OCTOBER 27, 2025
Our Relationship With God is Defined by Love
Deuteronomy 5:1-21 (HCSB)
The Ten Commandments
5 Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “Israel, listen to the statutes and ordinances I am proclaiming as you hear them today. Learn and follow them carefully. 2 The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. 3 He did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with all of us who are alive here today. 4 The Lord spoke to you face to face from the fire on the mountain. 5 At that time I was standing between the Lord and you to report the word of the Lord to you, because you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain. And He said: 6 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery. 7 Do not have other gods besides Me.
8 Do not make an idol for yourself in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. 9 You must not bow down to them or worship them, because I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the fathers’ sin to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 10 but showing faithful love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commands. 11 Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God, because the Lord will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses His name. 12 Be careful to remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy as the Lord your God has commanded you. 13 You are to labor six days and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You must not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, your ox or donkey, any of your livestock, or the foreigner who lives within your gates, so that your male and female slaves may rest as you do. 15 Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out of there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. That is why the Lord your God has commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
16 Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and so that you may prosper in the land the Lord your God is giving you. 17 Do not murder. 18 Do not commit adultery. 19 Do not steal. 20 Do not give dishonest testimony against your neighbor. 21 Do not covet your neighbor’s wife or desire your neighbor’s house, his field, his male or female slave, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
Shelia Leach
From Deuteronomy 5:1–21, I’m reminded that God's commands are more than just rules; they are an invitation into a relationship with Him. In this passage, Moses is speaking to a new generation of Israelites. He’s reminding them of the Ten Commandments, the foundation of God’s covenant with His people. And in doing so, he’s calling them back to the heart of faithful living through obedience rooted in love. These commandments reveal that God is holy, just, and loving and how He desires us to live. This passage gives us clarity. It teaches us how to put God first in our lives, how to honor others, and how to live in a way that reflects God's character. As I reflect on these verses, I find myself asking, “Am I truly putting God first in every area of my life, or have I let other things take His place? Do my choices reflect His holiness, not just in public, but in private moments, too?” These questions aren’t meant to make us feel guilty; they’re meant to lead us to growth. The Ten Commandments aren’t a checklist to earn God’s love; they are a response to it. This week, I encourage each of us to focus on just one of the commandments and ask God to help you live it out. Whether it’s keeping God at the center of your week and not just on Sundays, speaking truthfully, or choosing contentment over comparison. Take that one step of obedience, and trust that He’s walking with you every step of the way.
Let’s pray: Lord, thank You for speaking to us through Your Word. Thank You for giving us clear guidance yet not to burden us, but to bless us. Help us to love Your commands and live them out daily. Give us the desire to obey You from the heart, and to reflect Your goodness and glorify you in all that we do. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Deuteronomy 5:1-21 (HCSB)
The Ten Commandments
5 Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “Israel, listen to the statutes and ordinances I am proclaiming as you hear them today. Learn and follow them carefully. 2 The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. 3 He did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with all of us who are alive here today. 4 The Lord spoke to you face to face from the fire on the mountain. 5 At that time I was standing between the Lord and you to report the word of the Lord to you, because you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain. And He said: 6 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery. 7 Do not have other gods besides Me.
8 Do not make an idol for yourself in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. 9 You must not bow down to them or worship them, because I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the fathers’ sin to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 10 but showing faithful love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commands. 11 Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God, because the Lord will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses His name. 12 Be careful to remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy as the Lord your God has commanded you. 13 You are to labor six days and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You must not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, your ox or donkey, any of your livestock, or the foreigner who lives within your gates, so that your male and female slaves may rest as you do. 15 Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out of there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. That is why the Lord your God has commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
16 Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and so that you may prosper in the land the Lord your God is giving you. 17 Do not murder. 18 Do not commit adultery. 19 Do not steal. 20 Do not give dishonest testimony against your neighbor. 21 Do not covet your neighbor’s wife or desire your neighbor’s house, his field, his male or female slave, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
Shelia Leach
From Deuteronomy 5:1–21, I’m reminded that God's commands are more than just rules; they are an invitation into a relationship with Him. In this passage, Moses is speaking to a new generation of Israelites. He’s reminding them of the Ten Commandments, the foundation of God’s covenant with His people. And in doing so, he’s calling them back to the heart of faithful living through obedience rooted in love. These commandments reveal that God is holy, just, and loving and how He desires us to live. This passage gives us clarity. It teaches us how to put God first in our lives, how to honor others, and how to live in a way that reflects God's character. As I reflect on these verses, I find myself asking, “Am I truly putting God first in every area of my life, or have I let other things take His place? Do my choices reflect His holiness, not just in public, but in private moments, too?” These questions aren’t meant to make us feel guilty; they’re meant to lead us to growth. The Ten Commandments aren’t a checklist to earn God’s love; they are a response to it. This week, I encourage each of us to focus on just one of the commandments and ask God to help you live it out. Whether it’s keeping God at the center of your week and not just on Sundays, speaking truthfully, or choosing contentment over comparison. Take that one step of obedience, and trust that He’s walking with you every step of the way.
Let’s pray: Lord, thank You for speaking to us through Your Word. Thank You for giving us clear guidance yet not to burden us, but to bless us. Help us to love Your commands and live them out daily. Give us the desire to obey You from the heart, and to reflect Your goodness and glorify you in all that we do. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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