Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness

“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head.” Eph. 4:15 NIV

Solomon said that a good name was better than great wealth. An old adage is “Poor and honest is better than rich and deceitful”.  There is nothing wrong in having a sense of pride in one’s integrity. With it comes the wealth of self respect. That doesn’t mean arrogance or hypocritical pride; it simply means that we are glad that others know they can count on our ethical values.

Bearing false witness is slandering the good name of others. Why would someone do such a thing? They may be trying to deflect the blame that rightly belongs on them. They may be trying to get ahead by putting someone else behind. They may just be malicious gossips. Whatever the reason, we must always make sure we are not the ones doing it.  God has not called us to climb the ladder of success on the back of others. He has not called us to be idle gossips that pass along the dirt on others. He has called us to love our neighbor. While we want our integrity to be valued we must always remember to not mar the integrity of others.

Our Lord and God, We thank you for giving us clean consciences; help us keep the names of others clean as well. Amen. 

The Friday Benediction

Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend.  Amen

You can contact me and find inspiring Christian books at my website: www.davidccraig.net

You may also find some of my selected daily devotions at http://blog.febc.org/

You may also enjoy the Gospel dog blog, “The Gospel According to Molly”, and the Alzheimer’s blog, “Taking Care of Joe” both found on my website.  

Thou Shalt Not Steal

“Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.” I Corinthians 6:10 NKJV

The loss of property can be a tremendous blow to a person or family. We tend to rely on what we have and if it is taken from us we can feel very lost and afraid. The law tries to define theft by amount lost, but to the one who suffers loss it is still grand larceny. But there is more than possessions that can be stolen. As seen in the commandment against adultery, someone can steal our spouse’s affections. As seen in the commandment against bearing false witness, someone can steal our reputation. There are many types of theft.

God gave another commandment that is not included in the “Big Ten”. He gave the commandment to love our neighbor as our self. When we follow the commandment of love we don’t steal from our neighbor. We do unto them as we would have them do unto us. We seek their welfare and not their harm. We seek their profit and not their loss. This is how we really practice the commandment “You shall not steal”.

Our Lord and God, As You have sought my good, so let me do for my neighbor. Amen.  

You can contact me and find inspiring Christian books at my website: www.davidccraig.net

You may also find some of my selected daily devotions at http://blog.febc.org/

You may also enjoy the Gospel dog blog, “The Gospel According to Molly”, and the Alzheimer’s blog, “Taking Care of Joe” both found on my website.  

Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery

 “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications” Matt. 15:19 KJV

While we would not think it likely for God to do some things, He can be very surprising. He told the prophet Hosea to take an immoral woman to be his wife and then when she continued in her immorality to go and take her back again. In our minds we might expect God to just send a lightning bolt to amend that woman’s ways, but God acts outside our nature. He first wanted to show that His people were like an adulterous woman in the way they loved the world more than Him. Secondly He wanted to teach His people that repentance would bring restoration.

 James said in his epistle that when we love the world we are practicing adultery against God. That is harsh stuff. Jesus said to the adulterous woman, “Go and sin no more.” He let the harlot bathe His feet with her tears. As much as God condemns sin we must always remember that He is willing to forgive sinners who come to Him as well.  While we uphold the integrity of God’s laws we must also uphold the beauty of God’s grace and love. 

Our Lord and God, Thank You for saving a sinner such as I. Amen. 

You can contact me and find inspiring Christian books at my website: www.davidccraig.net

You may also find some of my selected daily devotions at http://blog.febc.org/

You may also enjoy the Gospel dog blog, “The Gospel According to Molly”, and the Alzheimer’s blog, “Taking Care of Joe” both found on my website.  

Thou Shalt Not Murder

“Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with you.” Deut. 19:13 NKJV

While we often learn this commandment as “You shall not kill” it is properly “You shall not murder”. It is a different word and words make a difference. God has not called us as individuals to be judge, jury and executioner. He has clearly reserved that right to the state and made that point clear from Genesis onward. It is all part of God’s order and when we violate God’s order things go awry.

But murder in the eyes of God goes beyond the actual shedding of innocent blood. Jesus said that hatred was like murdering someone in our heart. This makes all the more clear God’s commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves. It also clarifies the importance of God’s statement, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.” If God is the true judge of all; if He is the only One who knows all the truth of a situation; then we as His children can leave off our own judgments and get about the business of love. He will take care of the rest. While God will not forget His righteous judgments He will always expect us to fulfill the righteous law of love.

