Ten Core Values for the Christian life (8)

Are you enjoying this series? I sincerely hope these blog posts will give you new insights and revelation about the depth and riches of God's Word.

Let's continue with the eighth commandment: You shall not steal (Exodus 20:15).

Surely, you are not a thief 😀

But let's take this up a notch. Are you generous? Do you rather give than take? It is a sobering fact maybe, but we spend most of our lives accumulating possessions, whether they are the house, the car, the boat, the job, the money, or the mate we desire.

We think more stuff will make us happier and give us a more fulfilled life, although Jesus had quite a stern warning against storing up treasures on earth. How can we shift our all-too-human attitude of gathering into an attitude of giving? Is it truly possible to become cheerful givers? I believe we can!

🔑The key to a fulfilled life is not gathering but giving. And this is not just about material possessions, there is a deep spiritual truth hidden within the eighth commandment. We are not just called to give our hearts to Jesus, we must give it all (wallets included)! Our spirits need to be born again, our souls need to be saved, and our bodies need to be a living sacrifice. Our lives are a generous offering to God.

👉The core value I have attached to the eighth commandment is GENEROSITY.

We live a life of generosity which is the key to a blessed life.

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For more on this topic, read my award-winning book 'GRACE OF GIVING' (Turning the key to enter and experience fullness of life). This book is available on Amazon in your country.

Ten Core Values for the Christian life (7)

The Ten Commandments represent ten core values, spiritual values, that will help us to live a dedicated and fruitful Christian life.

A core value is a principle or belief that a person or organization views as being of central importance. I feel free to say that the Ten Commandments describe values that would make for a happier and safer society... if applied.

Let's continue with the seventh commandment: You shall not commit adultery (Exodus 20:14).

When I first started reading the Bible in English, I struggled with words such as adultery and idolatry. I mixed them up from time to time. But you know what? There is some truth in that. Idolatry is spiritual unfaithfulness while adultery is physical unfaithfulness, which basically means to forsake our first love!

God is spirit and God is love and we are not. We are humans of flesh and blood, and we may wonder: ‘Is it possible to love and keep on loving? Is it possible to be faithful to the end?’

I believe it all starts with receiving God's love, renewing our understanding of that love, and refreshing the way we love Him back. What God wants to establish in our spiritual lives, He will surely use in our day-to-day natural circumstances. God is faithful, even if we are not. The Psalmist wrote: ‘Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life.’ 

👉The core value I have attached to the seventh commandment is FAITHFULNESS.

We are being faithful to our spouses and to God.

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For more on this topic, read my book 'FIRST LOVE' (Embracing the challenge to pursue faithful relationships). This book is available on Amazon in your country.

Ten Core Values for the Christian life (6)

How do we go from Ten Commandments to Ten Core Values? In other words, how can we go from just following rules (Law) to living by convictions (Spirit)?

That's quite a question, isn't it? I hope you are enjoying this new blog series. Let's continue with the sixth commandment: You shall not murder (Exodus 20:13).

We don't need higher education to understand this. Surely, we are not killers. The true question is: Do we value life?

As human beings, we are made in the image and likeness of God. We are uniquely designed triune beings: spirit, soul, and body. We are made in the image of a loving God who is the source of all life.

We are made in the image and likeness of a God who, at the right time, became like one of us... this is the mystery of the Christian faith.

Jesus showed us what God is like. He gave His life for us, to save us from a life of sin and self-destruction. He offers us abundant life!

Maybe they have called you an accident, an incident, even a mistake, or simply illegitimate. Whatever the public opinion; conception is no coincidence. You are wanted and cherished by God, the Creator of the universe.

Life doesn't start with conception and it doesn't end with death. Our existence is eternal, that's the way God designed it. All of life is valuable to Him and it should be to us!

👉The core value I have attached to the sixth commandment is LIFE.

We advocate the protection of life, from life in the womb to the life of the elderly.

