Exodus 20:17
To covet is not just to want something really bad, it’s to want somebody else’s stuff for yourself and for them not to have it. I never really understood this depth of coveting until years after being saved and my wife and I dealt with infertility. After a few years into always getting the “not this month,” it has a way of wearing on you but you deal with it trusting in God’s timing. That is, of course, until other friends or family tell you one by one, they are pregnant, sometimes on their second or third child by now.
I remember at times the feelings that entered into my heart, the thoughts I let breed in my mind, and, as much as I knew it was wrong, I found myself at times unable to defeat it, it had control of me. I think we have a tendency to think this commandment to be a lessor sin, it’s the tenth commandment and God just needed an even number and that’s how it made the list.
I can tell you from experience, coveting is a debilitating, wicked sin that speaks to the true wickedness of man’s heart. A sin that must be rooted out by none other than through the gift of God’s special grace and love for you. If not, you will find yourself living in a joyless life of discontentment, where you are a slave to your wants and lack the ability to be grateful for the needs that are met.
The ten commandments are impossible to accomplish outside of Christ. Because of our bondage to sin and inability to morally accomplish what is good for our soul, we can thank Jesus who freed us from this bondage. May we honor His sacrifice by standing each morning firm in the grace of God who liberated us to live a life fully satisfied in Jesus.
Pastor Jason Witt
Joshua 24:20
This is a harsh warning that Joshua gave to the children of Israel. There are consequences to turning away from the Lord and following after false gods. God is a jealous and Holy God and desires us to follow Him with all our hearts. This warning should have been clear to them especially after all of the false gods they went to war against. But still some of them followed after these false gods (Joshua 24:23).
After living a life of sin, I think to myself how is it that anyone would want to go back? After God has reconciled me to Him, why would I want to go back to my old way of life? I have seen the Lord do some wonderful things. He has cleaned up my finances, He has cut all of my desires for alcohol that I once had, and He has always been there for me. But Joshua had to stress the importance of following after a Holy and just God. The last thing you want is for a Holy and Just God to turn from you after He has done you good.
Forsaking the false gods and following the Lord,
Joshua Navarro
1 John 5:4-5
Today, all you have to do is turn on the TV or read the paper and you will quickly see that everything seems to be uncertain in the world and we are left wondering what is going to happen next. We need to be people of faith, especially today in this uncertain world. We cannot look to man, we must look to God.
God is still in charge, He is Sovereign, and nothing can happen that will ever escape His notice. What God allows may not be pleasant, but you can know that His love never changes and His plans will come to pass. You can know this; He is coming again and He is coming soon.
If you are a child of God, you are born of God, and you have overcome the world. You are in Christ Jesus!
Pastor Doug Hardin
2 Kings 13:19
When Elisha was on his death bed, the king of Israel, Joash, came to him for direction. Elisha responds by asking him to do something out of the ordinary. Elisha told Joash to shoot an arrow out of the window and then asked him to strike the ground with another arrow. Joash did as Elisha asked, but he did so half-heartily and only struck the ground three times.
This verse Is Elisha’s response to Joash. When we do things half-heartily for the Lord, we miss out on His best. There may be times when God calls you to do something out of the normal. When He does, follow through with all your heart. Don’t be like Joash and miss out on all that God has planned for you.
For the King,
Pastor Daniel Batistelli
Philippians 4:6-7
Anxiety is a crippling emotion. It makes your mind wander, paralyze you when you’re making decisions, and fall into sins that give us temporary comfort. From lust, gluttony, or drunkenness, people look for an answer to escape this feeling because it really comes from a lack of control.
Thankfully, the Lord tells us how He would like to handle it for us! Maybe you’re anxious about something right now. Lay your heart before the Lord and give thanks. When we stop and give thanks to the Lord for all He has done and will do, the rest will melt away as He meets you and gives you a wonderful peace and guards you from the overwhelming lies of the enemy. Let your heart be reminded of God’s faithfulness and graciousness.
