For if we deliberately sin after receiving the knowledge of truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire about to consume the adversaries.  Hebrews 10:26 HCSB

There were a number of times when I heard my parents say to me, “You know better than that!” These were times when I had been taught to do something and didn’t do it or had been taught not to do something and did it. They had taught me a better way to live, but I had messed up.

You see, where I got into trouble with my parents was when my will did not align with their will. Our pastor says that when God says “Thou shalt not,” He is telling us not to hurt ourselves. He is trying to steer us away from sin because sin is dangerous for us. Just as a parent would tell a toddler not to touch a hot stove. God tells us, through His holy word, what he expects us to do and not to do. He makes His will known to us as we study His word. We avoid trouble when we align His will with our will.

In Matthew 22:37, Jesus sums up the Ten Commandments with two commands. First He tells them that they must love the Lord their God with all their heart, all their soul, and all their mind. Secondly, He tells them they must love their neighbors as they love themselves. He told them this because He knew that if they loved the Lord with all their heart, soul, and mind it would be easy for them to keep the commandments. Especially those  that tell us not to have idols or any gods before Him, not to use His name in vain and to keep the Sabbath holy. He also understood that if we loved our neighbor as we loved ourselves we would not lie, slander, murder, covet and steal from others. So by doing these two things, we have all ten commandments covered. They make it clear what we are expected to do and not to do.

When we love the Lord with all our heart, and all our soul, and all our strength, we develop a close relationship with Him. When we enter into this close relationship, we have clearer communication through Bible study and prayer. This enables us to better understand what God wants us to do and what He wants us no to do. God’s word is clear on what we are to do and what we are not to do, but the problem comes when we don’t know enough about what’s found in His holy word. This is why we must read not only read, but study our Bibles.

When we do this, we know better. We know what God expects of us. We have a good instruction manual on how we should live. We have instructions for how we should treat our parents, our neighbors, our siblings, and our children.

My parents were very clear about what they expected from me. I knew what I was expected to do and what I was expected not to do. I also knew that if I let them down, there would be consequences. Our heavenly Father also has expectations and also has consequences. James 4:17 tells us that it is a sin for the person who knows to do what is good and doesn’t do it. Our scripture passage today tells us that our deliberate sin will bring a terrifying expectation of judgment.

Are you doing something that you know you shouldn’t be doing? Are you not doing something that you know you should be doing? If you know it’s not right, then obviously you know better. Make it right with God before it is too late. God tells Moses in Exodus 34:6 that He is slow to anger, rich in faithful love and truth. In verse 7, God tells Moses that He will maintain faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving wrongdoing, rebellion and sin. But, He will not leave the guilty unpunished.

God doesn’t give us a free pass to sin. He doesn’t give out get-out-of-hell-free cards to those who reject Him and are disobedient. Trust and obey, it’s as simple as the song says. Trust in God and know that He will take good care of you. Obey Him and live in His shelter and protection. Enjoy the peace and joy that comes from a life of obedience to Him. James 1:22 tells us that we must not only hear God’s word, but we must do God’s word. When we know better, we are expected to do better.

Have a great day!