“Life or Death”

May 16, 2024

May 16, 2024

Read Deuteronomy 30, Proverbs 11, Romans 11

“Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. 12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so that we may obey it?” 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so that we may obey it?” 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so that you may obey it.

15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess” vv. 11-16.

Obedience is not hard and at the same time it is very hard. What do I mean? Well, knowing what to do to obey is not the difficult part. Sure, there are some things that may take a bit of thought, but we can quickly discern what we need to do in most cases. This is characterized in the first few verses above. It is not far from us up in heaven, we don’t have to cross the sea to understand it.

But the hard part of obedience that we all struggle with is to submit our wills to the Lord and follow His plan and not our own. From the first sin in the garden in Genesis 3 to the last sin you may have committed, obedience is a struggle for all of us. But don’t lose hope and quit. Just because we may not be able to completely obey doesn’t mean we stop trying.

What else do you see in these three chapters? What words, verses, or themes stand out to you?
Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

“Blessing and Cursing”

May 14, 2024

May 14, 2024

Read Deuteronomy 28, Proverbs 9, Romans 9

Would you rather have a high five or a high five… to the face… with a chair? I know, I know, that is not really a tough decision unless you are a masochist of sorts. There is something going around the internet now where ladies are asking “Would you rather be lost in the woods with a bear or a mean abusive man?” I’m not sure what that is about but I think it’s saying something about men’s behavior here lately.

In Deuteronomy 28 we find the same type of question. Do we want blessings or cursings in our lives? “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands that I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. 2 All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God” vv. 1-2. Then it goes on to give examples of what those blessings might look like. It’s rather long!

But near halfway down the chapter, we find the other side of the coin. “However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees, I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you” v. 15. Then you thought the list of blessings was long? The list of cursings is three times the length. The difference between the two is one simple word: obedience. God gives us the greatest gift of freewill to chose for ourselves what we want to do.

This seems like a no-brainer, but we need to be careful not to allow our pride to get in the away. The pull of the sinful nature is strong, and we must learn to mortify it daily so that the Spirit will win the battle of wills in our life. It is always easier on paper (in the Bible) but much more difficult to live out in the real world.

What else do you see in these chapters? What repeated words, verses, or paragraphs speak to you most?
Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon