Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, a day to celebrate love. But what is love? Why does it seem so strong at times and so weak at other times? Why is what we see of love in the media so different from what the Bible speaks of?
True love was invented by God. God is the author and sustainer of true love. True love is the basis of everything right and good in the world. True love is the basis of a strong family.
Today, we are beginning a new message series called “Building Strong Families.” What do I mean when I use the phrase “a strong family”? A strong family is a family that is strong in their love for God. A strong family is a family that is strong in their love for one another. Finally, a strong family is a family that is strong in showing God’s love to those outside the family.
Since God is the creator of love and families, it makes sense to see what God’s Word has to say about building strong families. The Bible teaches that when families are built on the right set of family values they will grow strong with healthy loving relationships between husbands and wives and between parents and children. The values that we are going to be looking at are not a new invention of the 21st century. God gave 10 values for family living thousands of years ago. They are God’s Big Ten, we call them the Ten Commandments.
The Ten Commandments are foundational values. They are the foundation of our entire judicial and legal system. These commandments are not just for governments, they are for families which are the building blocks of America. The Ten Commandments are written down in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5.
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (NIV) These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
So the commandments are for parents and for parents to teach to their children. Why did God give the 10 commandments? Not to hurt you or to make life difficult, but to help you. Not to punish you, but to protect you. If I tell my child “Don’t touch the hot stove” am I doing it for my good or their good? I doing it for their good. So God gives you the 10 commandments for your benefit, to warn you so that you won’t get hurt in life.
The universe operates by universal laws. We have physical laws like the law of gravity. If you ignore that law you will hurt yourself and others. In the same way there are spiritual laws. If you break those you will hurt yourself and others as well. The 10 commandments are not the 10 suggestions. If you live by the 10 commandments you and your family will be blessed by God. If you disobey them things are going to go very badly for you and your family.
Listen to or watch my February 13, 2011 message Putting God First.