“But you are to seek the place the Lord your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there for his dwelling. To that place you must go; There, in the presence of the Lord your God, ... View More“But you are to seek the place the Lord your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there for his dwelling. To that place you must go; There, in the presence of the Lord your God, you & your families shall eat & shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, because the Lord your God has blessed you. since you have not yet reached the resting place & the inheritance the Lord your God is giving you.”
~Deuteronomy 12:5,7,9
Moses reminded the people that they were not act like; to worship the gods of or in the places of the nations that they were removing from the land. He also reminded them they weren't home yet.
We too stand at the threshold of a new home. Jesus promised “My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? & if I go & prepare a place for you, I will come back & take you to be w/ me that you also may be where I am... Jesus replied, "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, & we will come to them and make our home w/ them.”
John 14:2,3,23
Notice they we are to obey His teaching. That is also found in John 14. His teaching is love, love for God and for others.
The Apostle Paul reminds us “For while we are in this tent, we groan & are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now the 1 who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. Therefore we are always confident & know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, & would prefer to be away from the body and at home w/the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.”
2 Cor 5:4-9
Until the day we are home: Love God & 1 another.
Because this site is always so serious. Please take a moment to laugh and thank God for the freedom we still have.
“You are about to cross the Jordan to enter and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you. When you have taken it over and are living there, be sure that you obey all the decrees and... View More“You are about to cross the Jordan to enter and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you. When you have taken it over and are living there, be sure that you obey all the decrees and laws I am setting before you today.”
~Deuteronomy 11:31-32
“If Christ were here, we say, we would do many thing Him. The women who love Him would gladly minister to Him as did the women who followed Him in Galilee. The men who are His friends would work to help Him in any ways He might direct. We all say we would be delighted to serve Him if only He would come again to our world and visit ou homes. But we can do things for Him just as really as if He were here again in human form.
'Nothing pleases Him so well as our obedience. It is told a great philosopher that a friend called one day to see him and was entertained by the philosopher's little daughter unt her father came in. The friend supposed that the child of wise a man would be learning something very deep. So h asked her. What is your father teaching you? The little maid looked up into his face with her clear eyes and said, “Obedience.” That is the one great lesson our Lord is teaching u He wants us to learn obedience. If we obey Him always we sha always be doing things for Him.
'We do things for Christ which we do through love to Him Even obedience without love does not please Him. But the smallest services we can render, if love inspire them, He accepts Thus we can make the commonest tasks of our lives holy min istries, as sacred as what the angels do.'-J. R. Miller (from Making the Most of Life.)” Streams in the desert vol 2 © 1966 July 26
"& now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the LORD your God, & live in a way that pleases him, & love him & serve him w/ all your heart and soul. & you... View More"& now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the LORD your God, & live in a way that pleases him, & love him & serve him w/ all your heart and soul. & you must always obey the LORD's commands & decrees that I am giving you today for your own good."
~Deuteronomy 10:12,13
The commands are given for our own good. It goes back again to Deuteronomy 8 and God being our Father. He wants us to love Him so that we will obey Him. What really is His command? Love. So much of what we do is selfish love. And that is when we hurt others. But when we instead live in love as Jesus commands in John chapters 13-15 as he prepares to go to the cross & show the world what love is, that is when we truly live in God's commands. Not by acts of service, gifts to charity or church attendance. These things are important because they are how we show our love but if our heart is not motivated first by love for God and then men it is all for nothing.
I found an excellent teaching on this passage at Www.fighterverses.com/set-1-core-esv/week-2/
It goes into so much more than I can share here. I recommend this page at least. I haven't investigated the whole site or foundational teachings.
It ends with these application questions:
“How would you explain to non-believer why God is “your God”?
What heart-attitudes, actions, speech would indicate that you are walking in God’s ways?
In what situations this week have you found it difficult to obey God?”
"But recognize today that the LORD your God is the 1 who will cross over ahead of you like a devouring fire to destroy them. He will subdue them so that you will quickly conquer them & drive them out,... View More"But recognize today that the LORD your God is the 1 who will cross over ahead of you like a devouring fire to destroy them. He will subdue them so that you will quickly conquer them & drive them out, just as the LORD has promised. After the LORD your God has done this for you, don't say in your hearts, 'The LORD has given us this land because we are such good people!' No, it is because of the wickedness of the other nations that he is pushing them out of your way. It is not because you are so good or have such integrity that you are about to occupy their land. The LORD your God will drive these nations out ahead of you only because of their wickedness, and to fulfill the oath he swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob. You must recognize that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land because you are good, for you are not--you are a stubborn people."
