HIS TEN COMMANDMENTS

And God spoke all these words, saying: "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me." (Exodus 20:1-3)

When the people of Israel came to Mount Sinai, God spoke the Ten Commandments to them directly - they heard His voice.

It was the beginning of a moral code that was based on God Himself, not on the opinions or desires of men. We believe that the same God speaks a moral code to humanity today.

The idea of a God-based moral code seems to become less and less popular. While the idea of a moral code remains strong, the tendency grows that the moral code should be based on an inner sense of right or wrong, good or bad - and not upon a standard set by God.

There is a persistent impulse to make one's own moral code, apart from God or His revelation.

In the late 1980s, media mogul Ted Turner suggested replacing the Ten Commandments with his own "10 Voluntary Initiatives." Mr. Turner's list was conspicuous in its failure to mention God or religion in any way. These were some of Mr. Turner's Voluntary Initiatives:

1. I promise to have love and respect for the planet Earth and living things thereon, especially my fellow species--humankind.

3. I promise to have no more than two children or no more than my nation suggests.

5. I pledge to use as little nonrenewable resources as possible.

8. I reject the use of force, in particular military force, and back United Nations arbitration of international disputes.

10. I support the United Nations and its efforts to collectively improve the conditions of the planet.

Somehow, Mr. Turner's Ten Voluntary Initiatives just don't seem to replace the importance, dignity, and goodness of the Ten Commandments. We can't improve on these Ten Commandments.

They remain God's wisdom to humanity, received with blessing and rejected at a high price.

Yet remember that before God commanded anything of man, He declared who He is: "I am the LORD your God." Before God commanded anything, He declared what He had done: "Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage."

There is an important point here: because of who God is, and what He has done for us, He has the right to tell us what to do - and we must obey Him. If you think about who God is, and what He has done for you, then it will be a lot easier for you to do what He asks of you.