God has given us all that we are deserving in this world. Through Him, we are living and breathing air that His eternal love has blessed upon us. As such, the Lord has given us the ability to be free to do the things we want to do with these blessings. However, some may mistake this freedom as a chance to sin against others.
In Exodus 20:17, God has declared what we now know as the Tenth Commandment that says, “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.”
No man is made the same. This is a fact that everyone can agree upon. The things we do influence our life’s purpose, and what we achieve are what we call ours. However, sometimes we just want to own what others possess. We call this Envy. We’ve all experienced jealousy at one point or another because human as we are, there is no doubt we make rash decisions just to “make up for what is lacking of us.” Despite how much we try to do our best, it always feels as if it’s not enough. This is the work of evil; no matter what we do, we see failure and misery amidst our life’s work, and it drives us to make irrational choices.
But, worry not because the Lord is here to guide us. Regardless of any achievement, big and small, He knows He made us well and that we are living up to the name He has given us. The time we have here in this world is a temporary phase of living. He knows by heart what we all genuinely desire- happiness, contentment, love, and peace. The tenth commandment is a testament to this goodness. Our God knows that what we need in life can only be found when we walk with Him.
by Cheryl Hawkins
Cheryl Hawkins 