Verse of the week

'I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall...' Exodus 20:2-3

What is it that makes you a member of your school? Is it your school tie, or the fact you turn up on time (hopefully!) at the school building each day, or hoping your school rugby team win? Actually no, it isn't...after all, I could do all those things myself, and I wouldn't be a member of your school! What makes you a member of your school is that you were accepted on your first day; maybe you passed an exam, or signed on to go to that school. You wear your school uniform because you're already a part of the school, not because wearing it makes you part of that school.
It's the same with being part of God's people; often it's easy to think that behaving like part of God's people is what makes us part of his people. I go to church; I say my prayers; I don't steal or lie or gossip; I go to youth group. Surely that's what makes someone part of God's people, a Christian?
Well, no, and that's what God's reminding his people here. He's about to give them the Ten Commandments, the summary of how his people live; but first he reminds them why they are his people. It's because he's rescued them from 'the land of slavery'. It's because in the Exodus he gave them a lamb to die instead of them. God's people are God's people not because of anything they've done, but because of what God's done. And it's the same today. Christians have been rescued from eternal slavery to sin and hell by God, by him sending his Son Jesus to die instead of us. So Christians must never think that what they do is what makes them part of God's people; they're already part of God's people, because of what God has done.
But God goes on to give the Ten Commandments, which is a bit like your school uniform. Wearing your school uniform doesn't make you a member of your school; but if you are already a member of that school, you wear the uniform. It's part of the rules of the school which you obey as a member. Likewise with being part of God's people. He has rescued Christians, made them his people, so that he can rule them, as his people live his way. That's why he reminds his people that he's rescued them, and then says 'You shall'. Living by God's rules is not what makes us part of God's people, but it's how we live as God's people.
So Exodus 20 is a useful reminder that we must always look to Jesus and his death and not to ourselves and our actions for the reason we are part of God's rescued people; but as part of that people, we are ruled by God. You'd never not bother wearing your school uniform, because wearing it is what you do as part of that school; so never not bother to obey God's rules, because being ruled by God is what you do as part of his rescued people.