Voice:
Today is the 21st of April, Tuesday. Let’s gather our scattered thoughts and be still in His presence.
We pray:
Almighty and everlasting Father,
we thank you that you have brought us safely
to the beginning of this day.
Keep us from falling into sin or running into danger;
order us in all our doings;
and guide us to do always what is right in your eyes:
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Psalm 36
Transgression speaks to the wicked
deep in his heart;
there is no fear of God
before his eyes.
2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes
that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.
3 The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit;
he has ceased to act wisely and do good.
4 He plots trouble while on his bed;
he sets himself in a way that is not good;
he does not reject evil.5 Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
6 Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;
your judgments are like the great deep;
man and beast you save, O Lord.7 How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
8 They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
9 For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light do we see light.10 Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you,
and your righteousness to the upright of heart!
11 Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me,
nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.
12 There the evildoers lie fallen;
they are thrust down, unable to rise.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as It was in the beginning, is
now, and shall be forever. Amen.
The Old Testament Reading today is from Exodus 20:1-17. Let us hear again the Ten Commandments:
And God spoke all these words, saying,
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
13 “You shall not murder.
14 “You shall not commit adultery.
15 “You shall not steal.
16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
A Fresh Reflection on the Ten Commandments
Today’s passage brings us to the Ten Commandments. But let us approach them differently.
Resist the instinct to turn them into a checklist.
Do not begin mentally counting how many you have broken.
Do not assume this is God’s way of making you feel guilty.
For that is not how these commandments were first given.
They came from the One who had already saved His people. In Book of Exodus 20, God speaks not as a distant judge, but as a deliverer:
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”
The commandments are not a ladder to earn His love.
They are a response to a love already given.
In verse 20, we are told that God teaches us to fear Him so that we may not sin. This “fear” is not terror, but reverence—a deep awareness of who He is. As Scripture reminds us, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Book of Proverbs 9:10).
God gives these commandments because He desires our flourishing. He loves us enough to show us how life is meant to be lived.
The first four commandments speak of our relationship with Him.
They call us to exclusive devotion—like a marriage covenant.
God is not one among many; He is the One who has bound Himself to us.
The last six commandments shape our relationships with others.
They form the foundation of trust, justice, and harmony in human community.
Imagine a world where these are ignored—
where honour is absent, truth is optional, and life is cheap.
Chaos would not be the exception; it would be the norm.
This is why these ancient words still echo today.
Even in secular societies, much of what we call justice, dignity, and moral order has been shaped by this inheritance. The moral framework we often take for granted finds its roots here.
So today, do not read the commandments as condemnation.
Receive them as invitation.
They are not chains—but guardrails.
Not burdens—but wisdom.
Not a record of your failure—but a path into life.
The Collect for today
Almighty Father,
who in your great mercy gladdened the disciples with the sight of the risen Lord:
give us such knowledge of his presence with us,
that we may be strengthened and sustained by his risen life
and serve you continually in righteousness and truth;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
Amen.
Be blessed by David Forlu’s More than a Song
Daily Devotion 
Leave a comment