October 3 Catechism Devotion

Catechism--Fifth Commandment--You shall not murder.  What does this mean?  We should fear and love God so that we do not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help and support him in every physical need.

Genesis 9:6--“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.

Devotion--When God created mankind, He did so in the "image of God".  In some way, a reflection of God is found within every human being.  We recognize that this image has been permanently broken and fallen in the fall into sin, and yet, we still must come to grips with the fact that God created us in a way that is patterned after God Himself.

This is why God speaks so strongly about the taking of another's life.  When this happens, we destroy one who is patterned after God Himself in some strange and mysterious fashion.  This is not merely distasteful to God, it is something that He firmly hates, and which calls for His wrath and condemnation.  And then, in such places as Matthew 5:21-26, Jesus even goes so far as to include our thoughts of anger toward others as an element of murder.

Most of us who read this blog have likely not literally taken the life from another person.  However, most of us find ourselves guilty of harboring anger toward another, which Jesus equates with murder.  And that's why this commandment speaks to all of us.  We have have found ourselves guilty of this sin, and that means we need God's grace and forgiveness greatly.

God is a God who has forgiven through Jesus and the cross.  We have our hope through that loving action for us.  That's also why we take seriously what God says about anger and murder.  We look within ourselves in an effort to remove the outward stain and actions that betray that anger and murder, and we even battle against our vengeful thoughts.  So today, as you think about anger and murder, how can you reflect upon that image of God that the person toward whom you feel anger is patterned, and how can you deal with your anger in a productive way?

Prayer--Lord God, You forbid murder, and You equate our anger at others with murder.  Forgive me for this sin in my life, and give me Your Spirit to battle against the thoughts, words, and actions of anger in my life.  May I look upon those at whom I am angered, and see one who is created and patterned after Your image, and then deal with them accordingly.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.