Keep it Simple! by Phil

I have a whole new appreciation for God. Let me explain…

Our family has always loved games. As the kid’s were growing up, we had regular game nights, and now that they have moved on, we have a dinner and game night once a week with my mom. Playing games is a lot more engaging than plopping in front of the TV and it keeps the wheels clicking in the old noggin.

In between my woodworking commissions I like to experiment with projects to see where my creativity takes me. I’ve made several puzzles in the past, and last week I designed a full blown game I call Circles and Stars. I cut 56 oak tiles, engraved them with various shapes and even made a fancy little carrying box. We tried it out with my mom to fine tune the rules and game play, and fun was had by all. Success!

Since my memory isn’t what it once was, I thought I’d better write down the instructions and rules on how to play. Here’s where the real challenge came in. I wanted to explain the game so someone seeing it for the first time could figure it out. It needed to be complete enough to cover any question that might arise in the future, yet simple enough to be easily understood. Plus it needed to be short - patience is not a strong point for most of us humans!

As I struggled with writing, editing, clarifying, shortening, having Pam read it, re-writing, re-editing… my mind drifted back to God and the wandering Israelites. The rules He needed to communicate were far more important than just a game, and His list is the perfect blending of complete and concise. Let’s take a look in Exodus 20 and how it still applies thousands of years later…

1. “You shall have no other gods before me.” (Vs. 3) - If we got this one right, there really wouldn’t be any need for the rest, but God knew we’d need a bit more detail.
2. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image” (Vs. 4) - We don’t make little idol statues to worship anymore, but that doesn’t mean we don’t still have them. Anything that consumes our time and attention can become an idol, whether that is work, money, possessions, sports, activities… What is worship besides an expression of devotion? If our devotion for anything else is greater than our devotion to God, we just broke rule number 1.
3. “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain” (Vs. 7) - Of course, this applies to cursing, but I think it also touches on our motives. If we justify what we want to do by making it look religious, we are breaking this rule, and most likely rule 2 which also breaks rule 1. A lot of bad and mean things have been done in the name of God and Christianity, from the Crusades to hateful attitudes towards others in and outside the church. But hey, it’s not gossip if it’s a prayer request, right? Ouch.
4. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” (Vs. 8) - God designed us and knows how we work. Rest is crucial for physical, mental and spiritual health. A sabbath is not just a day off, it is our weekly opportunity to refocus and recenter our lives on what truly matters (see rule 1).
5. “Honor your father and your mother” (Vs. 12) - God designed family to be the basic unit of relationship and building block of a community. Boy, have we messed this one up, often times by breaking rule number 7, but first…
6. “You shall not murder.” (Vs. 13) - enough said.
7. “You shall not commit adultery.” (Vs. 14) - This is a slippery slope that leads to so many problems and so much pain for so many people. If it doesn’t involve your spouse, just don’t do it!
8. “You shall not steal.” (Vs. 15) - Appreciate what you have and work for what you want.
9. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” (Vs. 16) - Be nice, and don’t lie! One little lie leads to another until you can’t remember what was true. You could not only damage that relationship, you could ruin your reputation forever. Our integrity is a precious possession and almost impossible to get back after we’ve thrown it away.
10. “You shall not covet…” (Vs. 17) - Contentment and coveting may start with the same letter, but they can’t exist at the same time. How many of our own blessings have we overlooked by jealously focusing on someone else’s? Contentment comes from God, not stuff.

So basically, put God first, no idols, respect His name, keep the sabbath, honor your parents, and don’t kill, cheat, steal, lie or covet. There you have it! God put all the guidelines to be a winner at life in ten simple rules. Jesus narrowed it down even further when He commanded us to “‘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 neighbor as yourself.’” - Matthew 22:37-39.

My game rules may not be perfectly comprehensive and concise, but their goal is only an entertaining diversion for a few hours. God’s rules lead to devotion for a lifetime… and beyond!
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That’s the ultimate high score!
Phil and Pam

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