Daily Bible Devotionals

“And the man said, “This one, at last, is bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh; this one will be called woman, for she was taken from man.” This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh. Both the man and his wife were naked, yet they felt no shame.” Genesis 2:23-25 (HCSB)

Several years ago, I was sitting in a movie theater in Memphis when I heard Tom Cruise utter those fateful words to Renee Zellweger, “You complete me….” It all seemed sweet at the moment, but in the months to follow, I heard football players, waiters, cab drivers, and even Austin Powers’ “Dr. Evil” repeating the phrase. Removed from their proper setting, these words lost their romantic inclinations.

As far back as the Garden of Eden, it was apparent to both God and Adam that 1) Mankind is not meant to be alone, and 2) Even a sinless man (as Adam was at the time) cannot, apart from Divine intervention, find enduring communion with God. In short, man needed woman for his life to be complete, and God knew that.

Even the word “mankind” tells us that Adam was a creature of a certain kind. So, after parading all the animals past Adam, God made him a creature of his own “kind,” one that actually came from his own flesh. Important to note is that God could have made Adam another dude, a guy who shared his passions for sports and shoot-em-up movies. But In His wisdom, the Lord made a woman for Adam. The Lord instituted marriage to be between man and woman, and nowhere in Scripture does He indicate otherwise. So, there we have it, man & woman: a perfect, God-made match. But where does that leave God in terms of personal relationship & communion with His human creation?

“Creature” could never elevate itself to the level of “Creator.” So, the only way for communion to happen between the two is for the Creator to 1) Condescend, “come down” to the level of the Creature, or 2) Elevate the Creature. In both instances, true communion with God is only found in the “God-man” Jesus.

Made greater than the animals and a little lower than the angels, mankind has always been the object of God’s affection. Redemption & adoption, through Messiah Jesus, is God’s solution to our inability to commune with Him.

In the flesh, man is incomplete without woman. She restores to him what is missing in his flesh. The gravity between man & woman is so strong that both will leave their families just to attach themselves to each other. In the flesh, man & woman complete each other; “Rib” is restored to “body,” bringing wholeness.

But what of the Soul & Spirit? Only Messiah’s atonement and imputed righteousness make us whole spiritually. Perhaps, that is why the Bible calls Jesus the “Groom” and us (followers of Jesus) the “Bride.” Only He can complete what mankind lacks spiritually. Even before the fall of man, being complete in the flesh was not enough for true spiritual wholeness. There was “grace in the garden” even before there was sin.

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Genesis 1. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“And God spoke all these words, saying: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. “You shall have no other gods before Me.” Exodus 20:1-3 (NKJV)

Keep this list to practice and teach others The Ten Commandments!

1st COMMANDMENT: “I am the Lord thy God...thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:2-3 (NKJV)

Hold up your pointer finger. Look at your finger and say, “There is only ONE God.”

2nd COMMANDMENT: “You shall not make for yourself any carved images...” Exodus 20:4 (NKJV)

Hold up two fingers like a peace sign. Look at both fingers and say, “If there is only ONE God, there shouldn’t be two, so I won’t make anymore.”

3rd COMMANDMENT: “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain...” Exodus 20:7 (NKJV)

Hold up three fingers (like a “W” for Wiggins). Say to yourself, “Do not use the Lord’s name in vain,” which refers to Spiritual adultery. **Also, remember Commandment #7

4th COMMANDMENT: “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Exodus 20:10 (NKJV)

Hold up four fingers, look at them and say, “Commandment #4: Remember the Sabbath day and set it apart for God, because that’s what it’s there FOUR (for)!”

5th COMMANDMENT: “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” Exodus 20:12 (NKJV)

Hold up one hand in a “High-Five” and say, “Honor your father and mother, and you will live long in the land the Lord is giving you.” Then, wave your hand down at about knee-level, like you’re spanking a kid! Because at my home, we were spanked if we disobeyed mom & dad.

6th COMMANDMENT: “Thou shalt not kill.” Exodus 20:13 (NKJV)

Hold up a “High-Five” in one hand and hold up the “pointer finger” of the other. Then, point the pointer finger (like a gun) at your best friend and say, “Don’t commit murder!!!”

