Overview of: DeuteronomyToday's Reading:
Deut. 3:1 – 4:49
"Lessons Learned and Life to Live"
Focus Verses: Deuteronomy 4:9, 39-40
9 Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. - - - 39 Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. 40 Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the LORD your God gives you for all time.
Insight:
The Israelites had nearly completed their forty year sojourn through the wilderness from Mt. Sinai to the Promised Land. Moses was old and God had told him that it wouldn't be much longer until he died. At this critical milestone in their historic journey, Moses delivered a great and solemn proclamation. He spoke to them of their deliverance, Mt. Sinai, God's provision, their failures and successes, his own failures and successes, the Law God had given, and even the hopes and dangers they would see in future days.
Now, as they entered the Land of Promise, he urged the people to be careful and wise by: 1. Remembering all the things they had seen and learned in their wilderness experiences; 2. teaching their history to their children and grandchildren; 3. Acknowledging there is only one God in heaven and earth--the LORD, the God of Abraham; 4. Being diligent to honor and obey God by keeping his commands; and 5. Remembering that blessing and obedience go hand in hand.
Response and Action:
Today is a new day with new possibilities. As I look back over the years of my life's journey what have I learned, what should I remember, what should I take to heart, and what should I do in the days ahead? Like the Israelites, I must: 1. Recognize there is one true God; 2. Love, value, and obey the instruction and commands he has given me through his revealed word; 3. Learn from my mistakes and commit myself to knowing and honoring God; 4. Realize that every blessing is from God.
O God, help me to follow you and to love you with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Give me the wisdom to look back over the years of my life and to learn from my past experiences. Help me to learn from my mistakes, to seek the guidance of your Spirit and your Word, and to obediently and expectantly keep moving toward the promise and future you have for me. You alone are God. Help me to honor and follow you all the days of my life, and help me to teach my children and their children to do the same. Through Christ, I pray. Amen.
New Testament for Today: Hebrews 12:1-2a
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2a Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith...
In Context: Hebrews 12:1-12
Proverb for Today: Prov.22:5
"In the paths of the wicked lie thorns and snares, but he who guards his soul stays far from them."
Resources:
Knowing God's Will: Finding Guidance for Personal Decisions
by M. Blaine Smith
