Daily Devotional Details

Date

You shall not murder. (Exodus 20:13, NIV)

You may know what it’s like to come to the point where you feel so low that you think the world would be better off without you. Others of us have gone through the unspeakable pain of somebody we love coming to that conclusion.

You may feel very low today (or know someone else who does). The thought of taking your own life has crossed your mind. You feel that even those who love you would be better off without you. Listen up! It’s not true. God has given you life. God wants you here. This life is not yours to take. It is the gift of God and he has given it to you as a steward. You are a trustee, not an owner.

He will stand with you in your darkness. It will take an act of faith to believe that, but you can glorify him by holding on in your trial. The life that he is giving to you is of irreplaceable value.

The fact that it is painful does not diminish your importance to God. So cherish the life that he is giving to you. Even if you cannot see its value now, one day you will, and you do not want to stand in the presence of God and there discover what might have been.

There are times when the mind is not clear, and that is especially true when we’re in great pain. You may not be able to see a way forward or a way out, and that’s when you desperately need to hear the word of God: You are to “love your neighbor as yourself,” and that means “You shall not murder.” You shall not take your neighbor’s life, nor shall you take your own.

Who can you encourage with these words today?