October 30 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

The last of the Ten Commandments shifts the attention from external acts (murder, adultery, theft, false testimony) to inner motives: "You shall not covet." At least, that's how the New Testament interprets this commandment.

Now God forbids and condemns the root of all the former sins—the evil desires in the human heart. The troubles of sinners lie not so much in their outward behavior as in their hearts. Those restless, covetous hearts are the cause of all the unrest and the source of all the wicked behavior.

Christianity is not the only religion that points the finger at this sore spot. Buddhism also teaches that desire is the cause of all sorrow. The solution it offers is the death of desire itself. Psychology, which is a relatively new science, has paid a great deal of attention to this basic human condition. Some psychologists have described people as pots full of evil desires, cravings, wishes, drives, motives, longings. They point out that this whirlpool of desires lies far below the surface of our thoughts and is more profound than our conscious life.

The Bible agrees. But the God who condemns this sinful condition also offers a solution all his own. We are covetous as long as we look left and right, forward and backward. As long as we exist on this horizontal level, we want to possess what can never satisfy us. We will always long for the greener grass and the better deal, always desire to drink deeper—without ever being able to quench our thirst. Our hearts are restless until they find rest in God.

Christianity does not teach that desires must die so that we float into nothing. God himself is the fulfillment of our lives. Our craving hearts must turn to God, who alone can satisfy our deepest thirst. When God fills us with the riches of his love, our deepest need is satisfied. We learn the contentment of the new life and the sanctification of our desires.

REFLECTIONS

When others look at you, do they see a person who is content? What would you say is the secret of being content? (Check Philippians 4:11-13 for Paul's answer to that question.)

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.