The 10 Leaping Lords

"On the 10th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 10 lords a leaping." It's early in the morning on Christmas Eve, and I have so much to do, I need some leaping lords at my beck and call. And they sure better be ready to do some leaping--to deliver presents, to start cooking for tomorrow, to finish up those inevitable folks I always forget, and, how about folding and putting away those 4 loads of laundry? Yes, we could use some leaping lords right about now in my house, and I'm hoping that between the lords and those 8 milk maids, we can get it all done by tomorrow morning! (and to my dear children--MAMA NEEDS SOME HELP RIGHT NOW!! ahhh, I feel much better.)

The lords at the time this song was written in England were judges. So the 10 lords symbolized the Ten Commandments given to Moses--and to all of us--to enable us to live righteously and blessedly. So often we want to see God's laws as things we can't do, as limitations on our freedom and our fun. But it is just the opposite! God knows that His ways will always bring us blessing and joy and peace. He gives us His laws out of His love for us, because He wants us to have the fullest, most abundant lives possible. Apart from His Word and His ways, I would be miserable and meandering in a fog of self-indulgence that would bring ever lessening pleasure and ever increasing pain. Imagine the world without God's moral law--the violence, the selfishness, the chaos, the hatred, the mayhem. Who could live in such a world?

So today, I thank the Lord for His Word and for His laws. And I thank and praise Him for sending Emmanuel who has enabled us to keep His law. I am certainly incapable in any way to obey. I have always loved the story Allen Redpath told of what God expects of you. "What does God expect of you?" Redpath asked. We would think, well, He expects holiness and obedience and kindness and love.... Redpath then answered his own question with "All God ever expects of you is failure." Well, shoot, I can do that! I can meet God's expectations--I've proved that over and over again! But then Redpath went on, "All God ever expects of you is failure. But He's given you His Holy Spirit that you need never fail."

Without Christmas, there is no Holy Spirit. There is no way to obey God's laws. There is no way to avoid failure. But because of Christmas, God came and ultimately sent us His Holy Spirit so that we can do in Him what we can never do on our own. Thank You Lord for Your perfect Word and Your Ten Commandments. But thank You especially for sending Jesus so that we need never fail in living the obedient, abundant, blessed lives You want for each of us. O thank You for coming! To God the Law Giver and Christ the Law Fulfiller be all the glory.