The Fifth Commandment

“You shall not murder.”

Most people hear this commandment and immediately think, “Well, at least I haven’t done that.”

But Jesus does something uncomfortable in Matthew 5. He takes this commandment beyond actions and into the heart.

Anger. Hatred. Despising others. Refusing reconciliation.

Suddenly, this commandment is not just about extreme violence. It’s about how we view and treat the people around us.

God is telling us that every human life has value.

Not because people earn it or they are useful or we agree with them.

Human life matters because people are created by God.

This is why we don’t murder people, including aborting babies and euthanasia of the aged, sick, or handicapped. God is the giver of life, and we do not distain His blessed gift.

However, that also means this commandment is not only about avoiding harm. Every negative command has a positive side. The positive side of this commandment is about helping and supporting our neighbor in every physical need.

So the Fifth Commandment is both negative and positive.

Don’t harm and actively help.

That can look dramatic sometimes—protecting someone in danger, caring for the sick, standing up for the vulnerable.

But more often, it looks ordinary.

• Patience with a difficult person.
• Encouragement instead of cruelty.
• Choosing words that heal rather than wound.
• Forgiving instead of holding a grudge.
• Loving instead of hating.

Because there are many ways to hurt people besides physical violence. And if we are honest, we’ve all done it.

We’ve carried bitterness or spoken harshly. We’ve even written people off in our hearts. This commandment exposes how easily sin turns us inward and against our neighbor.

But then we look to Jesus.

The One who perfectly honored human life touched lepers, welcomed outcasts, healed the sick, and showed compassion to the weak. Even while being hated and attacked, He did not respond with revenge, He forgave them.

And ultimately, He laid down His own life to save those who opposed Him.

That includes you.

So when this commandment convicts you, don’t stop there.

Look to Christ, who gives life and rescues from death…who forgives your sins and changes your heart.

Then ask Him to help you see people differently—not as obstacles, annoyances, or enemies, but as neighbors He calls you to love.

Let’s pray…

Almighty God,

Forgive me for the anger, bitterness, and selfishness in my heart. Teach me to value and care for the people around me. Help me to protect life, encourage others, and reflect Your compassion in the way I speak and act.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

I remember one time, when I was in high school, I visited my brother who was attending Florida State University. We went out in the middle of the night in a jeep to a desolate area with with dirt hills. We were having fun jumping the hills, but that’s not what I remember.

What I remember was that one point, the jeep got stuck on the top of a hill. We got out to figure out what we were going to do…and I looked up. I think I saw every star in the galaxy in that moment. That image has stuck with me for decades

In our Old Testament reading, it’s night, and Abram is outside. There are no lights, no cities.

God brings him out and tells him to look up. “Count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then comes the promise:

“So shall your offspring be.”

It’s a staggering picture. The sky filled with more than he can number. A future that stretches far beyond what he can see.

And yet, there’s a problem. Abram has no child.

The promise doesn’t match the present reality. Years have passed. Nothing has changed. The future God describes feels distant, maybe even impossible.

And still, Abram believes.

“He believed the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness.”

That’s the heart of it.

Faith is not pretending everything makes sense. It’s not closing your eyes to reality. Abram knows exactly what his situation is. He knows his age and his wife is barren.

But he also hears God’s Word—and he trusts it.

That’s what faith does. It holds onto what God says, even when circumstances seem to say something else.

We know that tension.

There are times when what God promises and what we experience don’t seem to line up. You hear about His care, but life feels uncertain. You hear about His timing, but the waiting stretches longer than expected.

And the question sneaks into the back of your mind: “Can I trust this?”

Abram’s story gives a simple, profound answer.

He believed the Lord.

Not because he had proof. Not because he could see how it would all work out. But because God had spoken.

And God counts that as righteousness.

That’s grace. Faith itself is not a work that earns something. It is trust in the One who gives. Abram is not declared righteous because he accomplished something great, but because he trusted God’s promise.

And that promise ultimately points beyond Abram.

God’s Word doesn’t just speak about physical descendants and land. It leads forward to the One through whom all nations are blessed. The promise finds its fulfillment in Christ. And Galatians 3 tells us that the true children of Abraham are those who live by faith.

