Scripture References:

Psalms 37:8
Proverbs 14:16, 29
Proverbs 22:24-25
Ecclesiastes 7:9
Matthew 5:9
Matthew 18:21-35
Mark 11:25-26
Romans 13:9
I John 3:10-18
James 1:19-20

“Thou shalt not kill.”
(Exodus 20:13)

The 6th love commandment consists of just four little words, yet those four little words are oh so POWERFUL in meaning … “Thou shall not kill”!  Listen, there’s A LOT more behind obeying this commandment than simply not physically murdering someone.  And Jesus had much to say about it!  So let’s see what the Bible says.

In his sermon on the mount, Jesus said: “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment” (Matthew 5:21-22).  The first thing we learn here is the 6th love commandment also has to do with “anger”.  The English phrase “without a cause” was translated from a single Greek word ‘eikē’ meaning: in vain, for nothing, to no purpose.  Listen, Jesus often got angry at the Pharisees, but it was for their hypocrisy (meaning their sin).  He HATED their sin (their disobedience to the 10LC) yet he still loved them!  And therein is the key with anger: be angry with the sin (evil), but not with the person.  Any other reason for anger is in vain, or to no purpose.

Now if you get angry – and it will inevitably happen! – the Apostle Paul wrote some wise words of advise: “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil” (Ephesians 4:26-27).  In other words, get over your anger QUICKLY!  This is so crucial; you must let go of your anger towards someone as fast as possible, or you will give a mighty place to the devil in your life, for your anger will soon turn into a prolonged hatred, bitterness, and resentment for them.  And this is a DANGEROUS heart condition to be in, for it is a “murderous spirit”, which is disobedience to the 6th Love Commandment.  And THAT is fatal to the eternal destiny of your soul!  Listen to the Apostle John’s sobering words of truth: “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him” (I John 3:15).  Wow.

Now I told you in the 1st love commandment that as we go over the 10LC’s I am going to continually point out how PRIDE (or selfishness) in a person’s heart is actually what causes them to disobey them.  So let me do that right now with some examples concerning this commandment.  Some people hate others because they have more money & possessions than they do.  But that’s just evidence of their selfish idolatrous heart saying “I wish I had that!”  See, this kind of anger or hatred is COMPLETELY in vain!  Then, some people hate others because they said or done something wrong to them, and here’s their hearts’ thought process, “How dare they speak to me like that!”  Or, “They’re not going to get away with treating me like that!  I’ll get them back!”  But do you hear what is at the center of these thoughts?  It is PRIDE!  Even racist hatred is just a prideful heart saying, “I’m better than you!”  Listen, there are thousands of reasons you can hate someone, ranging from they gave you a dirty look to they raped your daughter, but understand it will always be your foolish pride that causes you to disobey the 6th love commandment by “murdering (or hating) your neighbor”.  Simply put, “Pride” will not let you love!  How sad.

So what’s the solution for letting go of anger and hatred?  In other words, what’s the DO SIDE of the 6th LC?  It’s FORGIVENESS!  Yes, ‘forgiving’ is a HUGE part of obeying the 6th love commandment.  And Jesus had some powerful words to say about forgiveness with respect to the eternal destiny of your soul: “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive NOT men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14-15).  Wow, pretty clear cut, huh?  You must forgive others if you want to obtain eternal life!

But why is “forgiving” someone so hard to DO?  Because it requires you to forsake your pride!!!  And THAT is the HARDEST thing to DO in life!  Do you understand?  But look, haven’t you done something wrong to someone else at one time or another?  Of course you have!  Then renounce your foolish pride and forgive others when they do wrong to you.  Don’t let hate (or murder) build up in your heart.  If you do, it is just evidence your pride is still in FULL bloom, and that you do NOT have the love of God inside of you.  And that is a very sad condition to be in, for it means you are walking the “broad way of pride (or evil)” that leads to the eternal destruction of your soul in the end.  To obtain eternal life you must repent of sin, turn around, and begin walking the “narrow way of love (or good)” by obeying God’s 10LC’s.

Jesus taught many other things that fall under obeying the 6th love commandment.  Listen to some of them, and as you do, notice how they describe a person who knows how to love (when they’ve been treated badly!) by disowning their pride and not becoming angry or hateful towards their neighbor: “Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, Do not resist the evildoer: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also … Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 6:38-39, 44).  Friend, if you live like that, your pride is dead, and love is in FULL bloom!

