Put to death… what is earthly in you. Colossians 3:5 When it comes to your battle with temptation, God does not say, “Pray about it.” He says, “Act against it.” The problem with praying about a temptation is that you end up focusing more attention on it, and that can have the effect of making the problem worse. Temptation is not an issue to passively turn over to God; it’s an issue to actively fight. This is always the language of Scripture when it comes to our struggle with temptation. Paul say...
May 23, 2025•3 min
“How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” Genesis 39:9 The place to start in dealing with temptation is by recognising sin for what it is. The best example of this in the Bible is Joseph when he was tempted by Potiphar’s wife. Here was this young guy in a foreign country and a powerful woman was trying to entice him. Instead of giving in, he called the temptation great wickedness, and he saw the wound that it would bring to the heart of God. If you’re going to overcome the p...
May 22, 2025•3 min
"You shall not commit adultery." Exodus 20:14 Jesus described the times in which He lived as an “adulterous generation” (Mat. 12:39). That means it was a generation in which many people had become confused in their attitudes and disordered in their behaviours when it came to the whole matter of sex. There is no doubt that we too live in an adulterous generation. Over 14 million internet users in the United Kingdom reported accessing pornographic content online in May 2023. We live in a setting w...
May 21, 2025•2 min
“Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court.” Matthew 5:25 Jesus makes this application from the sixth commandment: Settle your disputes as quickly as you can. If there’s a way to settle with integrity, pursue it. Paul says the same thing: “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Rom. 12:18). Jesus is the Prince of Peace. He is able to bring peace into the deepest wounds of your life. In different ways we have all broken this command...
May 20, 2025•2 min
"You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment." Matthew 5:21-22 The scope of this commandment goes far beyond acts of murder. Jesus made this clear when He said that the sixth commandment searches out the thoughts, attitudes, and intentions of the heart. Think about a train moving down a track. Murder is the name of the station at the...
May 19, 2025•3 min
"You shall not murder." Exodus 20:13 Here are four examples of taking the life of another person that are clearly forbidden in the sixth commandment. Murder—Taking the life of your neighbour. One day you may come to the unimaginable conclusion that murder is not beyond you. An injury can be so great, and the desire for revenge so strong, that you feel you have the right to exercise justice and take another life. But God says, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay” (Rom. 12:19). Abortion—Taking the li...
May 18, 2025•3 min
"You shall not murder." Exodus 20:13 The Ten Commandments show us what it means to live a life of love. The first four lay out what it means to love God, and the last six spell out what it means to love your neighbour. Here are six sacred areas of life marked with special value by God: (1) Family (honour your father and your mother); (2) Life (you shall not murder); (3) Marriage (you shall not commit adultery); (4) Property (you shall not steal); (5) Truth (you shall not bear false witness); and...
May 17, 2025•3 min
He does not deal with us according to our sins. Psalm 103:10 Some parents are not worthy of honour. Think of Saul and the mood swings, fits of rage, and irrational behaviour. Saul even threw a javelin at his son, Jonathan (1 Sam. 20:33). What kind of father throws a spear at his son? You may wonder if God knows about the pain of your experience. God knows. The Bible recognises the pain of bad parenting, and God never asks you to pretend that a bad parent is good, or that a neglectful parent is h...
May 16, 2025•3 min
“Honor your father and your mother.” Exodus 20:12 The word honour literally means “give weight to.” The commandment is telling us: “Give weight to your father and your mother.” When your father or mother says something, don’t take it lightly. Give weight to their words, to their advice. Don’t brush it off. Take it seriously. Give weight to what they say, to what they think, and to what they desire. What this looks like will change as you grow up. For children, honouring your father and mother me...
May 15, 2025•3 min
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.” Exodus 20:12 Your parents are the first authority figures God put in your life, and your first experience of authority tends to shape your reaction to other authority figures. If you’ve seen authority used well, you will tend to respect it, otherwise you will tend to be suspicious of it. You will want to resist authority and establish your independence from it. The reason family life...
