The 6th Commandment

You shall not murder.

We talk often about how we’re an “evolved” society, but scrolling the news for five minutes should swiftly teach us otherwise.

The amounts of cold-blooded murders in the Western world (primarily the United States) are astonishing.

Or at least they were at one time before we all became desensitized to them.

Now, they seem to be everywhere. However, I think it’s safe to say there’s still a majority who wouldn’t commit a heinous crime quite like that.

But like Jesus says, even if you have murderous thoughts, you’re still sinning.

I think it’s an important question to ask ourselves: do we harbor anger, resentment, bitterness towards another person?

I think we often think of forgiveness as a cop out, a way to allow someone else to slip off the hook while we tuck our tail between our legs.

But forgiveness is a gift. It allows our hearts and minds ultimate freedom and gives God the opportunity to seek vengeance against all who do us wrong.

It’s really not a bad tradeoff.

However, we sometimes trick ourselves into believing we’re above that kind of behavior, but when we take stock of the bad bosses, people who have cut us off in traffic, backbiting mothers-in-law, jealous siblings, etc., it’s safe to say that we’ve most likely had a murderous thought or two in all our years of living.

And even if we don’t act on them, the seeds are still there seething and dictating how we move, act, think–you name it.

A less than lovely picture, isn’t it?

Like Cain, we wander the world as our brother's blood cries out to us from the soil. Our guilt is almost a worse bedfellow than the anger that lies beneath it.

By indulging murderous, hate-filled thoughts, we're basically claiming that we are free of sin and worthy of condemning another.

But how can that be when even Jesus didn't come to condemn us?

As always, God gives us an out–confess the evil in our hearts, turn away from the sin, and offer forgiveness to those who have trespassed against us because we are no better.

Thanks be to a God who is even willing to forgive a murderer!

Search me, God, and know my heart.

Now that you've learned more about what murder can really mean in our daily lives, have there been times when you've carried a murderous heart? Be honest with God about this, delving straight into His gifts of confession, repentance, and forgiveness. He cares for you and doesn't want you to be burdened with a heaviness you're not meant to carry.