So when you find yourself under your own “night sky,” looking at a future you can’t quite grasp, remember this:

• God still speaks.
• His promises still stand.
• And faith still holds onto His Word.

And think about this…When God showed Abraham those stars all those millennia ago, one of them was for you.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

There are times when Your promises feel distant and the waiting feels long. Help me to trust Your Word, even when I cannot see how everything will unfold. Strengthen my faith, and remind me that Your promises are sure. In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

Have you ever stepped into a room already knowing there was going to be conflict?

Jesus enters the synagogue again, and this time the tension is already there.

A man with a withered hand is present, and others are watching closely. Not because they care about the man, but because they are watching Jesus. They want to see if He will heal on the Sabbath. In their minds, this is a test.

Jesus brings the moment into the open. He asks a question:

“Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save life or to kill?”

No one answers.

It is a revealing silence. They know the right response, but they are more concerned about protecting their interpretation of the rules than about the person in front of them. They are more concerned about busting Jesus, than helping someone in need.

Jesus looks around at them with anger and grief. Then He tells the man to stretch out his hand, and it is restored.

Here we see something important about Jesus. He is not neutral when it comes to suffering. He does not step back or wait for a better time. Mercy is not something He postpones. It is at the center of His work.

At the same time, this moment exposes a deeper problem.

Those opposing Jesus are not rejecting the idea of doing good. They are rejecting Him. Their understanding of God has become so rigid that they cannot recognize God at work right in front of them.

And the result is striking. Instead of celebrating a man being restored, they instantly begin to plan how to destroy Jesus.

The scene then shifts, and we see a very different response.

Large crowds follow Him. People come from many regions, bringing their needs with them. Jesus heals many, and even the unclean spirits recognize Him.

The temptation may be to say that crowds are no better. They only want Jesus for what He can do for them, heal them, but we’re not told their motivation. What we do know is they went to Jesus for help and healing.

It’s not unusual, even today, for a person to be drawn to meet Jesus by their need. Often, after meeting the one who can and does help, they see Jesus for who He truly is, “the Son of God.”

In the middle of all this, Jesus withdraws and appoints twelve men.

Mark gives a simple but important reason: He calls them

“so that they might be with Him, and He might send them out.”

Before anything else, they are called to be with Him.

These moments together give us a clearer picture of Jesus.

He shows mercy without hesitation. He is not bound by human attempts to control or limit what God can do. And He calls people not just to learn from Him, but to live in relationship with Him and then share the Gospel with others.

For us, that raises an honest question.

Is our understanding of God shaped by Jesus—or are we trying to shape Jesus to fit what we already think?

Because when we see Him clearly, we see a Savior who restores, who challenges what is broken, who calls us to be with Him, and then sends us to share the good news.

Let’s pray…

Lord Jesus,

You show mercy where it is needed and call me to be with You. Keep me from holding onto a shallow or rigid view of You. Shape my heart by Your Word, and help me to trust Your work in my life. Help me to see people as You see them and to love them as You love them.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

Have you ever felt like God was distant?

Not gone. But quiet.

You pray, but nothing seems to change. You look for help, but you don’t see that help come. You wonder what God is doing…or if He is doing anything at all.

Psalm 22 begins right there.

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

That’s not a calm, reflective statement. It’s a cry. It’s what faith sounds like when it is under pressure.

And yet, even in that question, there is something important.

“My God.”

The psalmist is struggling, but he is still holding on. He is not walking away. He is bringing his confusion and pain directly to the Lord.

Sometimes we think faith means always sounding confident. Always having the right words and feeling steady.

But Psalm 22 shows us something different.

Faith speaks honestly.

It asks hard questions. It cries out in desperation. It brings pain into the presence of God instead of hiding it.

But the Psalmist doesn’t stop there. In the middle of that struggle, the psalmist remembers. He recalls how God has been faithful in the past. How He delivered His people. How those who trusted in Him were not put to shame.

Nothing has changed yet. The situation is still hard. But memory begins to shape hope.

For Christians, this psalm takes on even deeper meaning.

These are the words Jesus spoke from the cross.

In that moment, He was not just quoting a psalm. He was living it. He entered fully into human suffering, even to the point of being forsaken by the Father.

And He did that for us.

