“You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:17 NLT)

The tenth and final commandment stands apart. While the other commandments, to a large extent, deal with what we do outwardly, this one deals with what we do inwardly. While the other commandments deal primarily with actions, this one deals with a state of mind and heart.

A Roman Catholic priest who heard the confessions of thousands of people said he listened to folks admit to sins of almost every kind, including adultery and even murder. But he could not recall even one person who confessed to the sin of coveting. Maybe that’s because no one knew what it was.

Coveting is looking at something, admiring it, and essentially taking it. For instance, let’s say your friend has a car. You say, “I like that car.” That’s not coveting. You say, “I want a car like it.” Still not coveting. You say, “I’m going to buy a car just like it.” Still not coveting.

You say, “I want your car.” That is a problem. You say, “I’m taking your car.” That’s coveting—and grand theft auto, in this case. It is taking something that belongs to another. Something that was never meant to be yours.

You’ll notice that the commandment says, “You must not covet your neighbor’s wife.” It’s not wrong to want a wife or a husband, but it is wrong to want someone else’s wife or husband.

Second Samuel 11 tells the story of King David and Bathsheba. David saw Bathsheba bathing, asked about her, and discovered that she was the wife of Uriah the Hittite, one of David’s loyal soldiers. David demanded that Bathsheba be brought to him. He coveted her—and thus began his downfall.

He committed adultery with her. He arranged for her husband to be killed in battle. He tried to cover it up by lying. David set in motion a series of broken commandments when he coveted. He, like everyone else, discovered that keeping the Ten Commandments is practically impossible.

And that’s the point of them. How many of the Ten Commandments have you broken? Have you misused God’s name? Have you failed to honor your father and mother? Have you stolen anything? Have you lied? Have you committed adultery? Have you coveted? If so, you experienced the need to repent and ask God for forgiveness.

The Ten Commandments aren’t intended to frustrate us or make us miserable. They’re intended to show us our need for repentance and forgiveness. The Ten Commandments weren’t given to try to make us holy. They were given to show us that we can’t be holy through our own ability. We are all guilty before God.

The good news is that when Christ died on the cross, He atoned for every broken commandment. He took our penalty and our punishment on Himself. He died in our place so that we can be forgiven.

Reflection question: How would you explain the Ten Commandments to someone who doesn’t know much about them? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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“You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:16 NLT)

Strictly speaking, this commandment originally focused on perjuring yourself in a judicial trial. Yet it certainly applies to lying in general—something the Bible addresses in no uncertain terms.

In Proverbs 6:16–19, God says, “There are six things the Lord hates—no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family” (NLT). Of the seven things God hates, two of them involve lying and falsehood.

Why does God hate them? Because lying is incredibly destructive. Proverbs 25:18 says, “Telling lies about others is as harmful as hitting them with an ax, wounding them with a sword, or shooting them with a sharp arrow” (NLT).

Lying is insidious because we can convince ourselves that it’s a victimless crime. We lie to save face. We lie to keep from offending others. We lie because it’s more convenient than telling the messy, complicated truth. But those can’t be harmless offenses because they violate God’s ninth commandment.

That commandment also covers gossip and backbiting. Gossip topples governments. It wrecks marriages. It ruins careers. It destroys reputations. It causes nightmares. It spawns suspicions. It generates grief. That’s why Proverbs 20:19 warns, “A gossip goes around telling secrets, so don’t hang around with chatterers” (NLT). That includes seemingly well-meaning Christians who share details about other people’s lives and say, “This is just so we know how to pray for them.”

The commandment covers flattery, one of the most subtle forms of deceit. Someone once said that flattery is saying things to a person’s face that you would never say behind their back. It’s tempting to use flattery to get something from someone. But if you don’t sincerely mean what you say, it’s just another form of lying.

The commandment applies to exaggeration. Some people argue that exaggeration is simply a storyteller’s tool—a harmless trick to make the mundane seem a little more interesting. In other words, never let the truth get in the way of a good story. The problem with exaggeration is that if we can’t be trusted to be accurate and truthful in the minor details, how can we be trusted when it comes to the major ones?

The ninth commandment presents a challenge for many people because it involves the tongue. James wrote, “We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue” (James 3:3–8 NLT).

