Most of us seem to have this terrible dilemma: We seem to be living life not really using God’s substance (His 10 Commandments) yet we might think we are – kind of – and we are praising God for it and asking for forgiveness from Him in ways we know we are not.
On the other hand we might be utilizing God’s laws (the underlying principles) very well – but maybe not even considering they are His – and even finding success from them, but we are not giving God credit where credit is due. In the first instance, we are giving God credit for quite a lot of nothing (we are not really using his substance), and in the next situation we are taking credit ourselves (becoming our own god). Here, we are stealing God’s substance and using it as though it was ours.
We know this is true from our perception of God’s 10 commandments. We who have the 10 Commandments are having trouble pleading with God to help them come alive in an abundant way, because we are not quite convinced that they define true gusto in life. As long as we are even mildly entertained by abuse of these laws in any way, shape or fashion, we are only fooling ourselves if we think we stand by them. Example: In heaven there will be no murder mysteries because there will be no murder. Wow, maybe many would rather be in hell rather than heaven because it might seem so boring up there, because they may feel all the excitement is in hell.
So meanwhile back at the ranch, a horseman named Pat Parelli comes up with the 10 qualities of a horseman. He was thinking to himself, “if I want to have the most gusto¸ the most fun and the most success with horses, what would I need to do this?” Using his brain in a very real way (unlike those who might choose hell over heaven), he narrowed down the attributes of excellent horsemanship to 10. The more he analyzed it, he could come up with no more or no less.
I am convinced that Parelli has essentially found God’s 10 Commandments built into the very foundation of the world. He has been very successful in what he has accomplished, yet to this date I do not believe he acknowledges these gems as God’s 10 Commandments, therefore not giving God the credit for them. Since all people are potential believers, I hope Pat has made or will make a decision to make Christ the Lord and savior of his life, giving God the credit for these 10 qualities as indeed His laws.
Nonetheless, I believe that it is incredible that a person who was not looking for these laws found them in the process of humbly looking for true pizazz with horses, yet we all know these horsemanship qualities Pat found apply to the rest of life as well: Focus, balance, truth, feel, experience, attitude, self-control, respect, timing and flexibility.
It is exciting how God has a history of hiding valuable things in plain view, accessible to the spirit of absolute humility on our part. Yes, true humility being the very thing that enables us to spend eternity with Him. We know we need to give God the credit for absolutely everything. We go to heaven convinced that God in the flesh – Jesus Christ – did absolutely everything for our entrance into heaven, with us giving nothing but His entrance into our hearts, and being teachable and willing to learn.
Mike Daniels is a horsemanship trainer and barefoot trimming specialist from Raymondville, Mo.
Call him at 417-457-1015.