May 14, 2025•3 min
“Come to me… and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 Once you see everything that God has called you to do in the Ten Commandments, you may say, “But I haven’t finished!” We struggle to embrace God unconditionally. We struggle to worship God as He is. We have not honoured Him in all things. We have not finished the work of keeping God’s commands, and the longer we live the more obvious it becomes that we’ll never finish this work. So how are we going to enter God’s rest? That’s the great questi...
May 13, 2025•3 min
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Exodus 20:8 The fourth commandment is one of life’s greatest struggles and one of the most frequently misunderstood commands. Some Christians imagine they’re honouring God by making Sunday the dullest day of the week, a day marked by long lists of things you cannot do. Some of us need to begin by clearing away the blockages that might hinder us from hearing the Word of God today. Some of us come from a legalistic background, where the day of rest was ...
May 12, 2025•2 min
“Continually all the day my name is despised.” Isaiah 52:5 Isaiah the prophet was given an insight into the heart of God when he heard God’s anguished cry over the abuse of His name. That’s the tragedy of our world. But God has an answer: “Therefore my people shall know my name” (52:6). Those who know and love the Lord are the guardians of His reputation on earth. Honouring the Lord’s name is our highest calling. Christ will be honoured when the world sees a community of people who show awe and ...
May 11, 2025•3 min
"You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain." Exodus 20:7 The first thing that typically comes to mind when we hear the third commandment is the issue of swearing. The way you use a person’s name says a great deal about what you think of them. And if you look up the name Jesus in your Concise Oxford English Dictionary, there are two definitions. Notice the order: Jesus: (vulg.) excl. expr. surprise, impatience, et...
May 10, 2025•3 min
He is the image of the invisible God. Colossians 1:15 The reason God places such importance on not making idols is that He is jealous to guard against all images of Himself. Why? Because He wants nothing and no one to detract from the one true image of God by which He has made Himself known—Jesus Christ. The New Testament says (about God) that Jesus is “the exact imprint of his nature” (Heb. 1:3). That is why Jesus could make this stunning statement: “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (Jo...
May 09, 2025•2 min
"You shall not make for yourself a carved image." Exodus 20:4 God is invisible, so it is instinctive for us to want some kind of image to remind us of Him or to point us to Him. This commandment is telling us that we are not to make any images to represent God. The problem with our images of God is that they are all less than He is. Many people find icons, beads, or pictures of Jesus helpful. But this commandment reminds us of the danger. An image or an icon may reflect part of the truth about H...
May 08, 2025•3 min
“Follow me.” Matthew 4:19 Our challenge is to embrace God unconditionally. The first commandment leaves no room for “ifs,” “buts,” or “whens,” because as soon as you say “if,” “but,” or “when,” you have put something else in the place of God and thereby broken the first commandment. If you say “yes” to God but then add “if you give me my health” or “if you bless my family” or “if you solve this problem,” then you are putting your health, your family, or your problem in the place of God. The firs...
May 07, 2025•2 min
"You shall have no other gods before me." Exodus 20:3 The first commandment calls you to a life-long response of gratitude and loving loyalty to the God who loved you and gave Himself for you. Positively, this means cultivating affection for Him, remembering Him, appreciating Him, honouring Him, choosing Him, loving Him, and fearing Him. It means trusting Him, hoping in Him, and delighting in Him. It means calling upon Him and giving thanks to Him. Loyalty to God means giving Him more weight in ...
May 06, 2025•3 min
I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. Exodus 20:2 The Ten Commandments begin with the appeal of a gracious God who is committed to the good of His people, not an appeal on the basis of raw power. God could have said, “I am your Creator. I own the cosmos.” That’s true. He could have said, “I have more power than a million nuclear bombs, so you better knuckle down and worship me.” That’s true too. But that’s not what He said. He said, “I am ...
May 05, 2025•3 min
The young man said to him [Jesus], “All these I have kept.” Matthew 19:20 Take a moment to consider where you stand in relation to the Ten Commandments. Here are three possibilities: Some of us think we’ve climbed the wall. A man was talking with Jesus about the Ten Commandments, and he said, “I’ve kept them all!” He hadn’t murdered anyone, told any whopping lies, or raided a bank. He was a good citizen who flossed his teeth and paid his taxes, but he misunderstood the commands. They aren’t limi...