But that should never stop us from trying—especially where the ninth commandment is concerned.

Reflection question: Which of the areas covered by the ninth commandment presents the biggest challenge to you? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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“You must not steal.” (Exodus 20:15 NLT)

Several years ago, I got a call from my credit card company. They said, “Mr. Laurie, have you been in India lately making any purchases?” I said, “No, I have never been to India.” It seems that someone had gotten my credit card number and gone on a spending spree. Later, it was determined that the theft was an inside job. Someone who worked for the credit card company had given my information to someone else.

We’re living in a world of theft. Of course, some people are better at it than others. A man in Miami tried to rob a deli, but the owner broke his nose by hitting him with a giant salami. The man fled the scene and hid in the trunk of a parked car. The car belonged to an undercover police team that was trailing a different criminal. After five days, the officers heard the man whimpering in the trunk and arrested him.

A teenager in Belmont, New Hampshire, robbed a local convenience store and got away with a pocketful of change. He didn’t realize that there were holes in his pockets. Police officers followed the trail of coins leading to his front door and arrested him.

Police in Wichita, Kansas, arrested a twenty-two-year-old man in an airport hotel after he tried to pass two counterfeit $16 bills.

The apostle Paul’s instructions in Ephesians 4:28 would have been helpful to these would-be criminal masterminds. “If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need” (NLT). In other words, stop taking and start giving.

Jesus gave similar counsel to Zacchaeus in Luke 19. Zacchaeus was a Jewish man who worked as a tax collector for the hated Romans. (You can imagine how popular he was among his fellow Jews.) Not only did Zacchaeus collect the exorbitant taxes demanded by Rome, but he also tacked on extra fees to line his own pockets. And no one could do anything about it because he had the power of Rome to protect him.

One day as Jesus was passing through Zacchaeus’ hometown of Jericho, He spotted the tax collector. Jesus invited Himself to Zacchaeus’ home. That displeased the good people of Jericho, who didn’t think Jesus should mingle with such a notorious thief. But after spending some time with Jesus, Zacchaeus made a public announcement. “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!” (verse 8 NLT).

From this story and Paul’s words to the Ephesians, we find the ideal response to the eighth commandment. One, don’t steal anymore. Two, do something useful. God honors honest, hard-working people. Three, share with others.

“You must not steal” is only the starting point. The way you define what’s “yours” will go a long way toward determining the way you live out your Christian faith. And in that sense, giving is always better than taking.

Reflection question: What would doing something useful and sharing with others look like in your life? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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“You must not commit adultery.” (Exodus 20:14 NLT)

What is adultery? The writers of the New Testament use the Greek word porneia, which translates to “pornographic” or “immorality.” The word refers to adultery, which is extramarital sex. It refers to fornication, which is premarital sex. It refers to homosexuality. It refers to incest, molestation, and even bestiality. All these things figure into the seventh commandment. God is saying, “You must not do this.”

Imagine what kind of world we would live in today if this single commandment was obeyed. How many marriages would still be intact? How many fathers would still be at home? How many divorces would have been averted? I believe that historians and sociologists looking back on our era one hundred years from now will say that we were a culture obsessed with sex.

Having said that, though, I must also emphasize that sex is not sinful in and of itself. Remember, God created sex. But why? Some would say for procreation. Period. That childbearing is its only purpose. But that’s not what the Bible teaches. The Bible makes it clear that God gave us this wonderful, pleasurable expression of love to be made from a man to a woman and from a woman to a man within the safety of a marriage relationship. Any other variation of it is wrong.

When a man and woman have sexual relations together, a oneness takes place. Paul wrote about it in 1 Corinthians 6:15–18: “Don’t you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never! And don’t you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, ‘The two are united into one.’ But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him. Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body” (NLT).

So, no one can say, “It was just a one-night fling. It didn’t mean anything to me.” That’s not what the Bible says. No one can say, “As long as it’s between two consenting adults, no one gets hurt.” The Bible teaches that every time we commit sexual sin, someone else gets hurt.

