Every New Year that rolls around, I begin to make my list of my resolutions.  I’m almost certain that it is about the same each year:  Exercise, eat healthy, spend more time with God, and on and on.  Every year, I do well the first week.  However, by the second and third week come around, I am already back to my old habits and nothing has changed.  Why is this so difficult?  Why can’t I just do what I need to do – and do it?

Moses is on the mountain with God.  God gives Moses the two tablets with the Ten Commandments.  However, while Moses is on the mountain, the Israelites are getting impatient for his return.  So, they go to Aaron – Moses’ brother, and say, “We need a leader!  Make gods for us to lead us.”  Aaron instructs them to take off their gold earrings.  He then throws the gold into the fire and out comes this Golden Calf.  They begin to worship the Golden Calf.

God knows this is going on while Him and Moses are on the mountain.  God is very angry and wants to destroy the whole camp – because already they have broken the first commandment: “You shall have no other gods before me.”  But, Moses convinces God to change his mind.  But, when Moses goes down the mountain and see what the Israelites are doing, he becomes so angry that he throws the Tablets and breaks them in into pieces, melted the Golden Calf in the fire, scattered it on the water, and made the Israelites drink it.

Why did God give us the Ten Commandments knowing we could not follow them?

I believe that we make our New Year’s resolutions because we know we need to change – to be transformed into the people we want to be – healthy, educated, better moms and dads, or whatever the case may be.  God gave us the Ten Commandments because God wants us to be transformed into a better person and do the Christ-like thing in any given situation.  However, not only do we make our resolutions almost impossible to follow, but also, God gave us Commandments that are impossible to follow!  It’s too hard!  We are sinful people by nature!  We have the word, FAIL across our foreheads before we even get started!

God knew we would not be able to follow those Commandments!  The Israelites proved that before they even saw the Tablets!  I believe the only chance we have is to not only make God a priority in our life, but to make God our LIFE!  In other words, I don’t believe that God wants us to fail.  I believe God wants us to love Him as much as He loves us!  It’s why God sent His Son into the world – to break that barrier of sin so that you and I can have a relationship with Him!

I promise you that you cannot follow those Ten Commandments.  The only chance you have is to ask God into your life – where God becomes your LIFE!  God’s amazing grace will engulf you – transforming you into the person that He intended you to be on this earth.

Let us pray…Gracious God, every day we try to do the right thing and follow your rules; however, we continually mess up and do the very thing we don’t want to do.  Help us to turn to you where you offer us your amazing grace.  We love you so much, Amen.