7th COMMANDMENT: “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Exodus 20:14 (NKJV)

Hold up a “High Five” in one hand and a “Peace sign” in the other. Say to yourself, “Don’t commit adultery.” (Relational Adultery) **Remember Commandment #3

8th COMMANDMENT: “Thou shalt not steal.” Exodus 20:15 (NKJV)

Hold up a “High-Five” in one hand and three fingers in the other hand. Say, “Commandment number 8: I stole the bread, and I EIGHT (ate) it!

9th COMMANDMENT: “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.” Exodus 20:16 (NKJV)

Hold up a “High-Five” on one hand and a “High-Four” on the other, and say, “Commandment number Nine: no lying!” “Nine” and “Lying” sort of rhyme…

10th COMMANDMENT: “Thou shalt not covet...” Exodus 20:17 (NKJV)

Hold up two “High-Fives” and say, “Number Ten is the end: We LOVE IT! But we still don’t covet.”

“Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Exodus 20:16 (HCSB)

“Do not covet your neighbor’s house; do not covet your neighbor’s wife, his male or female slave, his ox, his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” Exodus 20: 17 (HCSB)

“Celebrate Good Times,” balloons & confetti!) Good times, indeed. It is always a good idea to recite these commandments among friends & family. This practice is intended to encourage one another and a positive testimony to any onlookers. We want to communicate that we are serious about knowing the Lord, as well as seeking His requirements for the people who bear His Name.

9th COMMANDMENT: Hold up a “High-Five” on the one hand and a “High-Four” on the other, and say, “Commandment number Nine: no lying!” “Nine” and “Lying” sort of rhyme…

“Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Exodus 20:16 (HCSB)

Today, we finish the 10 Commandments! (Cue the Pointer Sisters’ “Celebrate Good Times,” balloons & confetti!) Good times, indeed. It is always a good idea to recite these commandments among friends & family. This practice is intended to encourage one another and a positive testimony to any onlookers. We want to communicate that we are serious about knowing the Lord, as well as seeking His requirements for the people who bear His Name.

9th COMMANDMENT: Hold up a “High-Five” on the one hand and a “High-Four” on the other, and say, “Commandment number Nine: no lying!” “Nine” and “Lying” sort of rhyme…

“Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Exodus 20:16 (HCSB)

Pretty much everyone knows that lying is a sin, but as with the other commandments, this one goes deeper than the general pedestrian understanding. God foresaw a time when the people of Israel would take each other to court and lie about the evidence. ( Surely, that would NEVER happen today. Ha!) We see this sin most prominently displayed in the trial of Jesus before the Sanhedrin. Some Pharisees convinced people to testify falsely against Jesus, but none of their stories could be corroborated. When we consider the idea of what modern Christianity calls “witnessing” (or sharing your faith), the command not to “Bear false witness” carries extra gravity. After all, don’t we sin when we profess to love Jesus, yet our lifestyles bear witness that we really love the World?

10th COMMANDMENT: Hold up two “High-Fives” and say, “Number Ten is the end: We LOVE IT! Don’t covet!”

“Do not covet your neighbor’s house; do not covet your neighbor’s wife, his male or female slave, his ox, his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” Exodus 20: 17 (HCSB)

The correct understanding of coveting is somewhat foreign to our culture. Coveting is not simply wanting something your neighbor has. That is no sin. If your neighbor gets a new car, for instance, and you want one too, all you have to do is simply work hard and buy one like your neighbor’s. Coveting is more like an evil craving to have something INSTEAD of your neighbor. Coveting is the deep compulsion to envy and hate your neighbor for having some “thing” instead of you, and it generates the desire to destroy your neighbor, if necessary, to obtain that “thing.” It is the root of all spiritual and relational adultery. It is the root of all sorts of greed, thievery, malicious intent, and warring.

So, now can you recite ALL 10 Commandments by memory??

“Do not murder.” Exodus 20:13 (HCSB)

“Do not steal.” Exodus 20:15 (HCSB)

“High-Five” in one hand and hold up the “pointer finger” of the other. Then, point the pointer finger outward at your friend (or family member) and say, “Don’t commit murder!!” Then say, “Lucky for you, this thing wasn’t loaded.” (That part is optional! Ha!)

Today, we are focusing on Commandments 6 & 8. If you remember, we already learned Commandment #7 when we learned #3 because they both deal with infidelity. (#3 deals with spiritual adultery, while #7 deals with physical adultery.)

6 & 8 are my kids’ favorites. Let dig-in.