Scripture References:

Matthew 15:1-20
Matthew 19:19
Romans 1:29-32
Ephesians 6:1-4
Colossians 3:20-25
II Timothy 3:1-5

“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)

The 5th love commandment is a wonderful commandment for it deals specifically with two very special people in everyone’s life – their parents!  This is the “transition” commandment between the first 4 LC’s (which explain how to “love God”) and the last 6 LC’s (which explain how to “love your neighbor as yourself”).  I say “transition commandment” because your parents are like your God when you are young, and then more like your neighbor when you are old.  So what a clever way for God to kick off the six commandments that deal with “loving thy neighbor” by having it be about the two main people (or neighbors) you have for life.

This commandment often undergoes three phases in a person’s life.  There’s the initial phase (when you are a child under your parent’s house and authority) where they take care of you; then there is the middle phase (when you are grown and have left home) where you respect each other’s wishes; and then there is the later phase (when the roles often reverse) and you are called upon to take care of them.  Each of these phases has its own intricacies in how one goes through life keeping the 5th love commandment “to honor thy father and mother”.  Let’s take a closer look at this wonderful commandment and its three phases.

In the first phase, you are a child under your parent’s protection, care, and instruction.  ‘Honoring your parents’ during this period can best be summed up by two words … “obey them”.  Listen, everyone on planet Earth knows the difference between good & evil, which means your parents do too!  It doesn’t matter what country you were born into or what religion your parent’s espouse … they know what love is and what love is not, for it’s all summed up in the Golden Rule “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”.  Therefore, most parents will reprimand you if you lie, cheat, steal, hate, etc.  But understand, they are just trying to teach you God’s ways of love!  So listen to them and obey them.  Don’t curse them.  Be thankful!  They love you.  They are trying to help you by encouraging you to walk the path that leads to eternal life!  This is why the Proverbs say: “He that spareth the rod hates his son: but he that loveth him disciplines him diligently … For foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him … Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.  Thou shalt strike him with the rod, and shall deliver his soul from hell” (Proverbs 13:24; 22:15; 23:13-14).  Isn’t it amazing how the truth behind the question “What must I DO to obtain eternal life?” is clearly revealed even in these few wise Proverbs – you must do good, meaning you must strive to keep the 10LC!!!

But here’s the deal … remember how I told you in commandment #1 that PRIDE (or selfishness) in a person’s heart is the initial factor that leads them to sin (doing ALL kinds of evil, or love-less deeds)?  Well, here’s where that pride can first be seen in someone!  Look, it is nothing but pride that causes a child to NOT want to obey their parents.  Do you understand?  And that pride manifests itself as rebellion: They want their OWN way! … They want to do their OWN thing!  So when a parent uses the “rod” on a child as punishment for wrongdoing, what they are REALLY DOING is trying to drive “foolish pride” out of the child.  Isn’t that amazing?  But God’s Word warns if they spare the rod, allowing their child to have his/her own way, they foster a child who will grow up FULL of pride (or selfishness), who will continue to do ALL kinds of evil (meaning disobeying of the 10LC) which if never repented of (or turned from) will lead that child’s soul to hell!

Now in the middle phase, after a child becomes an adult and moves away from home (married or not) ‘honoring thy father and mother’ involves more of a respect than just simple obedience.  See, at this point, a person is responsible for their own actions!  They are accountable to God!  But hopefully they will have developed a treasured relationship with their parents in childhood that now leads them to want to seek out their good counsel during their lifetime.  But either way, there should always be mutual respect.  Parents and children should honor and respect each other’s wishes and choices, always praying for each other, always desiring the best in each other’s lives.  It’s again, folks … just love!

Then finally, during the last phase, to ‘honor thy father and mother’ might require a complete role reversal.  As parents get older they might get sick and weak.  They might need you to give of your time to take care of them.  They might need your financial help.  Whatever it takes!  But again it is ALL just love shown towards the two humans (or neighbors) God chose to bring you into this world.  The one’s who took care of you when you were young and helpless.  What an honor this can be in a person’s life to honor their parents in this way!

Scripture References:

Nehemiah 13:15-22
Isaiah 56:1-7
Isaiah 58:13-14
Jeremiah 17:21-27
Matthew 24:20
Mark 2:27-28
Mark 3:1-5
Hebrews 4:1-13

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” (Exodus 20:8-11)

The 4th love commandment is an AMAZING commandment because contained in its decree is actually God’s master TIME plan for planet Earth.  So not only is this commandment yet another wonderful way for us to demonstrate our love towards God, but when we keep it we are actually paying homage to — whether we know it or not! — God’s incredible time plan for planet Earth.  Let’s take a look.

