The tenth commandment: Why shouldn't we covet?

"You shall not covet," is the tenth commandment God gives to Moses at Mt. Sinai. In this commandment, God's emphasis shifts away from man's actions and instead focuses on his attitudes and motives. By prohibiting covetousness, God reveals that he does not want it to be a motive for action found in the hearts of his followers.

 

This is because desires motivated by greed and covetousness are sinful and the opposite of godly qualities like peace and contentment. Contentment is important to God because...

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The ninth commandment: "You shall not bear false witness"

"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor," is the ninth commandment given to Moses by God at Mt. Sinai. In this command, bearing false witness refers to anything that is untrue or insincere which may create false ideas about our neighbors. It also includes exaggerations and half-truths that hurt and damage others.

 

God gives this command to Moses because...

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The command "Thou Shall Not Steal" is about more than unlawfully taking physical objects

"You shall not steal," is the eighth commandment given by God to Moses at Mt. Sinai. In the Bible, stealing is defined as depriving another person of what is rightly his. This command is necessary because man is sinful and as a result tempted to steal at times. Stealing occurs because fallen man always wants more than he or the others around him have. 

But there are other forms of stealing than just the taking of a physical object or possession from someone else. One common area of theft in modern life is the theft of time...

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The Lord's Purpose

Our Lord's purpose is not the development of a person - His purpose is to make a person exactly like himself, and the Son of God is characterized by self-expenditure. If we believe in Jesus, it is not what we gain but what he pours through us that really counts. God's purpose is not simply to make us into plump, beautiful grapes, but to make us grapes so that He may squeeze the sweetness out of us. Our spiritual life cannot be measured by success as the world measures it, but only by what God pours through us.

My Utmost For His Highest, September 2

Learning to love our children the way they need to be loved

There is a prayer I find myself praying over and over again. I pray it in the mornings after my child has gone to school and I have a quiet house all to myself. I sometimes pray it in the evenings when I put my child to bed and hug her goodnight. I always pray it late at night, when I creep in her room to check on her and take a minute to watch her sleeping. I pray that God would show me how she needs to be loved, and that He would help me to love her in the way she needs.

We all, adults and children alike, have a love language that we speak, and we feel most loved when someone...

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Book Review: Gabriel Allon spy series by Daniel Silva

For those of you out there who are big readers, and even if you are not, I have discovered an awesome series of books that I absolutely cannot put down. They are the Gabriel Allon spy novels by Daniel Silva. 

I happened to pick one up that was lying around a beach house I was staying at recently. Since then, I have been reading them non-stop. Last week, I loaned the first two to my father-in-law. He read and returned them to me within four days. He now has my copies of the next five books in the series. 

To say the least, Daniel Silva is an excellent writer. His stories are compelling, but not overly complicated or too simplistic. And his plot lines are unique, because they are based on actual past historical events and how those events now affect the decisions of his characters. The characters in the novels are very provocative as well, with Israeli spy Gabriel Allon being the star. 

If you are looking for a new novel that has a great story, with the added benefit that you will actually learn some history as you read, then Daniel Silva's books are for you. I recommend starting with The Kill Artist. Once you being reading it, you won't stop until you have read all nine books in the series. They are just that good.   

Book Review: Safe People

Have you ever been wounded by someone that you trusted or thought was your friend? Have you ever been in a relationship or friendship where you gave your best and only received the worst in return? If so, the book Safe People is for you. Written by Henry Could and John Townsend, the authors of the book Boundaries, Safe People is an excellent resource for people seeking advice about developing and maintaining healthy relationships. 

Safe People begins by explaining the 20 traits of unsafe people. It also helps its readers...

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The Fruit of Holy Obedience

The fruit of holy obedience are many. But two are so closely linked together that they can scarcely be treated separately. They are a passion for personal holiness and a sense of utter humility. God in flames the soul with a craving for absolute purity. But He, in His glorious otherness, empties us of ourselves in order that He may become all.

A Testament of Devotion, Thomas A Kelly. 

God's Glorious Harmony

We once saw a man draw some black dots. We looked and could make nothing of them but an irregular assemblage of black dots. Then he drew a few lines, put in a few rests, then a clef at the beginning, and we saw these black dots were musical notes... There are many black dots and black spots in our lives, and we cannot understand why they are there or why God permitted them to come. But if we let God come into our lives, and adjust the dots in the proper way, and draw the lines He wants, and separate this from that, and put in the rests at the proper places; out of the black dots and spots in our lives He will make a glorious harmony. Let us not hinder Him in this glorious work!

Streams in the Desert, July 23