"The Ten Commandments are not rules to obey as a personal favor to God."
That is a quote from an address given by Cecil B. DeMille, director of the epic biblical film The Ten Commandments, to the student body at Brigham Young University. He then went on to say,
“God does not contradict Himself. He did not create man and then, as an afterthought, impose upon him a set of arbitrary, irritating, restrictive rules.
He made man free—and then gave him the Commandments to keep him free” (“Commencement Address,” in Commencement Exercises, Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year [31 May 1957], 4–5).
That line of thinking is a tough sell. But it is still true.
I listened to another address given to BYU students by Elder Paul Johnson that echoed DeMille's words while I walked on the treadmill yesterday.*
The title of his address was, "Free to Choose Liberty or Captivity". THIS IS A GREAT TALK! You should stop reading this blog and listen to it right now. Just do it.
Before this blog post continues, consider the following:
1. There is a God.
2. He wants us to be free.
3. There is a Satan.
4. He does not want us to be free.
There is a quote in this talk that has stuck with me since I heard it.
"When we obey Satan, we give him power. When we obey God, He gives us power."
Satan can't take our freedom, but we can give it to him. Pick a sin, any sin, do a little thought experiment and follow it's effects to the end and you will see this is true.
Take a look at the 10 commandments. Stealing? Lying? Coveting? Adultery? Murder? Eventually, they will mess you up and take away your freedom in one way or another. But if you truly keep the first five commandments, even the first one, you will never want to do the last five to begin with. Problem solved.
The first commandment always sounds more understandable to me when it comes from Jesus in the New Testament:
"Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Matthew 22:36-40
When you love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, you loves others also. (1 John 4:21) If you love others, you aren't going to be lying, stealing, and all the rest.
3. “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain” (Exodus 20:7).
4. “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8).
5. “Honour thy father and thy mother” (Exodus 20:12).
6. “Thou shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13).
7. “Thou shalt not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14). I
8. “Thou shalt not steal” (Exodus 20:15).
9. “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour” (Exodus 20:16).
10. “Thou shalt not covet” (Exodus 20:17).
You want to be free? Obedience doesn't sound like free to you? Remember the quotes at the beginning of this post. Those commandment aren't to keep us from being free, they were given by a loving God to keep us from being enslaved, entangled, or generally messed up and unfree.
“ This is not the message we get from the world, but it is the truth. Real power, the power to become like the Savior, is only found in obedience. Real freedom is found in obedience—in subjecting ourselves to God’s will rather than to the will of the flesh or the will of the devil. Freedom through obedience: this sounds like a paradox, but those who have lived this way can testify it is true. Obedience brings power, freedom, joy, peace, and hope." --Elder Paul V. Johnson
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