In creating the world, God utilized 6 days; then He followed up those 6 days of work with a day of rest — known as the blessed & holy 7th day, or simply the Sabbath.  Now none of this numbering was by accident!  See God could have created the world in 0 days, 1 day, 2 days, or however many days He wanted too, but He PURPOSELY chose to use 7 days for the Creation “event” in order to be able to “declare the end from the beginning” (Isaiah 46:10).  Specifically, His use of 7 days prophesied planet Earth would go through 7 equal-in-length periods of time.  Later in His Word, God revealed the length of those time periods was to be a thousand solar years (or 1,000 trips of Earth around the sun).  Therefore, EACH of the 7 days in the Creation story foretold of a 1,000 year period on Earth: “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that ONE DAY is with the Lord as a THOUSAND YEARS, and a THOUSAND YEARS as ONE DAY” (II Peter 3:8).  Thus, God’s Master Time Plan for planet Earth (counted from Creation) was/is to be a total of 7,000 solar years in duration.

But this wasn’t all God foretold about His plan for planet Earth through the Creation narrative, for the manner in which he “worked (or labored)” to create the world in 6 days followed by a 7th day of rest prophesied mankind would also “work (or labor)” under sin’s curse for 6 days (or 6,000 years) followed by a 7th day (or 1,000 year) Sabbath rest.  Later in His Word, God confirmed all of this by revealing when Jesus Christ returns to planet Earth in the clouds (during Earth’s 6,000 year) he will lock up Satan the deceiver and set up a 1,000 year Sabbath reign on Earth, where peace, love, and rest will prevail among the saints: “And they (the resurrected saints) lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years” (Revelation 20:4).  THIS is truly what the Sabbath Day in God’s 7 day Creation story represents!  It is a picture of Christ’s soon-coming glorious MILLENNIAL Earthly kingdom!

So think about this … all throughout mankind’s history, every 7 day week that passed was actually a mini picture of God’s complete, overall, master TIME plan for planet Earth.  Isn’t that AMAZING?  Isn’t that FASCINATING?  And friend, it’s still going on today!!!  For the weekly cycle has never gotten out of sync since the beginning of time!  So every week that passes you have an opportunity to rest on God’s 7th day Sabbath (from sundown Friday till sundown Saturday) in honor and recognition of Jesus Christ’s soon-coming Earthly kingdom!  And NOW you know the momentous significance behind keeping God’s 4th love commandment.  Truly, what a pleasure and privilege it is to observe the Sabbath day each week, for it is a foretaste of the coming “Day (or millennium) of the Lord”!

But here’s the sad truth … people who become prideful, or self-centered, by making themselves god of their own life (disobey the 1st love commandment); who then fuel that pride by idolizing the materialistic world, greedily laboring and working daily to amass more and more money & dirt possessions (disobey the 2nd love commandment) … almost always do NOT want to take a day off each week to honor God!  Do you understand?  That is nothing but a downer to them!  They are busy with their own life, working and making money to fuel their ego; and they have no time for God!  And so the sin-dominoes just keep falling in their life, as they willingly work right on through God’s Holy Sabbath day each week, proving God’s will is NOT their will.

So obeying the 4th love commandment by “keeping the Sabbath day holy” is really a test from God.  He uses it to discover who TRULY loves Him or who hates Him.  He uses it to find out who will humble themselves and make Him first in their life, honoring HIS will and plans, or who just loves themselves and only wants to honor their own will and plans.  Listen, it should not be a day of drudgery!  If it is, then something is wrong in your heart.  It should be a joyous occasion!  It should be a day full of happiness, love, and peace.

It is a day to rest and not work.  You should look forward to the Sabbath day each week, for it pictures the glorious time on Earth when the saints will no longer struggle and labor under sin’s curse.  Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man” (Mark 2:27) not just for the Jews, as are ALL of God’s 10LC.  So don’t defile the Sabbath day, but do good.  Don’t profane it, but delight yourself in the Lord!  Take it easy on that day.  Rest up.  Read God’s Word.  Get to know your heavenly Father.  Take a nature walk.  Smell the roses.  Breathe.  Enjoy it.  THAT is what the 4th love commandment is all about!

