned, and I offer them children's bible study packages to complete for "bible bucks".  But what I don't do very often is discuss with them the way that the Lord wants us to live.  I realize now that I need to make an effort to teach this to my children so that they are equipped to handle all of life's situations with grace.

The second set of verses that caught my attention are verses 6:24 - 25:

24  And the Lord our God commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear him so he can continue to bless us and preserve our lives, as he has done to this day.

25  For we will be counted as righteous when we obey all the commands the Lord our God has given us.

 We aren't being told that we need to obey arbitrary commands because the Lord wants us to lead lives that are less fun.  No, we're being told that these commands preserve our lives and that the Lord blesses those who follow his commands. 

I especially like verse 25, because I have seen many references to the righteous and the godly vs. the wicked and those who don't obey.  But this is the first place (that I recall) where we are told how to be righteous.  And it is summed up very nicely, isn't it?  To be righteous, to carry all the blessings and protection of the righteous, one must simply follow the Lord's commands.  That's it.

Proverbs 11:29 - 31

29  Those who bring trouble on their families inherit the wind.  The fool will be a servant to the wise.

30  The seeds of good deeds become a tree of life; a wise person wins friends.

31  If the righteous are rewarded here on earth, what will happen to wicked sinners?

I love how the word "righteous" is used in these verses, after I just wrote about the meaning of the word.  I suppose that if the righteous (those who follow the Lord's commands, as noted above) are rewarded on the earth, so must the wicked be punished on earth.  I know that is not always the case, or that might not seem to be the case from what we see, but I'm really not concerned about the punishment of the wicked.  It will come sooner or later.  But I love that the Lord protects and provides for us who trust in Him.

The Ten Commandments

Today's Reading:

• Exodus 19:16 - 21:21
• Proverbs 7:1 - 5

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Exodus 19:16 - 21:21
God came down from the mountain in the form of fire that billowed smoke while the people trembled in fear.  We then jump into the Ten Commandments as well as crimes and punishment.  I have studied the  Ten Commandments numerous times.  I can't really say that I have gained much enlightenment from reading this time.  The one thing that did catch my attention was a promise given in the fifth commandment:

Honor your father and mother.  Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you. (20:12)

I don't see that any other commandment carries a promise in the commandment itself.  This one, however, says that we will live a long and full life if we honor our parents. 

I love God and I truly do want to be in Heaven with Him but I do want to live a long and full life on Earth.  I also believe God wants us to live our lives also because this isn't the first time I have seen promises of long lives given in the bible.  The point is that I want to live a long life.  I don't think that in itself means that I am not yet ready to be with the Lord and I love it when the bible tells me how to have a long and fulfilling life.

If I had to point out one commandment that I need the most work on, it would probably be fourth commandment to remember the Sabbath day and to keep it holy.  I do go to church regularly and enjoy doing so.  Sunday is also a great day for me to get in extra bible study and posts for this blog. 

The problem comes with avoiding doing the "ordinary" work.  I would suppose this includes ordinary stuff such as laundry (which is always abundant at my house with three kids), cleaning and organizing.  It's hard to try to set all of that aside, although I wouldn't mind doing so! 

I wonder about cooking.  I LOVE to cook, and Sundays are usually filled with me cooking for a few hours -- dinners, fresh baked goods to serve and to freeze, desserts -- you name it, I'm in the kitchen doing it because Sunday is the best and most relaxed time to do it.  I also know that because I've spent the day worshiping the Lord that I am in a great mood and I want to cook and bake for my family and friends. It's one of the ways I show them that I love them. 

So I have to wonder if I am in violation of this commandment by doing so?  It's not really "ordinary" work for me.  Ordinary work would be planning and making dinner and getting it all out in time and cleaned up so that we can move on with the next thing on our list before bedtime hits.  I don't get to make little mini pies and fresh baked breads and time consuming comfort foods like chicken and dumplings during the middle of the week or even on Saturday.  It really is more of a hobby than it is "ordinary work".  So I really hope it is okay.  Anyone have thoughts on this?  But I guess I do need to make an effort to avoid the regular household chores, the things I do because they need to be done.

 Proverbs 7:1 - 5

 Follow my advice, my son; always treasure my commands.  Obey my commands and live!" (7:1-2)

This verse is a prelude to more caution about the immoral woman and extramarital affairs.  Regardless I do not think those words simply apply to that situation.  Funny how I was just writing about God wanting us to live out our lives.  He wants us to be with Him, but He also wants us to have a long and fulfilling life here on Earth.  Stay true to Him and you will find that fulfillment.