“‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.’” Exodus 20:2 (ESV) Moses spent forty years in the palace, forty years in the desert, and then forty years as the deliverer of the children of Israel. God was strategically developing Moses for the […]
Category: Ten Commandments
Unleash Generosity
“Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.” 1 Timothy 6:18 (NIV) Another way to control the desire to acquire is by unleashing generosity. Jesus is our model to follow. Teaching, preaching, casting out demons, praying, and extending personal touch ministry marked Jesus’ life […]
Cultivate Gratitude
“Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.” Psalm 105:1 (NIV) How do you control the desire to acquire? Embrace this healthy habit: Cultivate gratitude. Put gratitude in your attitude. Consider Jim Elliot’s insight, “One of the greatest blessings of heaven is the appreciation of […]
Control the Desire to Acquire
“‘You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.’” Exodus 20:17 (NIV) I remember hearing a powerful statement made by Andy Stanley that I would like to share with you. He said, “Your appetites […]
Tell the Truth
“‘You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.‘” Exodus 20:15 (NIV) The court system of a nation depends on the honesty of its people. Lying misrepresents God, misleads others, & mutilates your testimony. Tell the truth by presenting the truth accurately. Don’t falsify information. “Do not spread false reports” (Exod. 22:1 NIV). Don’t exaggerate […]
“Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 (NIV) What kind of impact are […]
“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” Luke 16:10 (NIV) Maintain your integrity. My favorite definition of integrity is: when the tongue in your mouth lines up with the tongue in your shoe. To be a […]
Delete Deception
“‘You shall not steal.’” Exodus 20:15 (NIV) The Eighth Commandment connects with me on a deeper level as a result of our family vehicle being stolen during my son’s baseball tournament in May of 2010. When something is stolen from you it makes you feel violated and reminds you how vulnerable you really are to […]
Uncovering Adultery
“He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” Proverbs 28:13 (NIV) In our society, sexual temptation is prevalent. Christians are not immune to adultery. What if you have gone beyond your spouse for romance? What do you do when you violate the seventh Commandment by committing adultery? […]
“However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” Ephesians 5:33 (NIV) Be the most amazing and fulfilling source of romance for your spouse. Stay spiritually fit and physically fit. Learn your spouse’s primary love language by reading Dr. Gary Chapman’s book, The […]
Avoiding Adultery
“‘You shall not commit adultery.’” Exodus 20:14 (NIV) Is it possible to fall in love, get married, stay married, and finish together? Is longevity a possible reality in marriage? I imagine you have wondered why the success rate is so low. The Bible teaches that God values marital fidelity. God is pro-marriage and pro-family. However, […]
“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But […]
Diffuse Anger
“This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous…Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you […]
Value Life
“‘You shall not murder.’” Exodus 20:13 (NIV) The sixth commandment was designed to help preserve society. Perhaps you wrestle with defining the boundaries between murder and permissible killing. In the sixth commandment, God is saying no to abortion, no to suicide, and no to euthanasia. God expects us to punish criminals and to preserve and […]
Respect Your Parents
“‘Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.‘” Exodus 20:12 (NIV) As we continue exploring the Ten Commandments, we notice that the first four commandments are vertical in nature whereas the remaining six commandments are horizontal in nature. The first four […]
Recharge and Refocus
“‘Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the […]
“But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.” Malachi 4:2 (NIV) Revering God is a mandate from heaven. We esteem God and revere Him by living life His way. Let’s examine a […]
Reverence God’s Name
“‘You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.’” Exodus 20:7 (NIV) God’s Name represents His nature and His character. God is holy, immutable, eternal, omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. God was never born and He will never die. God is love, […]
Eliminate Idolatry
“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers […]
Put God First
“‘You shall have no other gods beforeme.’” Exodus 20:3 (NIV) Israel had a tendency to worship the idols of other nations, which eventually resulted in their being exiled to Assyria and Babylonia. Turning away from one’s primary object of devotion, namely God, is to worship other gods. God is a jealous God and demands undivided […]
God Initiates
“‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.’” Exodus 20:2 (NIV) Moses spent forty years in the palace, forty years in the desert, and then forty years as the deliverer of the children of Israel. God was strategically developing Moses for the special assignment of […]
God Communicates
“And God spoke all these words.” Exodus 20:1 (NIV) God speaks! God communicates His plan and articulates His passion for us to know His will so that we can do His will. God reveals Himself so that we can orient our lives around His revelation. As Henry Blackaby says, “God speaks by the Holy Spirit […]
God Delivers
“‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.’” Exodus 20:2 (ESV) Moses spent forty years in the palace, forty years in the desert, and then forty years as the deliverer of the children of Israel. God was strategically developing Moses for the […]
Unleash Generosity
“Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.” 1 Tim 6:18 (NIV) Another way to control the desire to acquire is by unleashing generosity. Jesus is our model to follow. Teaching, preaching, casting out demons, praying, and extending personal touch ministry marked Jesus’ life […]
Cultivate Gratitude
“Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.” Psalm 105:1 (NIV) How do you control the desire to acquire? Embrace this healthy habit: Cultivate gratitude. Put gratitude in your attitude. Consider Jim Elliot’s insight, “One of the greatest blessings of heaven is the appreciation of […]
Control the Desire to Acquire
“‘You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.’” Exodus 20:17 (NIV) I remember hearing a powerful statement made by Andy Stanley that I would like to share with you. He said, “Your appetites […]
Tell the Truth
“‘You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.‘” Exodus 20:15 (NIV) The court system of a nation depends on the honesty of its people. Lying misrepresents God, misleads others, & mutilates your testimony. Tell the truth by presenting the truth accurately. Don’t falsify information. “Do not spread false reports” (Exodus 22:1 NIV). Don’t exaggerate […]
“Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” 1 Thes. 4:11-12 (NIV) What kind of impact are […]
“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” Luke 16:10 (NIV) Maintain your integrity. My favorite definition of integrity is: when the tongue in your mouth lines up with the tongue in your shoe. To be a […]
Delete Deception
“‘You shall not steal.’” Exodus 20:15 (NIV) The Eighth Commandment connects with me on a deeper level as a result of our family vehicle being stolen during my son’s baseball tournament in May of 2010. When something is stolen from you it makes you feel violated and reminds you how vulnerable you really are to […]