Hold On

Hello everyone.

I want to backtrack a little bit to something I saw in Deuteronomy 11.  What I want to talk about today comes from Deut. 11:22 and 23: It says, "If you carefully observe all these commands I am giving you to follow - to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to Him and to hold fast to Him - then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you and you will dispossess nations larger and stronger than you."

God tells the Israelites that following Him involves three things, 1.) Loving Him, 2.) Obedience to Him and 3.) Holding fast to Him. God says that if they will do these things that He will give them great victory over nations that are both larger and stronger than they are.  This must have been a comfort to them, knowing that God would protect them and give them victory in situations that were larger and stronger than they were.  The good for us is that the same principle still applies. If we will follow God - loving Him, obeying Him and holding fast to Him, He will will give us victory in situations that are both larger and stronger than we are.  Certainly we all face situations that are bigger than we are.

I think that we all understand the idea of love and obedience are things that we understand, but the phrase "hold fast" is not something that we say a lot.  So what does it mean? It basically means "cling."  God wants to hold fast, or cling to Him, particularly in situations that are larger and stronger than we are, since they are not larger and stronger than Him.  It reminds me of  Ps. 63:70-8:                                            Because you are my help,
                                 I sing in the shadow of our wings.
                            I cling to you;
                                 your right hand upholds me.

David wrote this in the Desert of Judah as people were chasing him in an effort to kill him, and he could say this.  Having someone try to kill you trumps any situation I have ever been in.  He looked to God for his help and because God helped him, David felt secure enough to sing in the shadow of God's wings. (Who knew God had wings?)  He would cling(hold fast) to God and he recognized that God was holding him up with His right hand. So then question becomes, "Where do we look for our help and comfort in our times of need?"  If we are holding fast to anything other than God, we are fighting a losing battle.  Too often I have looked to other things, particularly food, to deal with stressful situations that were larger than me. It never helps long term.  Eventually I end up in a position where I must depend on God.  Then I have victory.  I would be better off, if I just went there first.  May we all have those victories n those situations that are larger and stronger than we are, knowing that God's powerful right hand will uphold us.  Then we can have the kind of security to sing in the shadow of His wings.
Tom

Qualifications for a King

Hello everyone.

Today, I am going to share something I've seen in Deuteronomy recently about leadership.  In Deut. 17:14-20, God reveals that He knows that some day Israel would ask for a king so that they can be like the nations around them.  It gives some instructions for the new king. It  says, in verses 18-20:

"When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of  this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests.  It is to be with him, and he is to read all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left.  Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel."

Now prior to the passage above, god does gives some other instructions about not accumulating too much stuff or taking too many wives.  That such things would lead them astray.  Israel's history, of course, proved God correct in all of that.  But I want to focus on the part of these instructions written above.  It says that the new king must go to the priests and get a copy of the law, then set down and copy it word for word on his own scroll.  He was to carry his copy of the law around with him and read it every day.  So a good king was going to have God's word on his heart and read it every day. So then, what was this daily Bible study going to do for the king? 

It would help him know God better and respect Him more (learn to revere the Lord his God.)  It would help remain obedient (follow carefully all the words of this law.)  It would keep him humble (not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites.)  It would keep him faithful (not turn from the law to the right or to the left.) There is a lot there and it is all good.  So a good king was going to stay in God's word. 

This is good, but my guess is that no monarch's will actually read this post.  But I think this good instructions for any kind of spiritual leadership, because these attributes all thing that we should want.  Any leader, (or any disciple for that matter,) should desire a deeper relationship with God, to be more obedient to Him, to be humble in our dealings with our fellow disciples and to stay faithful. So how do we do that?  Do we need to literally write our own copy the Bible down and then carry it with us everywhere we go? I don't know, but we do need to do whatever it takes to keep God's word on our hearts and then study every day.  This will bring only positive things to us.
Tom

Who God is and what He wants

Hey everyone.

I've continued my study of Deuteronomy and wanted share a little bit from it.  In Deut. 10:12-22, God spells out who He is and what He wants from his people, and I wanted to share those things with you, today.

In Deut 10:12-13, it says, "And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to Him, to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?"  It breaks down like this; What does God ask of His people:

• Fear God.
• Walk in obedience to God.
• Love God.
• Serve God with all your heart.
• Serve God with all your soul.
• Observe God's commands.

