Daily Devotional
God’s Laws are for Our Good

August 19, 2021

Ponder This

In the physical universe there are laws. We don't break the law of gravity; we're broken on it. And in the moral universe there are laws. We have the Ten Commandments. We don't really break the Ten Commandments; we're broken on the Ten Commandments. When we transgress God's Ten Commandments, we have sinned. Sin makes us outlaws. We may be prone to think that we would be better off without the Law since the Law brings recognition of our sin. But this is not right. Moral law is for our welfare. If we didn't have the law of gravity here, we'd have to pull one another down off the ceiling. And moral law is also for our welfare. Every time God says, “Thou shalt not,” He's saying, “Don't hurt yourself.” Every time God says, “Thou shalt,” He is saying, “Help yourself to happiness.” God doesn't need anything; He has everything. God made these laws for us. When we transgress, we break God's Law and we break God's heart because God loves us.

• How have you experienced the Law as a means for your good?
• Think about being a child who must follow certain family rules for his good and about being an adult who must make rules for the good of the family? How does this help you understand the intention of the Law?

Practice This

Write out the Ten Commandments. Next to each commandment, write the ways that come to mind that this law serves for your good.