Lately it seems like I am seeing lots of “Rules to Live By” lists. God gave us the one and only list of rules to live by that we need, The Ten Commandments. Today we are wrapping up this four-daystudy with a look at the last two commandments.
9. Be Honest in All Things You shall not bear false witnessagainst your neighbor.
Exodus 20:16 We have all met people who will lie about something when the truth would be better. People who lie are more than just storytellers…they are not trustworthy, they lack respect for others, they are cowards and thieves. Honesty is the key to good character. Without it, there is no confidence, trust or respect.
Exodus 20:16 We have all met people who will lie about something when the truth would be better. People who lie are more than just storytellers…they are not trustworthy, they lack respect for others, they are cowards and thieves. Honesty is the key to good character. Without it, there is no confidence, trust or respect.
Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, Butthose who deal faithfully are His delight. Proverbs 12:22 NASB
The lie was the first sin in the Bible and is the beginning of a multitude of wrong. The greatest lie comes from the devil when he tempts us and causes us to believe there will be no harm in what we say or do.
Being honest takes courage. Lies for convenience or lies about trivial things seem not to matter except for the fact they destroy character. Stress, anxiety, fear and other problems surround the life of a liar. Lies snowball - they continue to flow when they get started.
10. Watch Your Heart You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor. Exodus 20:17
Man is wanting incarnate; a walking flesh of desires and at the center of every man is the seat of his desires. This is the place where his happiness is centered when satisfied and unhappiness comes when he is not.
Why is coveting so deadly? Because it can never be satiated. Coveting relentlessly craves more of this world; and a person’s thoughts, affections, and heart occupied with the world will cease seeking heaven. It forsakes love for God and disposes one to hate their neighbor.
It has rightly been said that when we break any of the first nine commandments, we also break the tenthcommandment. Coveting pulls the heart down into the pit of self-seeking and the muck and mire of envy, slander, adultery, pride, dishonor, murder, thievery, and idolatry.
What people really wants is the happiness that others seem to derive from whatever they have or do. All temporal things bring temporary satisfaction and leave us with greater hunger. Coveting looks to the world to fill the void that only God can fill.
All things are wearisome; Man is not able to tell it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, Nor is the ear filled with hearing. Ecclesiastes 1:8 NASB
So, there it is… the only rules you will ever need to be successful, happy, and fulfilled in this life. However, these “rules” are really meant to remind us that we are not perfect and we never will be. God knows this but He wants us to strive to follow these very important guidelines that He has given us. Satan will consistently hammer away at you on this journey and try to deceive you into believing that you can’t do it so you might as well give up. Of all the biblical laws and commandments, the Ten Commandments alone are said to have been "written with the finger of God" - Exodus 31:18. That says that He is serious about these and they are a direct message to us. He wants us to be serious about them too.