He took on our sin. He carried our guilt. He literally suffered hell for us on the cross. He stepped into the deepest darkness so that we would not be abandoned.

So when you feel like God is distant, you are not alone.

Jesus has been there.

And because of Him, distance is not the final word. God has come near to you in Christ. He hears you. He holds you, even when you don’t feel it.

It reminds me of the beloved poem, “Footprints in the sand” by Mary Stevenson.

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed
that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from
anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord,
‘You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life
there have only been one set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most, you have not been there for me?’

The Lord replied,
‘The times when you have seen only one set of footprints in the sand,
is when I carried you.’

Psalm 22 gives you words for those moments.

You can cry out.

You can question.

And you can still say, “My God,” and know that He is with you, carrying you.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

There are times when You feel far away and I don’t understand what You are doing. Help me to bring my struggles to You honestly. Remind me that Jesus has entered into my suffering and that I am never alone. Strengthen my faith to trust You, even when I cannot see what You are doing.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

Have you ever heard the saying, “The clothes make the man”?

Clothing does more than keep you warm. It also shapes how you are seen.

There are moments when that feels especially important. You think about what to wear because of the setting, the people you’ll be around, or the impression you want to make. Without saying a word, clothing can communicate something about you.

In Galatians 3, Paul uses that familiar idea to describe something far deeper:

“As many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”

He is not speaking about appearance, but about identity.

In Baptism, you were joined to Christ. And in that joining, you were “clothed” with Him. His righteousness now covers you. His standing before the Father is now your standing. When God looks at you, He does not see you apart from His Son.

I often hear people talk about “trying to find themselves.” They want to discover who they really are.

There are many voices that try to tell you who you are. Some point to your successes. Others remind you of your failures. Some draw attention to what others think of you. Others echo the things you say to yourself. Many try to force you into the world’s labels.

Those voices can shift from day to day, and so can the way you see yourself.

But what God has given you in Christ does not shift.

You have been clothed with Christ.

This is not something you put on in the morning and take off at night. It is not dependent on how you feel or how well the day is going. It is something God has given to you, once and for all, in Baptism.

Which means your identity is not something you are constructing. It has already been given.

• You belong to Christ.
• You bear His righteousness.
• You stand before God in Him.
• You are a child of God, loved by Your Father.

And because that is true, you are free to live without constantly trying to prove yourself. Sometimes, we think of freedom as being able to do whatever you feel like doing, good or bad, right or wrong, but that’s not what Biblical freedom is.

It’s the freedom to resist sin, because you were a slave to sin before your baptism. It’s the freedom to live as you were created to be. Just like a wheel that moves freely doesn’t fly wherever. It moves without hinderance as it was made to move. You are free to act, to serve, and to love without needing to secure your identity through it.

You already have it.

So when you find yourself wondering how you measure up, or when your sense of self begins to shift with your circumstances, return to what God has done.

You have been baptized into Christ.
You have been clothed with Him.
And that is who you are.

And you are free to live in your baptized identity.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for giving me my identity in Your Son. When I am tempted to define myself by my failures, by what others think, or by the labels of the world, remind me that I have been clothed with Christ.

Help me to live today in the confidence of what You have given, not striving to prove myself, but resting in who I am in Him.

Let that truth shape how I see myself and how I live.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

“Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise…”

It’s a simple picture.

An ant moving back and forth, carrying food, doing its work without being told. No supervisor. No reminder. No urgency forced from the outside. Just steady, quiet effort.

And Proverbs says,

“Pay attention to that.”

At first, it almost feels too basic to matter. Of course work needs to be done. Of course responsibilities don’t take care of themselves. But the longer you sit with it, the more you realize how easy it is to drift in the opposite direction.

Not always in obvious laziness. More often in small delays.

• “I’ll get to it later.”
• “This can wait.”
• “I just don’t feel like doing that right now.”

Those moments don’t seem significant on their own. But they have a way of accumulating. A task gets pushed off, then another. Something that could have been handled simply becomes heavier over time.

The other day, I put away some of my Christmas lights. It’s May as I’m writing this. When I first took down our Christmas lights it started to rain. So, I hurried to get them down and put in the garage, but I couldn’t get out the bins and put the now wet lights away properly. I was going to do that in a day or so…or 4 months later. It didn’t really take very long once I finally did it, but I kept seeing them in the garage and kept thinking, “Not right now, but maybe this weekend.”

