As I was reading God’s Word recently, I was in the Book of Deuteronomy. There is a theme in the book as Moses is reminding the children of God to remember. I love the way he expresses the way God cares for His people, too.
““If you carefully obey the commands I am giving you today, and if you love the Lord your God and serve him with all your heart and soul, then he will send the rains in their proper seasons—the early and late rains—so you can bring in your harvests of grain, new wine, and olive oil. He will give you lush pastureland for your livestock, and you yourselves will have all you want to eat.”. Deuteronomy 11:13-15 NLT
There is a peace that comes from reading the Word and seeing how God provides and cares for His people. Today, we are His people because of a Jesus Christ. Jesus is our Savior and our source of eternal life.
Of course, He reminds them-
““But be careful. Don’t let your heart be deceived so that you turn away from the Lord and serve and worship other gods. If you do, the Lord’s anger will burn against you. He will shut up the sky and hold back the rain, and the ground will fail to produce its harvests. Then you will quickly die in that good land the Lord is giving you.”. Deuteronomy 11:16-17 NLT
The Scriptures provide for us the historical account of what occurred. It provides for us a complete accounting of what was said at any given point. It is not that the accounts and its specific particulars are repeated. Rather it is the general sense of and the application of how our relationship with God is to be experienced.
The more we know of how something works and what the results are meant to achieve, the better we are in receiving all that is possible from it. Knowing how something works will take time and research. It means reading and watching others to see how it works and then what it can do. This is easier for some people and harder for others. Yet the simple truth is that the more you know of how something works and what it can do, the more likely you will be able to get what is available.
When you look at this particular account from God’s Word, you can see that if you listen to God and love Him and keep His Word He will provide for you. That was true then and it is true today. However, there is something you need to know about God. It is always God’s way. You cannot turn away from him and you have to be careful to follow Him daily. This is strikingly important. If we begin to turn away just a little from Him, it will not be long before we have stepped away much further than is good for us. Can we come back to Him and will He accept us? Well of course, but that trip can be long and arduous along roads that will be rough where we will be very uncomfortable and often fearful.
So why do we go there in the first place? Because we don’t listen to His Holy Spirit. We don’t spend time in His Word. We stop praying and communing with our Father. We get caught up in everything going on around us. It doesn’t mean that family, friends, work and recreation aren’t important. It does mean though that none of those things can ever be at a point that interferes with our relationship with God.
As we continue to read of how God intended for His people to move forward in life he gives them a very practical word-
Deuteronomy 11:18-22 NLT-
““So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, so that as long as the sky remains above the earth, you and your children may flourish in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors. Be careful to obey all these commands I am giving you. Show love to the Lord your God by walking in his ways and holding tightly to him.”
I don’t know about you but again today God has shown me something to remember. Things that I need to do and keep in my mind and heart daily as I am going about life so that I don’t miss the most important relationship in life and that is with God.
A thought to ponder,
Elbert Nasworthy
