PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: Deuteronomy.4-6
What do you sense the Lord saying to you in this passage?
“For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you.” (Deuteronomy 4:31)
Moses gives final instructions to this younger generation of Israelites, before they part.
He reminds them of God’s ’10 Lifeskills’ (commandments) for success on their way.
He also reminds them they will mess up, and learn the hard way His rules matter.
Like a child leaving home, as parents we want to equip, warn and support them.
We want them to live well and to prosper, to avoid life’s traps and live wisely.
The Law of Moses was uniquely designed for the old covenant nation of Israel.
Jesus also left ‘final instructions’ for when He was gone (Matthew 28:18-20).
Jesus taught the Law of Love as our guide, and gives us His Spirit to help us.
This world is a dangerous, tempting place; we need Jesus’s teaching more than ever.
Unless we keep in step with the Spirit of Jesus, we too will mess up.
Our only hope for success ‘in the land’ is to live WITH, LIKE, and FOR the Lord.
But we also can be assured that when we mess up, and get lost, the Lord is merciful.
No matter how lost we get, He’s always ready to be found, to restore and help us.
“You will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 4:29)
PRAYER
Lord, thank You that not even my messing up can doom me forever. I need Your wisdom and Your help in the world, I also need Your mercy. Thank You for assuring me for all of these!
God will not abandon me – he does not forget His covenant of love to me through Jesus Christ. What a promise! For the Israelites – obedience to the law was their righteousness – loving God with heart, soul and mind. Jesus took care of meeting the requirements for righteousness – my desire now must be to do all in gratitude for what He has done. I can walk confidently and not fear the distress around us – thanks be to God
When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the Lord your God and obey him. (Deut 4:30)
We are in distressed Lord with this COVID19 in our nation and a pandemic. We are now returning to you Lord, We ask your forgiveness that we became a complacent nation… legalized abortion and called it choice, worshipped other gods and called it diversity, allowed same sex marriage and called it charter rights, … and so on. We ask your forgiveness and are seeking you Lord. Help us to look for you with our whole heart and soul.
Do this and live. That is what the Master said. Live and do this.
Today’s reading tells us once again that we must do His commandments as He has commanded in order to live. Today we have lost our way and we need to return to God and His Way in order to truly live. In God I trust. I need to live for Jesus in all I do and say. I need to listen to His voice saying, This is the Way. Walk in it.
Living for Jesus a life that is true,
Striving to please Him in all that I do;
Yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free,
This is the pathway of blessing for me.
O Jesus, Lord and Savior,
I give myself to Thee,
For Thou, in Thy [redemption],*
Didst give Thyself for me;
I own no other Master,
My heart shall be Thy throne,
My life I give, henceforth to live,
O Christ, for Thee alone.