Scripture References:

Proverbs 30:7-9
Matthew 12:31-37
Colossians 3:8
I Timothy 6:1
James 3:1-18

“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain;
for the Lord will not hold him guiltless
that taketh his name in vain.”
(Exodus 20:3)

On the surface, the 3rd love commandment seems to ONLY be about using the Lord’s name as a curse word.  You know, using any form of His name in a sentence (like God, Lord, Jesus, or Jesus Christ) — usually when upset! — when not intending to talk about Him.  Oh, but the 3rd love commandment is about SO much more than just that!  Let’s take a look.

The commandment says, “do not TAKE the Lord’s name in VAIN”.  The important words here are “take” and “vain”.  The Hebrew word for “take” means: to bear, carry, or lift up.  And the Hebrew word for “vain” means: worthlessness, vanity, or falseness.  In other words, “Taking the Lord’s name in vain” means to carry, or lift up His name (meaning to profess to know and worship God) in falseness or worthlessness!  How is this done?  By not keeping the other 9 LC!  This is exactly what Jesus was talking about when he said to certain of the Scribes and Pharisees: “Ye hypocrites, for well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.  For in VAIN they do worship me …” (Matthew 15:7-9).

Let me be crystal clear on this … someone disobeying the 3rd love Commandment is someone who claims to be religious, yet lives in willfully disobedience to God’s 10LC.  They claim to be God’s child, but by their lawless (or love-less) thoughts, words, and deeds, they prove they are not.  They carry God’s name in falseness!  They lift up God’s name in worthlessness!  The writer of Proverbs confirmed this by saying, “Lord, don’t let me steal, and thereby take your name in vain” (Proverbs 30: 9).

Listen, about 98% of the world’s population today claim they “believe in God”.  But what they don’t understand is … “God is Spirit” (John 4:24) and “God is love” (I John 4:8).  Subsequently, the Creator God is the “Spirit of love”.  So when people go around professing they “believe in God” but then willfully disobey His 10LC in their daily life, they blaspheme His name.  They say they know Him, but by their sinful (love-less) deeds they prove they do not!  This is why the Apostle John wrote: “And hereby we do know that we know him, IF we keep his (10 love) commandments.  He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (I John 2:3-4).

So to keep the sin-dominos analogy going … those who disobey God’s 1st love commandment (become prideful by making themselves God of their own life) push over the first sin domino, which then hits the second sin domino, where they fuel that pride by disobeying God’s 2nd love commandment (idolizing the materialistic world), which then pushes over the third sin domino, where they begin blaspheming God’s (or love’s) name — taking His name in vain! — by doing even more love-less thoughts, words, and deeds.

The Apostle Paul knew all of this too, and it was the reason he wrote what he did to the Jews in Romans chapter two.  Read the whole chapter in context sometime and notice how Paul condemns Jews who acknowledge God with their lips, but then by their sinful lifestyle (disobeying of 10LC) reject Him.  Paul wrote: “For the name of God (love) is blasphemed among the gentiles through you” (Romans 2:24).  Listen to his words in the Living Bible: “Yes, you (Jews) teach others — then why don’t you teach yourselves?  You tell others not to steal — but do you steal?  You say it is wrong to commit adultery — but do you do it?  You say, “Don’t pray to idols,” and then make money your god instead.  You are so proud of knowing God’s laws, but you dishonor him by breaking them.  No wonder the Scriptures say that the world speaks evil of God because of you” (Romans 2:21-24).  Wow, could it be any clearer?

Now, on the other hand, true blessing, worshipping, praising, and glorifying of God’s name takes place in a person’s life as they go about keeping God’s 10LC on a daily basis.  This is how a person praises the Lord!  This is how a person TRULY honors (or lifts up) God’s name (or Love’s name) in truth!  In other words, THIS is how a person obeys God’s 3rd love commandment by NOT taking God’s name in vain.  In John’s gospel, Jesus likened obeying the 10LC to “bearing (good) fruit” and said: “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much (good) fruit; so shall ye be my disciples … If ye keep my (10 Love) commandments” (John 15:8-10).  Do you see it?  Thinking, speaking, and doing deeds of “love” glorifies God’s (or Love’s) name.  Never forget this powerful truth!