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For more on this topic, read my book 'Breath of Life' (A journey into origin & purpose of spirit, soul, and body). This book is available on Amazon in your country.

Ten Core Values for the Christian life (5)

In this new blog series, I have summarized the Ten Commandments (and the subsequent books I wrote) in what I like to call the ‘Ten Core Values’ of a dedicated and fruitful Christian life.

👉No longer is the emphasis on dos and don’ts but on what a life, led by the Holy Spirit, could be like.

So far, we've seen that loyalty towards God, a lifestyle of worship, seeking His presence, and sabbats rest are basic values every believer should live by.

Let's continue with the fifth commandment:  Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you (Exodus 20:12).

‘Honor your father and your mother,’ is a biblical command that has been regarded as wonderful by some and as awful by others. Wonderful for those who grew up in loving households with caring parents. Awful, for those who were mistreated, abandoned, or even abused.

In my book 'Respectfully Yours' I have looked at this commandment from a New Testament perspective, from a grace-perspective if you like. I have purposely used the words of the apostle Paul, who was familiar with both law and grace, as can be read in Ephesians 6:1-4,

Children, it is your Christian duty to[a] obey your parents, for this is the right thing to do. “Respect your father and mother” is the first commandment that has a promise added: “so that all may go well with you, and you may live a long time in the land." Parents, do not treat your children in such a way as to make them angry. Instead, raise them with Christian discipline and instruction.

He recites the fifth commandment and the promise of well-being and a long life. He furthermore adds a call for parents to treat their children well and to raise them according to biblical principles. Respect should be mutual.

👉The core value I have attached to the fifth commandment is RESPECT.

We show respect to our parents, children, and God and at the same time, we are deserving of respect, which will provide us with a long and healthy life.

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For more on this topic, read my book 'Respectfully Yours' (Revealing God's truth about well-being and a long life). The revised edition will soon be available on Amazon in your country.

Ten Core Values for the Christian life (4)

Hopefully, you are enjoying this new series based on the Ten Commandments and the subsequent books I wrote on these topics.

Although the Ten Commandments have not changed, the way we make them come true is totally different under the new covenant. Merely obeying or keeping a set of rules can turn into legalism.

However, making the teachings come true by fulfilling them in our daily lives is a whole different story. That is why I have attached core values to the commandments. 🌻Core values that would make for a happier and safer society... if applied.

So far, we've seen that loyalty towards God, a lifestyle of worship, and seeking His presence are basic values that every believer should live by. Let's continue this blog series with the fourth commandment:  Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy (Exodus 20:8-11).

It might surprise you, but the book I wrote about this commandment is not a promotion for a holy Saturday, or a holy Sunday for that matter. I have left that discussion up to others. I believe that the spiritual truth hidden within the fourth commandment is about honoring God by setting one day a week apart for Him. So, which day of the week that will be, should not be the focus of discussion.

If you are active in ministry, you work on Saturdays (in Messianic congregations) or on Sundays (in most churches) as well as on other days of the week. You will definitely need a day of rest somewhere in the middle of the week, to honor the Lord. I am speaking from my own experience. The apostle Paul wrote:

So let no one make rules about what you eat or drink or about holy days or the New Moon Festival or the Sabbath. All such things are only a shadow of things in the future; the reality is Christ [Colossians 2:16-17].

Let no one make rules, but God of course! For He alone is Lord of the Sabbath. Throughout the centuries people did make rules though. The Jewish leaders did it, the church did it, and if you grew up in a Christian home your parents probably did it. It is sad but true that the rules we made, have often obstructed the blessing that will follow when we take a day of rest after six days of work.

👉The core value I have attached to the fourth commandment is REST

We practice sabbatical rest on a daily, weekly, monthly, and annual basis, and experience a blessed balance in our daily lives.

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For more on this topic, read my book 'Sacred Sabbath' (God's way to multiply our time and restore our joy). The book is available on Amazon in your country.