Hi friends! So glad you are here for this month’s discussion questions! I do hope this new monthly format enables you to feel some freedom in going at your own pace with our month’s book choice and to better digest what you’re reading.
There was a lot to swallow in this month’s book “Ten Words to Live By.” For a short book, Jen Wilkin delivered such an impactful and meaty overview of the Ten Commandments. She showed that each commandment wasn’t such an “easy” word to keep by delving into each command. I’ve been hearing about the Ten Commandments since I was a little girl in Sunday School but I was so challenged and convicted by each Word. With a non-judgmental tone Jen made me realize how many of these commands I’ve actually broken (and of course thought I was doing so well at keeping!) and got right to the heart of each one.
But the good news for all of us is that Jesus paid the price for us. We can delight in His commands while also knowing we will never perfectly obey them. But we don’t stop there. We can walk hand in hand, rules and relationship, loving God, and our neighbors.
I can’t wait to hear what you thought of “Ten Words” and what your answers are to the discussion questions. Thank you for reading along with me!
Here are the discussion questions:
*Before reading this book, how would you have rated yourself on obeying the Ten Words? After reading it, would you rate yourself differently? What accounts for the difference?
*Do you believe rules prohibit relationship in relation to God? Or do they allow for a greater relationship with God? Explain.
*Which commandment challenges you the most? Which word stood out to you the most?
*How do you see Law and Grace working hand in hand after reading this book?
*How do these Ten Words lead us to Christlikeness?
*How do the Ten Words show us how to honor God, individuals, and community?
*Do you struggle with feelings of contempt? Did this explanation of how contempt leads to violence, adultery, theft, false witness, and coveting feel true, especially in our politically charged culture today?
*Do you feel that the Ten Words are applicable to God’s people today? How can we begin to live these commandments out in our daily lives?
*How does obeying the Law reveal our relationship with God to others?
*After reading this book, do you feel a greater delight in God’s Word and a greater desire to obey it? Do you feel that the Ten Words are a gift to us from God?
Scripture for the Month:
Exodus 20:2-17
Matthew 5:27-28
Matthew 6:24
1 John 5:3
John 14:15
Prayer for the Month:
Father God, we thank You for the ten words You have given to us. Help us to meditate on them and obey them. Search our hearts and help us to know where we might be disobeying You. Help us to be humble and honest with ourselves and with You. I pray that any conviction we have felt in reading this book will lead us closer to You and not away from You. Would You help us to have the desire to obey You and to delight in Your word and in being obedient to You? We know we have hearts that can be hard and we need Your help. Thank You for loving us and for the relationship that we can have with You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
For Next Month:
Check out THIS POST for all the details for October!
This book really opened my eyes to understanding the depth and seriousness of the Ten Commandments. I thought I had a pretty good understanding of what they are and the reasons for them, but after reading this book, I have so much to process!
What stood out to me right away was how the author calls out God as our Deliverer (in relation to the First Word). I have mentioned in previous responses how I have seen Jesus as Savior but not so much as Lord. Interestingly, I have seen God as Lord but not dwelt on Him much as Deliverer.
Let me keep it real: my family is going through some craziness right now and a big part of that involves being delivered from a variety of things. I’m hanging on by a thread and having to remind myself not only where my help comes from but also my deliverance. It doesn’t come from this world, that’s for sure! Even on the “good” days, deep down we know we can’t put our faith or hope in people or things because they are subject to change. We’re going to be continually disappointed if our joy or peace is dependent upon them – or ourselves for that matter.
It’s very tempting for me to go into hibernation when major difficulties present themselves. Generally, I’m the type who jumps right in and tackles tasks, but when there are major surprise attacks, I can easily freeze up and retreat. Like the Israelites, I don’t think about The Promised Land but rather trespass back into slavery (Interesting how that word “trespass” can function both as a type of transition as well as sin in that sentence!).
There is absolutely no restoration in this “Egypt” mentality. And yet how we seem to enjoy it! Perhaps this is because we have been misinterpreting the term “Sabbath.” As the author points out, the Sabbath “…is not merely rest that restores, but rest that reorients.” (Page 66) At the root of the Ten Words is a reorientation of focus; a shift in perspective from that of natural to supernatural, finite to infinite, unholy to holy.
When we try to restore or reorient ourselves, we fail because we’re imperfect. Left to our own devices, we will always drift away from that which is good. Still, we try to do it on our own, which only leads to exhaustion and resignation. I love how the author phrased Jesus’ action of rest on the cross: “He partook of rest, exhaling on the cross…And in His exhale, He breathed out rest for us—rest for our souls.” (Page 70)
True rest is found in Him, and that is also one of the purposes of the Ten Words. Too often we see these as rules that are “so hard to obey” and seemingly out of date. Furthermore, we assume it’ll be more of a hassle for us to incorporate all of them into our day-to-day lives, so we categorize them and pick those that are most important for us to stay away from and carry on – not being too concerned if we break the “minor ones” now and then.
I definitely relate to the author’s mentioning that lust – or any sin for that matter – “is just something to be managed instead of something to be slain.” (Page 105) Where did this managing idea come from? I think it may have something to do with our possible misinterpretation of the “take up your cross” verse. Sadly, I believe we pride ourselves in taking on too much and want to have some type of innocent drama to deal with so we can tell others, “that’s just the cross I have to bear (or manage).” But that’s not what the verse means. “Taking up one’s cross” means dying to self; it is a call to complete surrender of one’s ways – not managing one’s ways – but following Christ’s ways instead.
Where I think we also get hung up is in actually realizing that we have to daily be dying to ourselves. I would love it if surrendering only had to occur once! But because we have to daily surrender and die to ourselves, it can feel like management; therefore, it’s easier for us to think we just need to control our sin rather than slay it every day.
What we have to remember is that while we have to slay sin on a daily basis, Christ already conquered it once and for all, and because we are in Him, we too have overcome it. That’s so much easier said than done though. As the author said, “…heaven is annoyingly invisible, so we turn to the visible and find that we would just as soon store up treasure here.” (Page 116)
The Ten Words point us toward the right kind of treasures; they shine the spotlight on the abundance God provides and wants us to have. “Not only does God see us, He knows us. We are known by Him…Do we care that He knows us?” (Page 118) This question hit me. I think much of the time I take it for granted that He knows me. And, even worse, I often think I know better than Him. As a result, I don’t take my sin as seriously as I should. As the author says, “Our actions are the incarnation of our beliefs.” (Page 135)
We can view the Ten Words as impossible, unrealistic standards or as loving instructions from a Creator who not only made us, but sees and knows us, and desires for us to enter into the abundant life He’s called us to. This is where joy and hope live; this is where true rest resides.
It’s funny how the same idea of our beliefs leading to our habits and actions (from Everyday Faithfulness) is reiterated again in this book. You quoted from page 135 and it’s so like God to impress what He wants us to know again and again in His patient and loving way. Reading your comment made me think of the song “Turn your eyes upon Jesus” and how that is so often the answer for us. We just tend to get so distracted by everything else that’s going on in our lives. Daily chores and circumstances seem so much larger and take up our full view, but when we step back and reorient our gaze we can see those issues grow dim. I love that Jesus knows this and that God gave us these ten words to help us. The more we can surrender and keep our eyes on Him the less we will want to go back to the things He’s already freed us from, and we can live untangled from them too. God’s way just makes so much sense! I frustrate myself by not living 100% by it!
I love reading your comments! They always give me such great insight and make me ponder the book in such a deeper way. Thank you friend!