It sounds a lot like the discipleship of the New Testament, doesn't it?  The standard of obedience to God has really always been the same.  Total. Complete.  Giving our heart and soul to it.  Even in the Old Testament, this was God desired of His people.  Why should God expect so much of his people?  He answers that in the verses (Deut. 10:14-18) that follow where He describes Himself.  This is what He says:

• God owns the heavens.
• He owns the Earth and everything in it.
• He is God of gods.
• He is Lord of lords.
• He is the Great God
• He is Mighty.
• He is Awesome.
• He shows no partiality.
• He accepts no bribes.
• He defends the cause of the fatherless.
• He defends the cause of the widows.
• He loves and cares for the foreigner. 

This a long list of God's attributes, and in the middle of all this, He tells them that He had chosen them and placed His love on them.  Throughout Deuteronomy, God has reminded them of what He had  done for them in leading them out of Egypt and bondage.  So with regard to who God is and what He had done for them, God was not expecting too much out of His people.  Likewise, if we apply this to ourselves, God is the same God and has rescued His people from much (a different slavery, perhaps.)  Therefore, it is perfectly reasonable for God to call us to the whole-hearted, whole-souled service.
Tom

The Wilderness Test

Hello everyone.

I will continue sharing from my own study of Deuteronomy by sharing something I learned from Deut. 8.  In Deut. 8:2, it says: " Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or nor you would keep his commands." 

This forty years of wandering was given to the Israelites back in Numbers 14, when the faithless nation refused to obey the command to take the Promised Land.  Now in Deuteronomy, Moses is speaking and he is telling the nation that the last forty years of wandering in the wilderness had been more that just punishment.  It served two God-driven purposes.  First, it was to humble them. Then it was to test their hearts to see if they would be obedient.  So God allowed this punishment to be an incredibly time-consuming test. (Forty years is a very long time.) 

So what can learn from this?  First, like the Israelites, we all have difficult and challenging things going on in our lives. It is possible that God has put them there to humble and test you.  It's possible.  When you think about the Israelites, you would think that God would not need to humble them.  I mean they started out as slaves. But their humble circumstances did not mean that they were humble. God still needed to work on their hearts.  It may the same with us.  For example, I am currently going through a series for physical ailments that at times has been quite debilitating.  It is really challenging. Is God at work in my life to humble me and to test me?  Quite possibly, He is. After all, I am probably not nearly as humble as I would like to think that I am.  (For the record, you probably aren't either.)  And if that is the case I need the test for the sake of my own humility. 

The thing that I want to focus here is the test. God used something that started out as a punishment (forty years in the wilderness) to be a test to see what was in their hearts and to see if the would obey Him.  The challenges that I am going through will reveal my heart.  Just as your challenges will ultimately reveal yours.  Will I pass the test?  Will you?  I may not know what your wilderness test is, but I know that mine has been hard.  Yours probably is too.  But we all want to make sure that we pass it.  The way pass is to commit ourselves to being obedient to God no matter what, because when that test is over, you may face another one. Rom. 5:3-5 tells us that our suffering produces perseverance, character and hope, and that hope is evidence of the love God has poured into our hearts. 

So take your wilderness test and pass it, but know it may be long.  The Israelite wilderness test took forty years.  Yours may take a while too.  I have on many occasions told that that I have passed this test already and would not like to keep taking it, (not very humble of me) but I see now that it is for Him to decide.  I'm sure my own wilderness will continue to reveal what is in my heart. As for the Israelites, when their test was over, and they had shown that their hearts were committed to the Lord, they entered the Promised Land.  Like them, great blessing awaits us as well.  So no matter how long it may be, Pass.
Tom

Shema Yisrael

Hello everyone.

In my study of Deuteronomy, I have reached chapter 6.  There we find a section of scripture that often comes up in our parenting classes, Deut. 6:4-9:

"Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all of your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.  Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates."

Referred to as The Shema, this passage has become an important affirmation of faith in Judaism.  It is to be recited daily and on other numerous occasions.  A particular emphasis is placed on the first line, "Shema Yisrael Adonai eloheinu Adonai ehad."  "Hear O Israel: The Lord Our God, the Lord is one." This reaffirms their faith in a singular God. 

