The Small Catechism – part 100
Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
Scripture Text: Galatians 5:13
Series: Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
Click to listen to today's devotion.
From the Confessions: The Small Catechism, The Ninth Commandment
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.
What does this mean?
We should fear and love God so that we do not plot to take our neighbors’ possessions, inheritance, or home, or obtain them through deceptive means, but assist and serve our neighbors in keeping what is theirs.
Pulling It Together: The example of Christ instructs us to serve one another. Because of his love, alive within us through the Holy Spirit, we look for opportunities to care for our neighbors, instead of seeking a chance to steal their property. Indeed, the idea is so foreign to us, that we would not consider the idea of taking what is not ours. We understand — again, because of the Spirit of God who lives in us — that what we have is a gift from God. So, we do not plot to take another’s goods, knowing that we would be stealing God’s gift, which is tantamount to robbing God. Who would consider such a thing? More importantly, Christ’s love enjoins us to do better, to live at a higher level, to care for our neighbors as God cares for us.
Prayer: Show me my neighbor’s need, Father, and give me the means to meet it. Amen.
Click here for resources to learn the Ten Commandments.
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Author
Rev. Dr. Mark E. Ryman has served as Pastor for St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Salisbury, NC, since 2021. Previously, Pastor Ryman served congregations in North Carolina and Ohio, as well as a call to specialized ministry with Sola Publishing.
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