6th COMMANDMENT: Hold up a “High-Five” in one hand and hold up the “pointer finger” of the other. Then, point the pointer finger outward at your friend (or family member) and say, “Don’t commit murder!!” Then say, “Lucky for you, this thing wasn’t loaded.” (That part is optional! Ha!)

“Do not murder.” Exodus 20:13 (HCSB)

There is an ongoing debate among pacifists concerning the 6th Commandment and how it is to be interpreted as pertains to War and the Death Penalty. To be exact, the Commandment does not prohibit killing. It does not say, “Thou shalt not kill,” as many wrongly assume. Commandment #6 does prohibit murder. It says, “Do not murder.” This is entirely different from when the government punishes a heinous crime versus when a soldier fulfills his duties. There are times when taking another human life is absolutely necessary and lawful in the eyes of God. I recall an interview with U2 lead singer Bono when he commented on this very issue. He described how his personal political views, and his alignment with pacifist organizations like Amnesty International, did not always jive with the realities of imminent danger. He said he always considered himself a pacifist until he saw a man with a gun in his backyard. He told the reporter how he grabbed a knife and would have used it to defend his family. He said he did not doubt that he would have killed the intruder if necessity demanded it.

8th COMMANDMENT: Hold up a “High-Five” in one hand and three fingers on the other hand. Say, “I stole the bread, and I EIGHT (ate) it!

“Do not steal.” Exodus 20:15 (HCSB)

Images of Les Misérables come flooding in…stealing bread in times of trouble. Seriously, do we have to go into the intricacies of stealing? It is simply taking what is not yours.

So, how are you doing so far? Can you recite all of them so far? #1…..#2….#3…..#4…..#5…..#6……#7……#8…..

“Remember the Sabbath day, to set it apart for God. You have six days to labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath unto the Lord your God. On it, you are not to do any kind of work – not you, your son or your daughter, not your male or female slave, not your livestock, and not the foreigner staying with you inside the gates to your property. For in six days, the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them; but on the seventh day, He rested. This is why the Lord blessed the day, Sabbath, and separated it for Himself.” Exodus 20:8-11 (CJB) ‍

“Honor your father and mother, so that you may live long in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.” Exodus 20:12 (NKJV)

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“Commandment #4: Remember the Sabbath day and set it apart for God… ’cause that’s what it’s there FOUR! (For)”

Today, we are focusing on Commandments 4 & 5. They are not as intimately related as the 1 & 2 and 3 & 7, so let’s consider them individually.

4th COMMANDMENT: Hold up four fingers, look at them and say, “Commandment #4: Remember the Sabbath day and set it apart for God… ’cause that’s what it’s there FOUR! (For)”

“Remember the Sabbath day, to set it apart for God. You have six days to labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath unto the Lord your God. On it, you are not to do any kind of work – not you, your son or your daughter, not your male or female slave, not your livestock, and not the foreigner staying with you inside the gates to your property. For in six days, the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them; but on the seventh day, He rested. This is why the Lord blessed the day, Sabbath, and separated it for Himself.” Exodus 20:8-11 (CJB)

A friend once asked me how well I observe the Sabbath, as the Lord has directed us: A total day of rest. I had honestly never considered the question before. I guess I’m too busy trying not to break the other Commandments that I simply overlooked the command to do nothing! Today I want to challenge you with the same question. How well are you obeying God’s command to set aside a day of rest? I’m not talking about setting aside a couple hours to attend a church service. I’m not talking about setting aside a day to play because, in our extreme sports culture, we work at our play. I want to challenge you to set aside a day where you simply do NOTHING. Try it. It’s harder than you think!

5th COMMANDMENT: Hold up one hand, like a “high-five,” and say, “Honor your father and mother, and you will live long in the land the Lord is giving you.” Then, wave your hand down at about knee-level…as if you’re spanking a kid. Because at my house, we got a spanking if we disobeyed mom and dad!

“Honor your father and mother, so that you may live long in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.” Exodus 20:12 (NKJV)

Our generation has lost much of its sense of honor and respect, even in my lifetime. Perhaps, the Asian culture is the last holdout for honoring elders. The Biblical command to “honor your father and mother” means much more than simply obeying them. It means to live a life that brings honor to them…which is impossible apart from a life wholly devoted to God through a relationship with Jesus. As a matter of fact, if your parents are against your following Jesus, you actually bring honor to them by disobeying them in that regard. Between the ages of 18-25, people generally detach themselves from their parent’s authority and set out to find their own way. They are developing their own value systems. Make sure you fulfill the 5th Commandment (and reap its articulated blessing) by establishing your value system fully and completely upon God’s Word.

"Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain..." Exodus 20:7a (NKJV)

"You shall not commit adultery." Exodus 20:14 (NKJV)

I know what you’re thinking: Shouldn’t we be learning 3 & 4?  Well, I was educated in Arkansas, and that’s how we count! Ha!

In reality, I teach 3 & 7 because they are closely alike. They both deal with infidelity, or “adultery.” Also, because 3 & 7 are Biblical numbers associated with God.

The number 3 reminds us of the Trinity (or tri-unity) of God: Father, Son, Spirit.

The number 7, as we learned in the book of Revelation, is the Biblical number of “completion.”

That being said, the Third Commandment deals with SPIRITUAL infidelity, and the 7th deals with RELATIONAL infidelity.

3rd COMMANDMENT: Hold up three fingers (like a “W” for Wiggins). Say to yourself, “Do not take the Lord’s name in vain.”

“Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.” Exodus 20:7 (NKJV)

Remember how the Bible says Jesus is the Bridegroom and WE (the Church) are the Bride? Imagine a man & woman marrying. In a wedding ceremony, the woman takes the man’s name for her own. The two become “one.” But what if, afterward, she decides to cheat on the man, leave him, and live with another man while claiming to be the first man’s wife? She would have taken that man’s name in vain. Her life did not match up with her vow.

God is telling us that it is a sin to receive His Name, claim to be His “Bride,” and then live our lives devoted to the World. It is SPIRITUAL ADULTERY. He is saying to Israel, in a sense, “If you are going to be a people, called by My name, you had better live like it!”

7th COMMANDMENT: Hold up a “High Five” in one hand and a “Peace sign” in the other. Say to yourself, “Don’t commit adultery.”

“You shall not commit adultery.” Exodus 20:14 (NKJV)

Number 7 is pretty cut & dried. Be faithful to your spouse. Sadly, this is a hard one for our culture. Again, just as Commandment #3 dealt with SPIRITUAL infidelity, #7 deals with RELATIONAL infidelity. That’s why we teach them together.

So, review for yourself: #1….#2….#3….#7.

“When He had finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave him the two tablets of the testimony, stone tablets inscribed by the finger of God.” Exodus 31:18 (HCSB)

A while back, I was asked to speak at a men’s conference in the Northeast. There were about 400 men in attendance. The topic and text of my message was “Book Of The Law Found,” 2 Chronicles 34:14-21. (I suggest you take the time and read that passage.) See, I believe the Church-at-large has largely lost the Bible. That is, the Bible is often treated as a “resource” instead of “the Source” in that so few churches reinforce the urgency for God’s people to aggressively pursue His Word. To establish whether my message was even applicable to the group, I asked that everyone who could recite the Ten Commandments would stand and do so. Only about 1/3 of the men stood up. When I asked who could recite the Commandments in order, every man sat down.

I was guessing there wouldn’t be many who could recite them, but I was blown away to discover not a single man could do it with confidence! Could you?

For this week (before we begin reading the Old Testament next week), I would like to teach you the Ten Commandments. This is the same method I use to teach my children.

“He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, ‘Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of Heaven.” Matthew 18:2-3 (NAB)

FIRST COMMANDMENT: Hold up your pointer finger. Look at your finger and say, “There is ONE God.”

“Do not have other gods besides Me.” Exodus 20:3 (HCSB)

SECOND COMMANDMENT: Hold up two fingers (peace sign). Look at both fingers and say, “If there is only ONE God, there shouldn’t be two. I shouldn’t make anymore.”

“Do not make any idols for yourself” Exodus 20:4a (HCSB)

**Now, there is more verbiage to commandment #2, so I suggest you read it all. That said, we’re covering the gist as one would teach a child.

OK. That’s it for today. Memorize those, and we’ll cover two more tomorrow.

One more thing: It would be good for you and your friends and family to learn & recite the Commandments together. It would be an encouragement for each other, as well as a testimony to anyone looking on, wondering if you are truly serious about God’s Word.

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Revelation 22. Click the links below to watch or listen now!