Yes, God’s highest name is LOVE.  If you confess or profess His name in any form, yet live in willful sin (disobedience to God’s 10LC) you disobey God’s 3rd love commandment by “taking His name in vain”.  You literally blaspheme God’s Holy Spirit through your love-less deeds.  And for this, just like the commandment warns, God will NOT hold you guiltless on Judgment Day (Exodus 20:7)!  You WILL suffer eternal punishment!  THIS is what prompted Jesus to utter: “But unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall NOT be forgiven” (Luke 12:10).

So please control your tongue and don’t curse God, but always lift up his name in righteousness and holiness.  “The Lord knoweth them that are his … Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity (sin)” (II Timothy 2:19).

Scripture References:

Matthew 6:19-24
Matthew 18:9
Acts 17:29
I John 2:15-17
I John 5:21

“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments” (Exodus 20: 4-6)

The 2nd love commandment is intrinsically linked to God’s 1st love commandment which instructed ‘have no other gods before me’.  Remember, the 1st love commandment is all about “pride” (or being your own god) when disobeyed.  Well this commandment when disobeyed, explains how a person fuels that pride.  Thus, the 1st love commandment and the 2nd love commandment go hand-in-hand: If either of them is disobeyed, they are BOTH being disobeyed; or if either of them is kept, they are BOTH being kept.  Let’s investigate.

The best way to begin understanding this commandment is again (just like the first commandment) to scrutinize what happened to Lucifer in the Garden of Eden.  Listen to Ezekiel write about him: “Every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, diamond, beryl, onyx, jasper, sapphire, emerald, carbuncle, and gold … from the day that thou was created … and by the MULTITUDE of thy MERCHANDISE they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned … Thine heart was lifted up (meaning prideful) because of thy beauty, and thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness” (Ezekiel 28: 13-17).  Do you see it?  Lucifer was prideful over physical things!  His mind (or better judgment) was corrupted by the fact that he placed value in materialism.  And then he wanted control over MORE of it, for that fed his ego!  He wanted to be God, remember?  How foolish.  So in his prideful, idolatrous state, more sin (or love-less) dominos began to fall, and he sinned further by lying to Eve (disobeying 9th LC) and murdering the souls of mankind (disobeying 6th LC) to become the god of this world.  Listen closely; an “inordinate love for the physical world” is what disobedience to God’s 2nd love commandment (or idolatry) is ALL about!

Amazingly, a careful look at Satan’s discussion with Eve (and her thought process) in the Garden of Eden (right before she sinned) even further confirms everything I am telling you about how disobedience to God’s first two love commandments (pride & idolatry in the heart) are the first steps towards ALL kinds of sin (love-less deeds).  Listen to how Lucifer enticed her: “God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof … YE SHALL BE AS GODS” (Genesis 3:5).  Do you see it?  Lucifer stroked her pride first!  Then, listen to Eve’s thought process after Satan’s words: “And when the woman SAW that the tree was good for food, and that it was PLEASANT to the EYES, and a tree to be DESIRED … she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat” (Genesis 3:6).  Do you see the lust for seeable physical things?  Yes, pride & idolatry (or disobedience to God’s first two love commandments) were the factors that led Eve to sin, just like Lucifer!

Now once Adam & Eve sinned by eating the forbidden fruit from the “tree of the KNOWLEDGE of Good & Evil”, they instantly knew (or became aware of) God’s 10LC in their heart: “And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to KNOW good and evil” (Genesis 3:22).  In other words, mankind now faced the daily choice of either obeying God’s 10LC (doing good) or disobeying them (doing evil) during their lifetime on Earth.  And sadly, it didn’t take long for mankind to start walking the path of evil by becoming prideful (self-centered) and worshiping the materialistic universe.  Listen to the Apostle Paul explain what happened in mankind’s hearts right from the beginning: “Because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened … And they changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like unto corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things … Who changed the truth of God (love) into a lie, and worshipped and served created things more than the Creator” (Romans 1: 21-25).  Wow, do you see?  Instead of glorifying the Creator God (who is love) by following the path of good, mankind quickly became prideful, idolizing the materialistic universe, which led them down the path of evil, doing all kinds of sin (or love-less deeds) towards one another.

Listen carefully, there are only two “things” that make up EVERYTHING in the universe: Spirit or Dirt.  God is spirit and atoms are dirt.  Therefore, these are the ONLY two things you have a choice to worship (or love) in your life.  Jesus said it like this: “No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other, Ye CANNOT serve God (spirit) and mammon (dirt)” (Luke 16:13).  Did you get that?  Jesus said it is IMPOSSIBLE to serve (or worship) both spirit & dirt simultaneously!  THIS is what God’s 2nd love commandment is about … you will either love God (the invisible spirit inside of every person on Earth) while hating dirt (the seeable, materialistic world); OR you will hate God (the invisible spirit inside of every person on Earth) while loving dirt (the seeable, materialistic world).  Incredible!