One day, if you live a long life, you may be sitting in a rocker on the front porch of a retirement home, thinking back on your days. In that moment, I don’t think that you’ll care all that much about how successful your career was, or what your income level was, or how great your accomplishments were. But you will celebrate the fact that you were faithful to your spouse and that your marriage stood the test of time. And in that moment, you’ll know why God gave you the seventh commandment: “You must not commit adultery.”

Reflection question: What steps do you take to stay faithful in your relationship? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

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“You must not murder.” (Exodus 20:13 NLT)

In some translations of the Bible, this verse reads, “Thou shalt not kill.” And that leaves it open to a wide range of interpretations. The commandment obviously forbids the taking of another human life for no justifiable reason. Some people try to stretch that to include any kind of killing. They say all war is wrong. All use of force is wrong. Even the killing of an animal is wrong. But that’s not what this verse is saying.

The best translation is, “Thou shall not murder.” Numbers 35 plainly states the difference that God establishes between killing and murder. All murder, of course, is killing, but all killing is not necessarily murder. There are times when death is permissible, though not desirable.

We can debate the nuances of the commandment all we like. But the words of Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount bring it home to us in a very real way. Look at what He said in Matthew 5:21–22: “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell” (NLT).

“If you are even angry with someone”? That’s a pretty wide net. Many people, in the depths of their hearts, have anger and hatred to such a degree that their true desire is for someone to be dead. And that brings me to this question: Do you feel that way about anyone right now?

You might say, “Well, actually, I do. But, Greg, you don’t know what this person did to me. You don’t know. It’s unforgivable.”

The problem with that justification is that if you say anything is unforgivable, then we are all in deep trouble. As believers, we put a lot of hope in the fact that every sin is forgivable. And we do so justly. God poured His wrath on Jesus as punishment for every sin that has ever been committed so that we can be forgiven of every wrong that we have ever done.

You may be unmoved by that argument. You may say, “No, my hatred is justified. The person deserves to die.” And that may be true in your estimation.

But let me add this. In Deuteronomy 32:35, God says, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay” (NIV). It is not for us to hate. Our vengeance is flawed; it brings no lasting satisfaction or closure. God’s judgment is perfect. He offers a better alternative to holding on to our hate. In Ephesians 4:31–32, the apostle Paul wrote, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you” (NLT).

Reflection question: Who do you need to forgive instead of hating any longer? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

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“Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” (Exodus 20:12 NLT)

The first four commandments have to do with our relationship with God. The final six deal with our relationships with people. In the commandments that follow this one, we find “You must not murder.” “You must not commit adultery.” “You must not steal.” “You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.” “You must not covet.”

Before God deals with other human relationships, however, He begins with the family. “Honor your father and your mother.” The family is very important to God. Few things can bring us as much pleasure in life as our families. And few things can bring us as much pain in life as our families. Kids have problems with parents. Parents have problems with kids. Kids have problems with one another. Parents have problems with one another. Often at the same time.

But we must never lose sight of the family’s importance. God created the family dynamic. Our very existence as a society is contingent on the success of the family. As I’ve said before, a family can survive without the nation, but a nation cannot survive without the family.

Maybe that’s why Satan hates it so much and does everything he can to undermine it. Tragically, in today’s twisted times, mothers and fathers often are not even around to honor. Especially fathers. A man and a woman faithfully raising their children together is becoming less and less the norm.

I remember that I moved around a lot when I was a kid. I came from a divorced home, and it caused a little bit of scandal each time we relocated. “He’s from a broken home,” people would whisper. It was a bit of a rarity in those days. Today, coming from a stable home is almost as rare. “What? Your mom and dad are still together? What’s with that?”

We tamper with God’s order at our own peril. The fifth commandment isn’t simply a reminder to kids; it’s a call to action for all God’s people to prioritize the cornerstone institution He created.

You don’t need to see the latest statistics and studies to tell you the impact of broken homes and dishonored families. You can see it in your neighborhood. You can see it in your church. You can see it in your local schools. Maybe you can see it in your own family, extended or nuclear.

The fifth commandment is a reminder to put the best interests of our spouse, our kids, and our parents ahead of our own desires and wants. It’s a reminder to honor our commitments to the people closest to us, especially when things get rocky. It’s a reminder to embrace the responsibilities of parenthood. It’s a reminder to forgive the people whose closeness to us makes it easier for them to hurt us. It’s a reminder to swallow our pride and take the necessary steps of reconciliation.

