DAY 159 - BIG PICTURE IN A YEAR - THE LAW

YOU SHALL NOT MURDER. COMMIT ADULTERY, STEAL. GIVE FALSE TESTIMONY AGAINST YOUR NEIGHBOUR. YOU SHALL NOT COVET YOUR NEIGHBOUR’S HOUSE... WIFE...OR ANYTHING THAT BELONGS TO YOUR NEIGHBOUR.

Exodus 20:13-17

Reading: Romans 13: 8-10; James 4: 1-3

When reading through the Ten Commandments, have you noticed that the first few commandments have to do with loving God - while the rest of the commandments have to do with how you love others around you?

Respecting life, marriage, property or the principle of ownership, and truth...these commandments address wrong actions, actions that could offend or damage the people around you.

The last commandment is the most interesting of all, because it addresses something invisible - the motive of the heart. 

“Covet” is another word for desire. Desire is what led Eve astray in the Garden of Eden when she desired knowledge more than she desired honouring her relationship with God by obeying His command. Desire is what caused Adam to sin when he desired to please his wife instead of pleasing God. Jealousy is what drove Cain to kill his brother Abel.

Hence, the last commandment, if obeyed, will cause you to obey the whole law. If you love, you fulfill the whole law. If you covet, you fall short of the whole law.

This commandment is not something historic, something the Israelites walked in centuries ago. If you want to walk into the promises of God for your life, you too must take heed of God's ways. James says that even if you ask God for something with the wrong motive, you will not receive. 

Speak to the Spirit. Allow him to purify and sanctify you by showing you where you are struggling with the desire for things other than God. When he shows you, confess your sin, so that you can boldly approach him with your request with a clear conscience. Then you will get your prayers answered.

Prayer

Holy Spirit, please show me the motives of my heart. I know you deal with me gently. Thank you for your faithfulness in dealing with the sin in my life. I chose to have dominion over that sin as you intended for me from the beginning.

For the family

Explain the concept of desire and that desire in itself is not wrong, but where you desire anything more than God, it becomes lust or jealousy and you become a slave to sin. A slave does what his master wants. We want to be slaves of God and do what God wants, not what our own flesh desires because it will lead us away from God.

http://www.biblewise.com/kids/images/fun/the-ten-commandments.pdf Print this game and find and fill in the words to identify the ten commandments that God gave to the Israelites.