obedience – Page 9 – Be Still…

Deuteronomy 11:8-32 – Count Your Blessings

Moses does a great job again of recapping what’s important now as the people get ready to claim their new home. He wants them to focus on the blessings. “Look, today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse! You will be blessed if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today.” Moses has been giving a beautiful speech over the last chapters to prepare his people for their new reality. He is speaking for God to the Israelites, but there is wisdom for us, too.

Likewise, we can get lost in our own lives, stuck in fear or worry, busy with tasks, or simply just going through the motions of life. We can let Moses’ words bring us some comfort and direction. “But be careful. Don’t let your heart be deceived so that you turn away from the Lord and serve and worship other gods.” What may be deceiving us today may look different than those challenges for the Israelites, but the message is the same.

Deuteronomy 8:1-20 – Don’t Forget God

Read Deuteronomy 8:1-20

There are a couple great nuggets for us in today’s reading. But the bottom line is we don’t want to forget God, ever. I can’t say that I’ve ever “forgotten” him, but there are periods in my life when I wasn’t connected and focusing on him like I am today. There were times that I felt like he had forgotten me.

Perhaps we can see what happens when we stop relying on God. Remember the manna? The people were hungry. They were humbled by a circumstance. Who came through for them? God. He will be there for us, too. Do you feel like you are a state of being humbled by some circumstance? Are you letting it cripple you? Or do you see how God is your answer? Let him use this as a teachable moment to help you grow.

Deuteronomy 5:23-32 – Obey God

Read Deuteronomy 5:23-32

When you imagine what it was like to have God’s voice thundering from the fiery mountain, what do you feel? Did you just read the words and not really put yourself in the moment as if you were there, too? I know I did when I read it the passage the first time. Take a moment and re-read the passage. The people were afraid. They wanted Moses to risk his life, so they’d be safe. Yet, they did said they’d obey God.

Sometimes it’s easy to let someone else take the heat in our place. Do you remember “drawing straws” to see who would have to do the dirty work? Most people tend to want to avoid confrontation. Sure, there are plenty of risk takers out there these days. But fear can paralyze us from taking action. These people in our reading today were clearly fearful for their lives. How cool was it that God spoke to all of them?

Deuteronomy 3:21-29 – A Huge Disappointment

Read Deuteronomy 3:21-29

Think of a time when you were looking forward to something and then BAM – found out it wasn’t going to happen. Two distinct memories come to the surface for me. Firstly, our daughter’s upcoming wedding has been postponed due to the corona virus. The disappointment I feel is only a fraction of what she and her fiancé must be feeling. My other memory comes from childhood. I had so been looking forward to a family vacation. We were set to meet up with some friends at a lake resort until at the last minute my mom’s doctor put restrictions on her travel. As a teenager who was stuck in the “it’s all about me” phase, I was devastated. My life was ruined!

What about Moses? Can you imagine what Moses must have been feeling when he got the message from God that he would not be seeing the Promised Land for himself? Instead, he’d have to go to Pisgah Peak and get a glimpse from there. That was going to have to do. Talk about a huge disappointment. Think of all that Moses had gone through up to this moment. He was accustomed to dealing with the sniveling Israelites prone to tantrums, the disobedient Israelites ignoring the miracle of God’s provision, the long hours, the sacrifices. It puts our own disappointments into perspective a bit, doesn’t it?

Deuteronomy 2:1-25 – Getting Lost

Read Deuteronomy 2:1-25

Today we read about how the Israelites wandered. If we wondered in our last reading how an 11-day trip could take 40 years, we see a bit of our answer in this passage. Have you ever gotten lost before when you were on a trip? How many miles did you drive out of your way before you realized your error? Sometimes we need to correct our direction in life, too.

I often heard the Bible referred to as our GPS. If you’re challenged with directions, you use a GPS to find your way. What I like about a GPS or mapping system is it often tells you the best route to take. You can decide between the fastest or shortest. The app I use even detects roadblocks and construction zones and gives me the option to reroute my course. And one of my favorite features is that when I do take a wrong turn, the app will tell me and figure out a way for me to get back on course.