May 04, 2025•3 min
The law was our guardian until Christ came. Galatians 3:24 The law is like a tutor, a coach, or a mentor. The law, properly understood, will walk you to Jesus Christ. It’s just like a good mentor who shows you where you need to go and then is willing to walk with you so that you get there. This is precisely what the law, applied by the Spirit, will do in the life of a person. The law will show you where you need to go (the kind of life that God calls you to live), and then it will walk you to Ch...
May 03, 2025•2 min
In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. Hebrews 12:4 Let’s review the Ten Commandments from Exodus 20 and name our greatest struggles. 10. Your struggle with contentment: You shall not covet (20:17). Something within us wants more. 9. Your struggle with truth: You shall not bear false witness (20:16). Sometimes it isn’t easy to handle the truth. 8. Your struggle for integrity: You shall not steal (20:15). What can you be trusted with? 7. Your s...
May 02, 2025•3 min
My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved. Psalm 121:2-3 Life is a struggle. It is also an adventure. Like climbing a rock face, it is a dangerous business. But it is magnificently worth it. There will be moments of triumph as you conquer some dangerous part of the climb. But there’s always another challenge ahead. The entire Christian life is spent on the rock face, and one day you’ll stand at the summit, but not until you’re with Jesus. Some of ...
May 01, 2025•3 min
“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” Luke 23:46 The whole life of Jesus had been in the hands of His Father, and now at His death, Jesus committed His spirit into the Father’s hands. Here’s what happens at death to a believer—your spirit goes into the immediate presence of God: To be “away from the body” is to be “at home with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8). Whatever happens to your body, your spirit is safe in the Father’s hands. Your body may be ravaged with cancer. Your body may be horribly ...
Apr 30, 2025•3 min
It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. Luke 23:44-46 Do you see the significance of these words? The hell was over. The price was paid. The infinite agonies endured by the Son of God had passed, and the light of the Father’s l...
Apr 29, 2025•3 min
It is finished. John 19:30 When Jesus said these words, He was surrounded by darkness and on the edge of death. As He hung there in the darkness, it hardly looked like Satan’s power had been broken, or hell’s gates had been splintered, or death’s sting had been drawn out. One month after Jesus died, the world didn’t look very different either. The same could be said after a year, a century… a millennium. Does the world really look any different than it did the day Jesus said these words? When Je...
Apr 28, 2025•3 min
“It is finished.” John 19:30 Jesus finished. You haven’t. But with Him you will. What does this mean? When you are united to Jesus by faith—the Bible often refers to this as being “in Christ”—all that He accomplished on the cross becomes yours. Here are four things that are yours when you are in Christ: Jesus completed His work of atonement, so you are forgiven, accepted, and loved. If you are in Christ, you don’t have to do anything else to be loved and accepted. All that you need is in Him: “T...
Apr 27, 2025•4 min
“It is finished.” John 19:30 There was only one person who could ever truly say, “It is finished.” None of us will be able to say that when we die, because none of us have been able to say it while we live. None of us will be able to say to God “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do” (John 17:4). It’s impossible. None of us have been able to say this about a single day of our lives. None of us completes the work. As a Christian, you have begun the work of ...
Apr 26, 2025•2 min
“It is finished.” John 19:30 What did Jesus come into the world to do? He came to seek and save the lost. He came to give His life as a ransom for many, and on the cross He said, “It is finished.” What is finished? Jesus finished bearing the guilt of our sins. He finished enduring the punishment of our hell. The divine wrath was finished being poured out on Him. The justice of God was satisfied. The perfect sacrifice was offered. Complete atonement was made. Hell was vanquished. The condemnation...
Apr 25, 2025•3 min
“It is finished.” John 19:30 Humanity’s conflict with the devil goes back to the beginning. Satan tempted the man and the woman and led them into the sin that forfeited paradise. They got the knowledge of evil and came under the power of the evil one. That’s been our story ever since. But God promised a Redeemer. He said to Satan, “He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Gen. 3:15). What a picture—the Redeemer stomping on the head of the snake. The snake bites His foot with de...
Apr 24, 2025•3 min