Our Lord and God, Thank You that You are in charge. Amen. 

You can contact me and find inspiring Christian books at my website: www.davidccraig.net

You may also find some of my selected daily devotions at http://blog.febc.org/

You may also enjoy the Gospel dog blog, “The Gospel According to Molly”, and the Alzheimer’s blog, “Taking Care of Joe” both found on my website.  

Honor Your Father and Your Mother

“A wise son makes a father glad, but a foolish man despises his mother.” Proverbs 15:20 NKJV

Cards and phone calls on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are nice and greatly appreciated, but they are not the sum of honoring our parents. In my book “Taking Care of Joe” I deal with this commandment a lot. The home is the proving ground of what we truly believe. Scripture says we cannot love the person we cannot see if we don’t love the person we can see. Likewise, honoring God is not possible if we don’t know how to honor our parents. Jesus told the Pharisees that they broke this commandment when they said they donated money to God while ignoring their parents’ needs.

Solomon calls us to act wisely in regard to our parents. He warns us that our public conduct does not just reflect on us but brings either honor or dishonor to those who bore us. Of course we need to keep those cards and phone calls coming, but we also need to remember that truly honoring our parents is an everyday affair that brings glory to God. 

Our Lord and God, Thank You for the parents you gave us. Amen. 

The Friday Benediction

Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend.  Amen

You can contact me and find inspiring Christian books at my website: www.davidccraig.net

You may also find some of my selected daily devotions at http://blog.febc.org/

You may also enjoy the Gospel dog blog, “The Gospel According to Molly”, and the Alzheimer’s blog, “Taking Care of Joe” both found on my website.  

Remember the Sabbath and Keep it Holy

“For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” Matt. 12:8 NKJV

When I was a child (don’t you just hate those words) there were blue laws. On Sunday the stores were closed. I once called the local radio station to request a favorite song and was told, “We don’t play those songs on Sunday.” Blue laws, however, only enforced behaviors but not attitudes. We don’t have them anymore because people didn’t want them. Is Sunday even the Sabbath day? The Sabbath was a particular day for the Jews and Paul condemned those who tried to impose it on the church.

In a manner of speaking, Jesus is our Sabbath. He is the rest of God. We cease all labor to please God, which can never succeed, and trust in Christ who has pleased God. While Christ is our Sabbath, the Scriptures still call for us to gather together to give Him our attention and worship. To faithfully and regularly set aside time for corporate worship is very important for our own physical and spiritual well being. The blessings of Word and Sacrament must never be overlooked in their importance to our lives. Giving God special time brings us the refreshment we regularly need.

Our Lord and God, Thank You for calling me to Your rest in Christ and in Your Word each week. Amen.  

You can contact me and find inspiring Christian books at my website: www.davidccraig.net

You may also find some of my selected daily devotions at http://blog.febc.org/

You may also enjoy the Gospel dog blog, “The Gospel According to Molly”, and the Alzheimer’s blog, “Taking Care of Joe” both found on my website.  

Not Take His Name in Vain

“No wonder the Scriptures say, ‘The world blasphemes the name of God because of you’.” Romans 2:24 NLT

When I was a child my grandmother was exceedingly strict about any possible violation of God’s name in the widest possible view of the commandment. Minor expletives that started with a “G” were banned. Good for her. Today OMG is one of the most common phrases of people under thirty and few even bat an eye. God said quite clearly that He would “not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.” (Exodus 20:7) In Luther’s comments on this commandment he said that the world is aflame with the judgment of God for abuse of His holy Name.

God amplifies that it is not just the use of His Name, but the way we use His Name in our lives that defiles it. That led to Paul’s comment in Romans 2. His Name is on us when we identify with Him. What we do and say, how we act and where we go all ultimately reflects on His glory. David’s sin with Bathsheba blasphemed God’s Name. That was God’s own comment. I would not dishonor the name of my wife by actions against her purity. We should see our walk with God in the same vein.

Our Lord and God, Help us who bear Your Name do so for Your glory. Amen.

You can contact me and find inspiring Christian books at my website: www.davidccraig.net

You may also find some of my selected daily devotions at http://blog.febc.org/

You may also enjoy the Gospel dog blog, “The Gospel According to Molly”, and the Alzheimer’s blog, “Taking Care of Joe” both found on my website.