Devotion 

Thou Shalt Not Kill

Frances Taylor 

Okay, who of us hasn't called someone a fool? Jesus gives us a whole different understanding of the commandments than we get from taking them literally. This is only one of the commandments that he delves further into. Most people don't resort to murder and most of those that do don't usually start that way. If you were never angry, you wouldn't get to the level of murder and if you didn't call people names, you might not get angry. Violence often begins with the mouth. Jesus understood that there is a certain progression to sin. If we have a quick temper, we are more apt to strike out first with the mouth and then physically, then with greater violence. This applies to most of the commandments. In another place, Jesus mentions how lust is the first step toward breaking the commandment concerning adultery. It is not a surprise that the 7 deadly sins are at the root of most evil. We all know them: pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, anger, and sloth. We need to take a better look at all the commandments and see what bad habits we might have developed and work to change them.

Prayer 

Lord, you have given us rules to live by that will bring us peace and happiness in our lives if we only are willing to follow them. Help us to be faithful to your word. Amen.