Deuteronomy 9:3-6
Moses really gives it to the people. He reminds them it is not based on their merit or goodness that God is bringing them into the land. It is because He made a promise & because of the wickedness of the current inhabitants. (For reasons on that aspect read Romans 1,2)
For today pay attention to the words that God is a consuming fire. All fire consumes what it comes in contact w/ but there are different heats to & destruction caused by different types of fires.
Moses is not picturing a candle that slowly melts away the wax, he is speaking of a forest fire burning thru the undergrowth & the tallest of trees. This kind of fire clears the land & prepares it for fresh new life & fresh growth. It also gives back to the ground needed minerals to help the new growth prosper.
If you look up fire in a concordance you will find it most often speaks of it as God's judgement. But it is also His tool to remove the sin from our hearts. Read the following verses & ask God how He is working in your life. Zech 13:9; Jer 9:7; Mal 3:3; Acts 2.
"Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the LORD your God disciplines you for your own good. So obey the commands of the LORD your God by walking in his ways and fearing him. For the LO... View More"Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the LORD your God disciplines you for your own good. So obey the commands of the LORD your God by walking in his ways and fearing him. For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land of flowing streams and pools of water, with fountains and springs that gush out in the valleys and hills."
~Deuteronomy 8:5-7
In the fictional book “Piercing the Darkness“ by Frank Peretti there is a character struggling to accept that her life of spiritualistic chasing after her own wants and desires has left her in darkness, loneliness and depression. She comes to face the fact that like a child running wild and free of rules and restrictions she has hurt herself and everyone she cared about. She likens it to needing a fence to keep herself safe. Through the events in the book; she comes to see God's rules as a fence meant not to keep her from enjoying life but as a protective barrier from sin and it's consequences. She accepts that she is a sinner in need of a Savior and asks Christ's forgiveness. She makes amends and receives the consequences for her actions and is freed to live in the light of God's love no longer tormented by demons both real and figurative.
Today share God's love for us by telling others how God's love is like a father's protection over his child. Holding him back from harm. And welcoming those who come to Him to receive forgiveness for the past.
And rejoice in that love. Thank Him for His beautiful freeing light.
"For you are a holy people, who belong to the LORD your God. Of all the people on earth, the LORD your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure. The LORD did not set his heart on you & choose... View More"For you are a holy people, who belong to the LORD your God. Of all the people on earth, the LORD your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure. The LORD did not set his heart on you & choose you because you were more numerous than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations! Rather, it was simply that the LORD loves you, & he was keeping the oath he had sworn to your ancestors. That is why the LORD rescued you w/ such a strong hand from your slavery & from the oppressive hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt."
~Deuteronomy 7:6-8
God chooses us in the midst of the mess we are & make ourselves He loves Us. That is why He made us. He wanted to share love.
Love is a choice. We have that choice, we can choose to love Him in return. Right where we are in the midst of that mess.
We need only to admit that we are a mess, and ask Him to cleanse us. (1 John 1:1-2:6)
Is there an oath promised to Gentiles that secures this promise as the one given to Abraham mentioned in today's scripture did for the Israelites Moses was talking to?
Yes many.
Here are 4 listed that help us see for today. The 1st is spoken by God to Abraham. Gen 22:18 “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
Is 9:2 “The people who walk in darkness
Will see a great light;
Those who live in a dark &,The light will shine on them.”
Is 55:5 “Behold, you will call a nation you do not know,
And a nation which knows you not will run to you, Because of the Lord your God, even the Holy One of Israel;
For He has glorified you.”
Hosea 2:23 “I will sow her for Myself in the land. I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion,
& I will say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people!’ & they will say, ‘You are my God.ʼ"
We are chosen. We are loved. Come to Him who loved us & let Him raise you out of the mess.
More scriptures Www.bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/The-Gentiles-Conversion
"Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. & you must love the LORD your God / all your heart, all your soul, & all your strength. & you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these com... View More"Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. & you must love the LORD your God / all your heart, all your soul, & all your strength. & you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again & again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home & when you are on the road, when you are going to bed & when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands & wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house & on your gates."
~Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Nancy, a mother of 2 teenagers was struggling / getting her children to help / various chores around the house. In seeing her friend, Ariel’s children always ready to help , often / just a look, nod & smile in the intended direction, Nancy sought out Ariel’s advice; “How do you get your children to be so helpful?”, she asked.
Ariel simple stated that when they were little children want to be / their parents all the time. They want to help & do the things that are important to the parents. So taking advantage of these few precious years to teach her children what was important before the world did Ariel let the children help as much as possible, even when it meant more work for Ariel in the end. & by seeing Ariel help others in other areas of life she modeled helpfulness for the child as well.
Ariel didn’t have to force her children to help because they were taught from an early age that helping was important & fun. That it pleased their mother & brought a closeness that would develop into a friendship in later years.
In today’s passage God is calling on Israel to build this relationship / their children, teaching them to love God / all that they do & / their whole heart. This would be a basis for a lifetime of relationship / both the human parents & their Heavenly Father. Are your children grown? No grandkids near? There are stillways to influence the next generation for Christ. Look around your block, church or schools.
“Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me & keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them & their children forever!”
~Deuteronomy 5:29
The chapter opens with a recounting ... View More“Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me & keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them & their children forever!”
~Deuteronomy 5:29
The chapter opens with a recounting of the 10 commandments and the peoples fear of speaking directly to God. He is pleased with this & proclaims the above. Which leads to the question:
“What Does Reverence Mean? How to Practice Daily Reverence
Cindi McMenamin
Reverence for God:
The Bible uses reverence & fear interchangeably. To revere God is to fear Him in the fullest sense of the word. To fear God is to have a wholesome dread of ever displeasing the Lord. That implies our love for Him, as well as our awe of Him.
To simply respect Him is not strong enough. We should fear to disappoint Him because He’s a Holy God & revere—or worship— Him for His holiness.
In the Old Covenant Law, the Israelites were commanded to have a reverence for the sanctuary of God (Levit 19:30; 26:2) & for God Himself: “Worship the Lord with reverence and rejoice with trembling” (Psalm 2:11,) . In Psalm 5:7, the Psalmist proclaimed “But as for me, by Your abundant lovingkindness I will enter Your house, At Your holy temple I will bow in reverence for You.”
Reverence for God is also expressed through obedience to Him. Hebrews 11:7 tells us, “By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this, he condemned the world & became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith” . Hebrews 12:28 tells us to worship & serve God “with reverence & awe.”
Reverence for God is also equated with wisdom. Proverbs 1:7 tells us the fear (or reverence) of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.“
For more on this topic see www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/what-does-reverence-mean.html
So may we be wise today & show reverence to the Lord, so that we to can have it go well with us.
“But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
~Deut 4:29
“From there”
From where?... View More“But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
~Deut 4:29
“From there”
From where?
For the Israelites it was the place where sin lead them.
Sometimes it was a matter of worship in a high place of a God not their own. Sometimes it was where the consequences of that sin lead them, captives of another country. But God promises again and again that if they turn their hearts to Him and seek Him. He will be found by them.
All of this is true for us today. (Rom 3:23) We may not be captives in a foreign land but our hearts can become captive, slave to the sin that is natural to all humans.
God only wants what is best for His creation, you, me, animals, plants, this planet and all those in the universe. (Rom 3:24)
So like the loving parent He is He laid out a set of rules to be followed. And like the stubborn, disobedient children we are; we have all broken these rules at least once.
But His promise gives us hope. If we turn to Him; He will receive us. Not matter where you find yourself today you can be forgiven, cleansed and made right with God.
His rules are made to help us, to guide and protect us. Not to take away any good thing.
Think of it like this:
If my adult son wants to eat poison for dinner. I have told him no all his life, but he chooses to eat it any way. Am I to blame to for his actions? Or for the hurt caused to his family because he is dead and must figure out how to live without him?
What if I had the antidote and freely offered it to him but he refuses it? I can beg and plead with him to take it but he has to choose it.
God's rules are like that. He tells us no, and we choose to do it anyway. But He freely offers the fix. (John 3:16) All we must do is humbly come to Him ask for it. He will not force it on us. He will stand ready with arms open running to meet us as soon as we turn to Him.
Will you seek Him today?
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