Today’s Reading Deuteronomy 5-7
Focal Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:4-9 “Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your city gates.”
Moses is still teaching this newer generation the history of their people. He is walking them through the ten commandments and how these are an expectation from the Lord. They are commands to be followed not suggestions to be ignored. God wanted the people to be prosperous and know his instructions. Moses is encouraging them not to be like the generation that was denied access and had their bones scattered the the wilderness.
Moses does this in an awesome way. He reminds the people that they can follow these commands when they are in love with God and they use all of the faculties. By doing this they will understand his divine attributes better. It is not just simply a religious observance in is an obsession with the one true Lord.
The application for this today is we often do not give our selves to the Lord in this way. We usually hold part of ourselves back because complete devotion can make us be different than those around us. It can be difficult to be separated from other people but this is exactly what God wanted from the Israelites. He did not want them to live like everyone else.
The same goes for believers today. He wants us to live different than everyone else. To often believers are trying to walk in two separate worlds. However, our goal must be to be completely committed to Christ. To be strange and different. Then to teach our kids to live that same way.
God is calling you to radical love and obedience. He is calling me to the same thing. However, are we willing to do this and show people how great it is to be committed to him completely.
Devotion. Love. And all that we have. This should mark how people view our walk with Christ.
Tomorrow I plan on reading Deuteronomy 8-10