In Christ,
Pastor Sean Boehm
John 21:15
I have always loved this passage of Scripture. It’s the restoration of Peter after he denied Jesus three times to total strangers. But I especially love what Jesus asks. He doesn’t say, “Simon, let Me hear your confession.” Or “Simon, are you ready to repent?” or even “Simon, do you still want to be My disciple?” Jesus simply asks for his exclusive affections.
Of course, Peter’s honest and sincere answer to this will also answer any of those other questions because Jesus knows that when we place our love on Him, everything else will follow. Jesus knew that if Peter would affirm his love he was indeed confessing his wrong, repenting of his sin, and committing to follow. Then Jesus commands Peter to take that love and pour it into those that would follow after.
It’s a simple question for all of us today. “Do we love Him more than these?”
Yes Lord, I love You,
Pastor Gerard Deleeuw
Psalm 112:1
I like that this verse starts with Hallelujah, praise the Lord! If we realize how wonderful our God is, then the second sentence in this verse is easier to do – to fear the Lord and delight in His commandments.
If we have an appreciation of who the Lord is and cognizance of His power, then we’ll realize He should be feared, but He should also be obeyed. God didn’t give us His commandments to burden us but to help us. Pastor Jon Courson said, “Sin’s not bad because it’s forbidden by God. Rather sin is forbidden by God because it’s bad.” In other words, God knows those things He calls sins will hinder our life.
That’s why it shouldn’t be a chore to just follow God’s commandments, but to delight in them also. Sometimes I feel as if I’m following the commandments of God because it’s on the list, I gotta do it! Instead, we need to get to the point where we realize those things the Lord tells us to do and not do should be a delight. They will be if we remember who God is.
Hallelujah, God is good,
Pastor Ron Kitchell
2 Timothy 2:22
In the chapter of being a vessel, a life for honor (2 Timothy 2:20-21), Paul encourages Timothy with one negative and four positive injunctions. They can be summed up clearly by saying: run for your life from sin and temptations, but run after, or pursue, righteousness (what God accepts and counts as right), faith (dependence upon God and His Word), love (agape love or God’s love placed in us by the Holy Spirit) and peace (a life that does not engender strife or uncertainty). What are you running from today and what are you running after? God would have you be useful to Him by running well!
Running in the right direction,
Pastor Jack Abeelen
1 Corinthians 11:23–24
If you knew bad things were about to happen, would you still give thanks?
Jesus did. He gave thanks, knowing that He was about to bear the sins of the world. Jesus knew the future. He knew what lay ahead for Him would not be easy or pleasurable.
Jesus knew the whole story. That’s because Jesus is God, and He is omniscient—all-knowing.
Then why did Jesus give thanks? It’s because He knew what His suffering would accomplish. The greatest good of all time came from the worst travesty of justice.
Anyone can praise God when the sky is blue and the sun is shining. But if you can praise God when the roof caves in, when the bottom drops out, and when things go wrong, it says to me that you’re a true follower of Jesus Christ.
We must remember that despite our immediate circumstances, God is always at work. And that’s a great reason to give thanks.
Pastor William Del Casale
Romans 4:4-5
When an employee works for an employer, the employer has a binding obligation to pay the employee the wages that are due for the time worked. This temporal concept, however, does not translate to the spiritual realm. When we stand before God on judgment day, we will not be able to present our works as justification for our salvation, because that implies that God has an obligation to accept those works. God is holy and just and our sin prevents Him from any obligation of saving us from an eternity apart from Him.
Thankfully God is also gracious and merciful and He freely gives salvation to those who simply believe on Him. Through Christ’s redemptive work, we can stand righteous before God, not because we can boast of our works (Romans 4:2), but purely because of His grace. Thank you, Jesus, for going to the cross on our behalf to redeem us from the penalty of our sin.
Jeff Mericle
