Today’s Reading Deuteronomy 28-29
Focal Scripture Deuteronomy 29:19 “When someone hears the words of this oath, he may consider himself exempt, thinking, I will have peace even though I follow my own stubborn heart. This will lead to the destruction of the well-watered land as well as the dry land.”
Moses tells the people all of the good that can come from obeying the commands and teachings of the Lord. They are many and they are amazing. They are blessings that anyone would welcome. It includes worship, abundance, peace, fellowship and a nation under God’s control.
Then Moses has to tell them what will happen if they do not obey the Lord’s commands. It is not a pretty picture. He even lets them know that they will go back to slavery and will be on a journey that will be difficult if they disobey. They were told what would happen to them as a people. Unfortunately, we know the ending, they continually disobeyed. Why did they disobey, because their hearts are all types of stubborn.
This should serve as a warning and encouragement for us today. We know as believers are lives will not be perfect. We will suffer and go through difficult times. However, we have hope and faith that God will take care of us because we belong to him. Moses was telling the people the consequences if they chose to disobey God’s commands.
This is the application for today. Suffering is a part of the Christian walk but consequences to not have to be if we obey the Lord. However, consequences will abound if we do not follow God’s teachings and expectations he has laid out for us in his word. It might not be as harsh as the people of Israel were confronted with but they are serious none the less. These are a few ways that consequences can show up on the life of a believer.
- Natural Consequences (from choices we make)
- Quenching the Holy Spirit (not having a vibrant faith)
- Biblical Discipline (God will discipline us depending on what we need as individuals)
- Following our Hearts (We will listen to ourselves instead of the Holy Spirit and God’s word)
So my hope is that you will not listen or follow your stubborn heart. Instead you will know its plan and submit to Christ. After all we know the promises that God has given us and it is so much better than the alternative.
Tomorrow I plan on reading Deuteronomy 30-31