When we honor our father and mother, we honor the family. And when we honor the family, we honor God.

Reflection question: How can you honor your father and mother? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

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“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.” (Exodus 20:8–11 NLT)

The fourth commandment has produced more confusion, misunderstanding, and hard feelings than any of the others. Let’s find out what it is and what it is not.

It should be noted that this commandment was given specifically to Jewish people. The Sabbath—the seventh day of the week, Saturday—was to be a day of total rest. This command does not really apply in its literal form to a Christian living under the New Covenant. Let me give you a few fast facts about the fourth commandment to help explain why.

Number one, it is the only commandment that is not repeated in the New Testament. Every other commandment is repeated; breaking the Sabbath is never mentioned.

Number two, Jesus never taught anyone to keep the Sabbath. In fact, He Himself was accused of violating the Sabbath. That’s one of the reasons that He was crucified. The religious leaders had so perverted and twisted the meaning of the Sabbath that it was turned into a miserable religious mess. Because Jesus healed people on the Sabbath, those leaders accused Him of breaking the fourth commandment.

Number three, the Sabbath was fulfilled in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. In Hebrews 4, we read, “So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest” (verses 9–11 NLT). The Sabbath foreshadowed what Christ would accomplish on the cross. All other world religions essentially say, “Do.” Christianity says, “Done.” Enter into that rest. Enter into the finished work of Jesus Christ.

So, for Christians, the Sabbath is a day set apart for God and our relationship with Him.

A day when we unplug from the distractions of life and recharge ourselves spiritually. A day to focus on who God is. A day to spend at church with family and friends. A day to think of the things of the Lord.

When we “remember the Sabbath,” not only do we honor the Lord, but we also grow in our relationship with Him.

Reflection question: What does observing the Sabbath—or the Lord’s Day—look like in your life? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

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“You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.” (Exodus 20:7 NLT)

God’s name is important to Him. There is power in His name. Anyone who tries to diminish that power by taking it lightly or using it in a way that dishonors Him is breaking the third commandment.

One way people misuse the name of the Lord is by swearing by it. As in, “I swear to God, I’m telling you the truth.” People who swear to God often do so because their own word—their own name—isn’t reliable. They’re known to make commitments they don’t keep or to say things that aren’t true.

This misuse comes into sharp focus in a marriage ceremony. If we commit ourselves to our spouses with vows that invoke God’s name, we must honor those vows. If we bail on the relationship we vowed to uphold, we’re misusing God’s name.

Another way we misuse the Lord’s name is by saying, “Oh, my God” or “Oh, God.” When we drop those words into casual conversation—or any conversation—we’re treating God’s name like any other exclamation. We’re ignoring the importance God places on His name and using it simply as a thoughtless sentence filler. We’re not actually calling for Him. We’re not praying to or worshiping Him. We’re simply borrowing His name for our own conversational purposes.

Some people misuse God’s name by leveraging it for personal gain. They market themselves as Christian business owners, or Christian salespeople, or Christian service providers, hoping to attract Christians as clients. They wear their faith on their sleeve to set themselves apart in the marketplace. That’s a misuse of God’s name and His work in our lives.

And that brings us to what I believe is the worst way of misusing the name of the Lord: hypocrisy. If you claim to be a follower of God, if you call His Son Savior and Lord, people can and should expect to see Christ in you. In the way you talk. In the decisions you make. In the priorities you demonstrate. In the way you interact with others. In your business dealings. In the way you treat your enemies.

If they don’t see Christ in you, if instead they see someone very much like the unbelievers they know, they will rightly question your faith. They will double down on their doubts. They will lean harder into their cynicism. Christian hypocrisy creates a huge stumbling block for unbelievers. It makes them question the power of God to change lives.

If you claim God as your heavenly Father with your words but deny Him with your actions, you are misusing His name.

Honor the name of the Lord—not just with the things you say, but also with the way you live.

Reflection question: What’s the biggest challenge for you when it comes to not misusing the name of the Lord? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.