Diligence works differently. It doesn’t wait for the perfect moment or the right mood. It simply begins and keeps going. Not in a frantic or anxious way, but with consistency.

That applies in more places than we might expect.

• In your work, whether it’s a job you love or one that feels routine.
• In your home, in the responsibilities that no one else sees.
• Even in your life of faith, where time in the Word or prayer can easily be set aside.

Diligence isn’t about doing everything at once. It’s about faithfulness over time. Showing up. Taking the next step. Handling what is in front of you.

And while Proverbs highlights the wisdom of that pattern, Scripture also reminds us of something deeper. Our work, imperfect as it is, is not what defines us. There will be days when we fall behind, lose focus, or simply don’t follow through the way we should.

Those moments don’t place us outside of God’s care.

They’re a reminder that even our best efforts are incomplete, and that we live not by perfect diligence, but by the grace of the One who is always faithful. The Lord does not grow weary. He does not neglect what is His to care for. And in Christ, He holds on to you even when your own consistency falters.

So today, consider what is in front of you.

Not everything. Just the next thing.

And begin.

Perhaps you’ve already begun…with today’s devotion. Let’s keep it up.

Let’s Pray…

Heavenly Father,

You have given me work to do in different areas of my life, and I confess that I don’t always approach it faithfully. Forgive me for the times I delay, avoid, or neglect what is before me. Teach me diligence, not driven by pressure, but shaped by faithfulness. Help me to take the next step in what You have placed before me. And when I fall short, remind me that my hope rests not in my effort, but in Your steady and faithful care.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

The Fourth Commandment

“Honor your father and your mother.”

This commandment sounds simple—especially if we hear it as something meant for children.

But it’s much bigger than that.

This commandment is the foundation for all earthly authority. Parents have the ultimate authority over their children, but they share their authority for the benefit of their children and themselves, whether that benefit is their child’s education, safety, provision, spiritual formation, etc. It includes parents, leaders, teachers, and others God places over us. It speaks to how God orders life in the world.

And that’s where it can get uncomfortable.

Because authority is not always easy to honor. Sometimes it feels inconvenient or unfair. Sometimes it is actually misused or broken.

So, what is God doing with this commandment?

He is showing us how He works.

God does not usually deal with us directly in visible ways. Instead, He works through people. Through parents who care for their children. Through leaders who maintain order. Through ordinary, everyday roles that keep life going.

Sometimes we refer to this as God acting behind a mask. We see parents providing for their child, but God is at work through the parents. We see a police office protecting people, but God is at work protecting and providing order.
Authority is meant to be a gift. A way God provides, protects, and guides.

But like everything else in a fallen world, it doesn’t always function the way it should. Parents fail. Leaders disappoint. Authority can be neglected or abused.

That’s a tension of this commandment.

God calls us to honor authority—not because every authority figure is perfect, but because He is at work through these structures, even when they are imperfect.

And at the same time, Scripture is clear that all authority is under God. When human authority contradicts God’s Word, we listen to God first.

So this commandment calls for wisdom.

• Respect, even when it’s difficult.
• Patience, even when it’s frustrating.
• Trust, not in people—but in God working through them.

And it also calls us to reflect on our own roles.

Because most of us are not just under authority—we are in authority in some way. In families, at work, in the church, or in the community.

This commandment speaks both directions. How we respond. And how we lead.

Which brings us to Jesus.

He honored authority perfectly—even when it led Him to the cross. He submitted to earthly rulers, to His parents, and ultimately to His Father’s will. Think about that again. The God of the universe, who created all things and all people, became a man and submitted to his parents (whom He formed) and earthly rulers (whom He set in place).

And He did it for you.

For all the times we resist, resent, or misuse authority.
In Him, there is forgiveness.

And in Him, there is a new way to live.

Let’s pray…

Lord God,

Thank You for the authorities You have placed in my life. Forgive me for the times I have resisted or disrespected them. Give me wisdom to honor rightly, and help me to trust that You are at work, even through imperfect people. Through Jesus Christ, my Lord.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.