The 10 Commandments

 

1. "You shall have no other gods before Me."  This would mostly relate to people of the Hindu and Buddhist religions. There is only one God and he is the creator of the whole universe, God the Father. If you are Catholic, Jewish, Christian or Muslim you believe in only God the Father and that is great! Although, Catholic people, make sure Mary doesn't become a god to you. She was just a person, not a deity. 
2. "You shall make no idols."  People have idols today without even realizing it. Your car or house can easily be an idol. Other people can be an idol. Your job can be an idol. Money can be an idol. God is supposed to be number one in your heart, nothing else. 
3. "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain." People do this all the time, even religious people. Don't ever say "Oh my God" flippantly. That is what this means. It is serious when you do that. 
4. "Keep the Sabbath day holy." I don't think it matters to God what day of the week you celebrate as your Sabbath, but you should reserve one day a week to just relax. I have been very strict about this my whole life. It has usually been Sunday for me, but there has always been one day a week where I try to do nothing but watch movies all day or read. It is ideal to listen to sermons or read the Bible on your Sabbath, but as long as you're relaxing, that is the most important thing. The reason it is vital is it keeps you from burning out on life. It keeps you feeling refreshed. 
5. "Honor your father and your mother."  When you consider the amount of money your parents put into raising you and keeping you alive for 18 years, this should be easy. After you have kids, you realize how hard it is to be a parent, and you respect your parents even more for all they did. Your parents for sure weren't perfect, but God still calls us to honor our parents. They deserve to be honored for the sacrifices they made to keep you alive for 18 years. 
6. "You shall not murder." I believe this not only includes the act of murdering, but also having thoughts of murdering another person. You should never, under any circumstances, picture yourself killing anyone else. Actions begin with your thoughts. Guard your thoughts. Don't think, "It's just a thought, so it doesn't matter." Your thoughts definitely matter. Be careful about the way you choose to think about other people. 
7. "You shall not commit adultery."  This can include pornography. It is not just physical affairs that count as adultery. If you are strongly wanting to be with anyone else besides your partner, that is adultery. 
8. "You shall not steal."  There are many forms of stealing now. It is not just shoplifting or breaking into someone's house to steal something. If you want something that someone else has, make sure you ask them if you can have it first. If you don't ask first, they will get very, very mad. Always ask first. 
9. "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor."  This is gossip. If you are making up stories about other people to make them look bad, that is what this means. You might do it about a co-worker to make yourself look better to the boss. Maybe then you can get the promotion instead of them. This is very wrong to do. I have had this done against me many times, but I have never done this to someone else. That is probably why I have never done it, because it was so painful when it happened to me. 
10. "You shall not covet." The key to coveting is being content. Of course other people will have things that you might admire and wish you had, but generally God wants us to be happy with just the things we have. If you have an old car, try to be happy with your old car. If you have a small house, try to be happy with it. You can have passing thoughts that it would be nice to have this or that, but don't let it consume your thoughts. Learn to always be happy with what you already have.