Anglican Devotional 26 July 2022 – You Shall Not Murder

The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 26 July 2022 – You Shall Not Murder

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TOPIC: You Shall Not Murder

TEXT: Exodus 20:12-17 (NKJV)

12. ” Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.
13. ” You shall not murder.
14. ” You shall not commit adultery.
15. ” You shall not steal.
16. ” You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
17. ” You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that [is] your neighbor’s.”

THE MESSAGE:

Yesterday, we discussed how King Herod killed James. Interestingly enough, he reaped mysterious death in return (Acts 12:23). In the Decalogue, the sixth commandment says “Thou shall not kill.” God forbids killing for His covenant people and by extension, for the entire human race. It therefore follows that man must run away from violence, assault, hatred and anger that could naturally lead to destruction of life. God’s command is “You shall not commit murder.”

Today, killing has taken new dimensions in our society. Some politicians are involved in killing their opponents secretly in order to remain in power or divert electoral mandates. Some religious fanatics take joy in killing innocent citizens all in the name of propagating their destructive faith. A good number of Nigerian youths are involved in ritual-for-money killings while some take human lives because they are mandated to shed blood by their evil associations.

You are not a child of the devil and you do not belong to that camp. But then, you should realise that you can also kill with your mouth when you backbite, slander or wilfully destroy your fellow human beings (James 3:7-12). Always remember that it is not only he who carries a gun that can kill; you can kill with your mouth, your pen, your action and inaction.

PRAYER: Father, help me to be Your loving and kind child and not to kill my fellow human beings in whatever manner, in Jesus’ name. Amen.