God's Commands
- Jack Selcher
- Jun 30
- 3 min read
Jon Meacham wrote in And There Was Light that when Abraham Lincoln ran for re-election as President in 1864, freeing the slaves wasn’t negotiable for him, even though compromising would have gained more votes. At the risk of defeat, he refused to change his position.
Such commitment to one’s principles is rare among current politicians. After they are elected, they fight like cornered tigers to remain in office. They drink the power public office provides and quickly become addicted to it. They enjoy controlling people.
With a few exceptions, they appear to do things for their constituents, but the real reason is so their constituents will re-elect them! Self-interest masquerades as and takes priority over caring for their people when they must choose between the two. We have few Abraham Lincolns these days.
Sinful human nature dominates others if necessary to reap the benefits. It operates in all political parties, almost all the time. Always has and always will.
Politicians promise to fix problems to get elected, but quickly forget most of their promises. They want control and have it once they garner the most votes in a democratic system.
The supreme leader in ancient Egypt was like that. Even the Lord of heaven and earth wasn’t going to tell Pharaoh what to do. “Is that so?” retorted Pharaoh. “And who is the Lord? Why should I listen to him and let Israel go? I don’t know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go” (Exodus 5:2 NLT).
Since the beginning of time, political leaders have maintained control over people for their own gain. That is true in democracies and dictatorships.
All of this to highlight that God’s commands have no self-serving dimension. The same love, compassion, kindness, mercy, grace, and goodness of God that answers our prayers and sends His Son to Calvary’s cross generate his commands for our good.
“Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?” (Romans 8:32 NLT). The expected answer is yes.
The “everything else” includes everything we need to live a godly life (2 Peter 1:3). God’s laws light the narrow path of really fulfilling living. We must choose daily whether we will walk on it.
Unlike most politicians, God gives sacrificially. Christians must obey the laws of the land (Romans 13:7). How much more should we follow the One whose laws are the GPS leading us toward a rich and satisfying life (John 10:10)?
Jesus didn’t come to abolish God’s laws because there was something seriously wrong with them. “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose” (Matthew 5:17 NLT). What is that purpose?
From the beginning, God’s laws were intended to give us a life that is meaningful and fulfilling when we set loving Him and our neighbor as ourselves, as our highest priority (Matthew 22:37-39). Who/what we love shapes our lives for better or worse. God’s commands are people-serving, people-building, people-protecting, and people-lifting.
God deserves to lead us based on His impeccable character, knowledge, and skills. He is one of a kind. He is holy and devoid of selfish motivation, all-knowing, and all-powerful.
He is infinitely worthy of our worship and service, but unlike dictators, He doesn’t force us to worship and serve Him on earth. We are free to live a self-absorbed life, if we choose, but not free from its life-destroying consequences. See additional free spiritual growth resources for Christians. #discipleshipresources #evangelismresources #christianleadershipresources
See free spiritual growth resources for Christians at https://www.christiangrowthresources.com.
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