So how does “money” fit into all of this?  “Money” is the medium (or exchange) mankind invented to be able to acquire dirt (atoms) legally.  But take note, money can ONLY buy materialistic things; it cannot buy spirit!  Therefore “greed for money” is really just “greed for dirt”.  Do you understand?  And I’ve already told you that pride fueled by a “greed for dirt” — or greed for the money that buys it! — is how the first two love commandments are disobeyed, which then quickly begin knocking over the remaining sin (or love-less) dominos in a person’s life, leading to ALL kinds of sin (disobedience to God’s other 8 love commandments).  This is why Paul wrote: “For the LOVE of MONEY (or the love of dirt) is the root of ALL evil” (I Timothy 6:10).

So here’s how it works; a self-seeking prideful person longs to obtain materialistic things (or money) because they know other people can SEE the dirt possessions they acquire (land, houses, vehicles, clothing, furniture, electronics, etc.) and this strokes their ego.  It makes them feel powerful.  It makes them feel successful.  It makes them feel like they are better and smarter than their fellow man.  This then in turn makes them even MORE prideful!!!  And thus continues an endless vicious cycle of sin (love-less thoughts, words, and deeds) done in their life against their fellow man’s spirit — which is actually doing it to God, for He is spirit! — coveting, lying, stealing, murdering, cheating, hating, blaspheming, envying, etc.  THIS is the broad path of pride (most people follow) that leads their selfish love-less souls to hell!

But here’s the sad, cold, hard truth … dirt (or money) is actually WORTHLESS!  Why?  Because it cannot be obtained (or held onto) for eternity!  In other words, dirt possessions are only a temporary thing, for we all must die sometime.  So why would a person want to spend their lifetime on Earth chasing after worthless dirt (money & possessions), doing all kinds of sin (love-less deeds) towards their fellow man, only to lose their soul for ALL eternity in the end?  PRIDE, folks … PRIDE!!!  Don’t you see how foolish it is?  And make no mistake about it; you CANNOT buy your way into heaven!  You cannot say to God on Judgment Day, “Well, Lord, see that empire of dirt I amassed while I lived on Earth?  Can I trade that in for eternal life?”  That’s not how it works, folks!  This is why Jesus said: “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world (meaning the materialistic world), and lose his own soul (spirit)?  Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8: 36-37).

Listen, the ONLY thing God will honor (while reviewing your life on Judgment Day) is the LOVE you showed Him and your fellow man during your lifetime on Earth.  And HOW do you DO that?  By keeping the 10LC!!!  And that begins with you humbling yourself (killing your pride) and uprooting the “love of dirt (or money)” out of your heart.  Only then will you be free to love others unselfishly.  This is why Jesus taught: “If any man will come after me, let him DENY HIMSELF, and take up his cross DAILY, and follow me” (Luke 9:23).  Do you see?  “Denying yourself” means to humble yourself by no longer living for the materialistic world.  This is the first step toward God (or love), which will lead a soul down the narrow path of love towards eternal life.

Learning these things about God’s 2nd love commandment, you should now understand why God admonished the following in His Word: “Labour NOT to be rich (meaning materialistically wealthy): cease from thine own wisdom” (Proverbs 23:4).  And Paul wrote: “You can be sure of this: The Kingdom of Christ and of God will NEVER belong to anyone who is impure or greedy, for a GREEDY person is really an IDOL WORSHIPPER — he loves and worships the good things of this life more than God.  Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the terrible wrath of God is upon all those who DO them.  Don’t even associate with such people” (Ephesians 5: 5-7).  And: “Do you want to be TRULY rich?  You already are if you are happy and GOOD.  After all, we didn’t bring any money with us when we came into the world, and we can’t carry away a single penny when we die.  So we should be well satisfied without money if we have enough food and clothing.  But people who long to be rich soon begin to DO all kinds of wrong things (disobedience to 10LC) to get money, things that hurt them and make them evil-minded and finally send them to HELL itself.  For the LOVE of MONEY (or dirt) is the first step towards ALL kinds of sin” (I Timothy 6: 6-10).  Amen.