The Ten Commandments Today
Are the Ten Commandments still in force today? They may have been received thousands of years ago, but the truths behind them have not changed.
Even so, they are commandments many of us are able to rattle off without really considering their meanings. One interesting exercise that can help put the Ten Commandments in a different perspective is to take the “thou shalt not” commandments and turn them into “thou shalts.”
The fourth and fifth of the Ten Commandments are “thou shalt” commandments. In other words, they tell us things we should be doing. The others are “thou shalt not” commandments. They give us specific instructions regarding things we should not do.
But just refraining from doing wrong things does not mean that we have done them correctly. So sometimes it helps to think about what we should be doing to keep the commandments, rather than just what we shouldn’t be doing.
Here are some ideas for things we could do to keep these commandments.
1) “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” could become: Thou shalt love and serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart, might, mind, and strength. Thou shalt place this loyalty first in your life, above all other priorities.
2) “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image” could become: Thou shalt worship the Lord and not become infatuated with your own creations. Thou shalt love and care for the earth; thou shalt exercise thy talents for good toward the building up of the kingdom of God; thou shalt serve the Lord only.
3) “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain” could become: Thou shalt speak kindly. Thou shalt take care that the words that come from your lips build people up and build the kingdom of God. Thou shalt call on the Lord in prayer. Thou shalt speak of the Lord and testify of His goodness. Thou shalt use good and wholesome language.
4) “Thou shalt keep the Sabbath day holy.”
5) “Thou shalt honor thy father and thy mother.”
6) “Thou shalt not kill” could become: Thou shalt protect the sanctity of life.
7) “Thou shalt not commit adultery” could become: Thou shalt live the law of chastity and practice sexual relations only within the bonds of marriage. Thou shalt be completely faithful to your spouse, both physically and emotionally.
“Thou shalt not steal” could become: Thou shalt have as property that which was rightfully given to you by purchase or gift, or earned as wages, or earned as natural increase from your own property.
9) “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor” could become: Thou shalt always tell the truth. Thou shalt keep thine integrity and be honest with yourself and with others.
10) “Thou shalt not covet” could become: Thou shalt be grateful for the things you have been blessed with. For everything you have is a gift from your Father in Heaven.
The Savior said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15) President Joseph Fielding Smith, tenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as “Mormons“), gave us this assurance regarding keeping the commandments of God: “If we keep the commandments and are valiant in the testimony of Jesus and are true to every trust, the Lord will guide and direct us and his church in the paths of righteousness, for the accomplishment of all his purposes.” (Improvement Era, June 1970, p. 26.) Surely the Lord will bless us as we strive to keep the commandments that He has given us.
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