“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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“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."

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

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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.

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

Support the show: https://harvest.org/support

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.