Have you ever actually studied the Ten Commandments thoughtfully and carefully? (You can find them in Exodus 20 or Deuteronomy 5.) If you do, you might be surprised how relevant and up-to-date they are, even if you don’t agree with some of them.

In other words, which of them would you do away with, if you could? Would you do away with the commandments forbidding murder, or lying, or stealing? Would you do away with the commandment forbidding greed? I doubt if you’d want to do away with any of these, because no society can be peaceful and harmonious without them.

Perhaps, however, you’d like to do away with some of the other commandments, such as those that demand we put God first in our lives, or even the one safeguarding the family by commanding sexual purity. Some today would like to ignore these, but when we do, we eventually end up in chaos. We’re in danger of becoming like the people of Hosea’s time: “They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind” (Hosea 8:7).

The real issue for you, however, is this: What place does God have in your life? Is He important to you (as He should be), or are you seeking to keep as far away from Him as possible? Don’t be deceived, and don’t mindlessly follow the crowd. Instead, turn to Jesus Christ and make Him the foundation of your life. Jesus’ warning is for you: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it” (Matthew 7:13).

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