Devotional
The 10th Commandment serves a unique purpose in God’s law—it reveals the impossibility of achieving righteousness through our own efforts. While we might control our external actions, who can perfectly control their desires? As Paul discovered, this command exposes our inherent inability to keep God’s law perfectly. This realization isn’t meant to crush us but to point us to Christ. The commandments we could never fulfill, Jesus fulfilled perfectly. The righteousness we could never achieve, He freely gives to those who trust in Him. Our failure to keep the law reveals our desperate need for grace. In Christ, we find not only forgiveness for our coveting but also the power to grow in contentment. As we embrace His sufficiency, our desperate grasping for more begins to loosen. We discover that having Jesus means having everything of eternal value. This is the ultimate freedom—not having everything we want, but wanting what we already have in Christ. It’s being so satisfied in God that the shiny distractions of this world lose their power over us. It’s finding in Jesus what we’ve been searching for in possessions, achievements, and status. Today, embrace this freedom. When coveting creeps in, remember that in Christ, you already possess the greatest treasure. Let His presence be your contentment, His promises your security, and His purpose your passion. In Him, you are complete.
Bible Verse
“I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.'” – Romans 7:7
Reflection Question
How has your inability to perfectly keep God’s commands (particularly regarding coveting) helped you appreciate your need for Christ’s righteousness?
Quote “Paul said, it’s this tenth commandment that revealed to me that this law that I have tried to keep since I was a little boy, I’d never be able to keep it.”
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for using Your law to show me my need for a Savior. I confess I could never achieve righteousness through my own efforts. Thank You for sending Jesus to fulfill what I could not. Help me find my contentment completely in Him, not in the things of this world. May Your Spirit continue transforming my heart until I truly want nothing more than what I already have in Christ. In Jesus’ name, amen.