This past week, my Sunday School lesson was on "God Speaks and We Respond." As I studied the lesson, I thought, "Well, we should respond, but I am not sure that we do; even those of us who are called His children." After all, God speaks in the Bible, His Word. How well do we live by it?
Humankind does fairly well at following the Ten Commandments, probably because most countries base their laws on these. If we break one of the Ten Commandments, we may also find ourselves in legal trouble, facing jail time, etc. But what about the other commandments, especially the guidance that Jesus gave during His ministry?
The country has recently been abuzz about the failed execution of Christa Pike, who brutally murdered another woman years ago. However, those who protest this as cruel to her also think it perfectly okay to kill an unborn child, calling it a woman's right to do what she wants with her body. What about the words of Jesus on murderous thoughts in the heart?
Later in that same conversation, Jesus tells us not to worry about provisions in our lives and reminds us how God takes care of all of nature without any obvious effort. Matthew 6:21 asks, "How can we make a change through worry?" The World Health Organization defines stress as "a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation" and as "a natural human response that prompts us to address challenges and threats in our lives." Notice that this is a natural human response, as opposed to the response that Jesus gave us: not to worry.
In Malachi 3:6, we read, "For I am the LORD; I do not change." Murder has not changed as a "Thou shalt not," and worry and stress have never become okay in God's eyes. When God speaks, we still need to respond with "Yes, Sir, I will do that" because God still knows best.