Sometimes we look at verse 4 and 5 together, when we are discussing our love for God.  In fact, Jesus quotes these particular verses in Mark 12:28-30 when asked what was the greatest command.   Also, often, when talking about parenting, we start with verse 7, "Impress them on your children." What can we learn if we tie this greatest commandment and these instructions for raising our children together?  Verse 6 ties the two thoughts together.  "These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts."  

Moses tells the Israelites that the commandments he had given them were to be on their hearts.  Of course, chief among those commandments is how we are to love God so completely.  But then after his statement about having God's commands on their hearts, he commands them to impress these commands on their children. I realized that this is the natural order of things.  I am not going to impress the commandments of God on my children if they are not on my own heart first.  That is the key.  I must have it on my heart first, then impress it upon my children.  So then, this begs the question, "Is God's word on my heart?"  If it isn't, I could talk a lot about the Bible, and do a lot of religious stuff, but I would not necessarily be impressing anything godly into the heart of my children. If it's truly in my heart, my life will be more than just going through "religious motions". Out of the overflow of my heart, my actions will be more likely to lead my children to Jesus. So, if God's words are truly on our hearts, the likelihood that our children will follow Jesus goes way up.   

Tom

The First Commandment

Hey everyone.

So, I am back from camp.  It was truly an amazing week.  This week, Wendy and I are going to California and driving up the coast in celebration of our 25th anniversary.

Any way, I have continued in my study of the book of Deuteronomy, and I am now in chapter 5. In Deut. 5, Moses recounts the Ten Commandments.  Deuteronomy 5: 6-21 is almost word for word what the Bible says in Exodus 20:2-17.  Preceding the recounting of the Ten Commandment, Moses reminds them that God had made a covenant (agreement) with them.  Later, he reminds them that if they keep this covenant with God, that it would bring great blessing. (Deut. 5:32-33) Needless to say, keeping this covenant with God was in their best interests.  Of course, it is the same for us today.  I have made a covenant with God, and it is my best interests to keep it.

Before giving the first commandment, God gives a little preamble.  It is recorded in both accounts. God says, "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery."  He reminds them of what He had done for them, and why they should obey these commandments.  He had brought out of slavery.  This much, by itself, should have made them so grateful that they would be obedient to God for the rest of their lives.  Had God written the Ten Commandments just for me, e may have said something like, "I am the Lord your God who has brought you out of slavery to sin and have given you abundant blessings."  That reminder of the truth of my former situation should make me willing to obey whatever God commands.

Right after this, God gives the first command.  "You shall have no other gods before me."  These ancient Israelites lived in a time when most people worshiped many gods, but who were, in fact, no gods at all.  Never-the-less, the Israelites were constantly tempted to forsake the one and only true God for these false gods.  Our modern society is not so different, it is just that the false gods have changed to careers, materialism, celebrity or even our own comfort.  But God has not changed in his desire to have a relationship with and to make the reasonable demand that we put Him first.  In Isaiah 42:8, it says, "I am the Lord, that is my name!  I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols."  God will not, and should not, yield his glory to another god.  So if we have given our allegiance to another god, we have taken that glory that is rightfully His and given it to another.  God later tells us that He is a jealous God. He has that the right to be. When we consider all that God has done for us, we realize that we should never break that covenant and give His rightful glory to another. The Israelites, over the ensuing generations, did this many times, and missed out on an abundance of blessing that could have been theirs.  Let us keep God first in our hearts, so that we "may live and prosper and prolong our days in the land."

Tom

Be Seen Differently

Hello everyone.

I'm leaving for Teen Camp in about an hour.  I will be there running some of the activities.  My oldest son. Caleb will be a counselor.  My youngest son, Aaron, will be a camper.  I'm sure it will be an awesome week.  Any way, I wanted to share this before heading out the door.

In my study of Deuteronomy, I saw this in chapter 4.  Moses is speaking to the people of Israel and says this in verses 5 and 6: "See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it.  Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear all about these decrees and say, 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.'"  Moses explains to his people that if they follow the laws and observe the decrees that God has given them that their neighbors will be impressed and remark on their wisdom and understanding.

Would you like to impress your neighbors and co-workers with your own wisdom and understanding? It is pretty cool when people recognize that you are different (in a good way) from everyone else. The formula for this is still the same.  Dig deeply into God's word and do what it says.  It will change you and make you different from the world around you.  And people will notice the difference, and say, "Surely, this great (insert your name here) is a wise and understanding person." So let the world see your wisdom and God will be glorified.

See you after camp.
Tom