Following the Rules

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “ 'Love the Lord your God with all your
heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'
This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second
is like it. 'Love your neighbors as yourself.'
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matt: 22:36-40 (NIV)

When our son was in grade school, we had a volleyball net that we also used for badminton.
Neither he nor I were good at the games but we tried to have fun when my husband would set it up for us.
One day I realized our son made up the rules as we played–always benefiting himself. I explained to him that we shouldn’t do that. He responded with, “But Mom, its more fun.” meaning it was more fun for him.

Once when we were camping at a local state park with the church we attended at that time, I had to warn our pastor's wife of our son's penchant of changing the rules of the game as he went. She, in turn admonished the others for their own good.

Don't we see that in our world? People changing the rules as they go along. Haven’t we, as a society,made shortcuts through life that seem to benefit ourselves rather than others?

God gave Moses a set of rules for us to follow. We call them The Ten Commandments. Jesus told the Pharisees about the greatest and second greatest Commandments. Then He told them “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Our heavenly Father sees when we don't follow His rules. And God always has the last say. We,as a people, have become complacent about obeying the dictates of our heavenly Parent. As time for His Son's return comes near, shouldn't we, as a society, study His word and repent of our sin and reapply those rules–His rules–to our hearts.