Beyond me, beyond you

Prior to the nation of Israel crossing over the Jordan River into the Land that God had promised, Moses reminds Israel of the decrees and laws commanded by God.  In his reminder to Israel, Moses informs the nation that their possession is not merely about land; he instead explains that being God’s chosen people carries with it spiritual implications that extend beyond the genealogical and physical boundaries of Israel.

Deuteronomy 4:1-8
1 Hear now, O Israel, the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. 2 Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you.

3 You saw with your own eyes what the LORD did at Baal Peor. The LORD your God destroyed from among you everyone who followed the Baal of Peor, 4 but all of you who held fast to the LORD your God are still alive today.

5 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. 6 Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.” 7 What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him? 8 And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?

See, the Israelites weren’t given the land because of their righteousness (see Deuteronomy 9), instead God intended Israel, based on His decrees and laws, to serve as the moral compass to their future neighbors.  Just as the few held fast to the Lord during the 40 year exodus, they were expected to continue to hold fast to everything that God had commanded in the new land, not just for their sakes but for that of their neighbors as well.    Likewise Jesus reiterates the same intention for the church when He says…

Matthew 5:14-16
14″You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

So today, we’re also called to be the moral compass to our communities, families, workplaces etc;.

Here’s a question though…?

Are you holding fast to the Biblical Jesus?  The peace, love, and compassionate aspects of Christ are surely a draw, but what about His commands, His non-compromise of Scripture?

You neighbor’s life may very well depend on whether or not you hold fast, to all of what God has commanded. (See also: Romans 12:1-2)

Matthew 5:17-20
17″Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Grace and peace be with you.

It is Your Life! – Blackaby devotional (20091019)

For it is not a futile thing for you,because it is your life, and by this word you shall prolong your days in the land, which you cross over the Jordan to possess.
Deuteronomy 32:47

It’s puzzling that so many Christians try to live the Christian life without reading their Bible, except for sporadic perusals of God’s Word, seeking a pithy thought for the day. The Word of God is not merely a source of helpful suggestions, preventative warnings, or inspirational thoughts: It is life itself!

God gathered the children of Israel at the edge of the Promised Land to review their pilgrimage with Him. They had spent forty years in a desert because their parents had not trusted God’s Word. Their parents died without seeing the Promised Land because they had not believed God’s Word. Even the revered Moses was soon to leave them because he had not shown proper reverence for God’s Word. Many of them knew those who had been put to death as a consequence of their disobedience to God’s Word. Over the years God’s Word had become the most important thing in the life of the Israelites.

God commanded His people to bind His words on their hearts, to teach them diligently to their children, and to regularly discuss them in their homes. (Deuteronomy. 6:4-9). So essential was His Word that it was to hold a prominent place in the daily lives of His people.

Our reverence for God’s Word is revealed not only by what we say but also by what we do. Spending more time reading and studying the words of people rather than the Word of God, reveals our hearts’ condition. To blatantly disregard God’s Word is to reject life itself. To obey God’s Word is the surest way to experience all that God has in store for us.

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day

Changing your perspective by not “But(t)ing” heads with God

E. Barrett of R3 left a comment on yesterday’s post; a quote about fruitfulness, which spurred a longer than expected response (not that brevity is my trademark) so I decided to “share” additional thoughts on the first half of his comment in a post instead of burying them in a comment.

e. barrett

I have a pretty big decision looming relating to a potential job. The job itself is definitely outside of my comfort zone, but well within my “competency zone”. Part of what I am weighing is this idea of fruit – the job on some levels is scary, but is that enough of a reason to pass up on it? Or is this an issue (to mix my Bible stories) of burying my talent because I’m afraid to use it?

Sometimes I think we overlook these ideas that God expects us to do amazing things (within the context of who we are), because we live in a world that is fine with us staying in the mediocre.

Though we ought to be discerning and careful to not jump headlong into a decision based off of gut reactions, I believe that there are circumstances where God just expects us to react.  Recall Moses from the latter part of Exodus 6 and the first few verses of Exodus 7 as an example…,

The Lord gave Moses a mission of speaking to Pharaoh concerning the release of the Israelites from captivity in Egypt, however Moses looked inwardly and tossed out an objection, based on what he perceived as a shortcoming. Perhaps Moses assumed that he was to oversee the exodus single handedly? Maybe Moses was overly concerned with the details; and in haste spoke up with objection?  All of that is just speculation on my part.  Notice however that the Lord doesn’t sternly rebuke Moses for his doubts.  The Lord continues on and tells Moses that He will equip him (Moses) with a a helper in Aaron.

Exodus 6:26-30
26 It was this same Aaron and Moses to whom the LORD said, "Bring the Israelites out of Egypt by their divisions." 27 They were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing the Israelites out of Egypt. It was the same Moses and Aaron. Aaron to Speak for Moses 28 Now when the LORD spoke to Moses in Egypt, 29 he said to him, "I am the LORD. Tell Pharaoh king of Egypt everything I tell you." 30 But Moses said to the LORD, "Since I speak with faltering lips, why would Pharaoh listen to me?"

Exodus 7:1-2
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, "See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. 2 You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country.

Regardless of what we assume to “know” concerning God’s specific plan over our lives (at the personal level, not collective level of humanity), I’m willing to bet that we too tend to view what God lays upon us with a temporal mindset, or from the vantage point of what is within our capabilities much like Moses did. 

Psalm 147:5
Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
       his understanding has no limit.

Hebrews 4:13
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

And so we get back to our sin problem…, in some respects a result of Adam and Eve not trusting in the Lord. Adam nor Eve had the foresight to see beyond their respective decision’s to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good & Evil, yet God didn’t ask them to exercise such thing, simply to trust in Him (through obedience).

Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
       and lean not on your own understanding;

6 in all your ways acknowledge him,
       and he will make your paths straight.

Grace and peace be with you.

Working Alone – Blackaby devotional

So when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, "What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit, and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?"
Exodus 18:14

In our zeal to please God and advance His kingdom, we Christians often take on responsibilities that God never intended us to have.  One of the great challenges of the Christian life is determining what God does not want us to do!  Our intentions are admirable: we love God, we love His people, and we see many needs around us.  But sometimes our good intentions cause more harm than good.

Moses was aware of the need for someone to settle disputes among the Israelites.  Someone had to help those former slaves learn how to live together as the people of God, so Moses took it upon himself to meet this need.  Long lines of unhappy people, hoping to have their cases heard, stood before Moses each day.  Moses spent day after day carrying the weight of his nation’s problems on his shoulders.  Finally his father-in-law, an outsider, witnessed what Moses was doing and challenged the wisdom of his actions.  Moses was taking on more than he could handle.  He was wearing himself out trying to do what was impossible for one person.  In doing this service alone, Moses was robbing others of an opportunity to serve the Lord.  He was also doing a disservice to his people, who otherwise could have had their issues resolved much sooner.

When you become aware of a need, do not automatically assume God wants you to meet it.  The only reason to perform ministry is that God clearly tells you it is His will.  If you are feeling overwhelmed by all that you are doing, you are probably doing more than God has asked.  Pray carefully about the assignments you take on, so that you don’t rob yourself and others of God’s best.

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day

Fix Your Eyes on God – Blackaby devotional

And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock;and he said to them,"Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?"
Numbers 20:10

It is easy to see why Moses became frustrated with the Hebrew people.  They were so hard-hearted and weak in their faith that Moses lost his patience and became angry with them.  Yet every time Moses shifted his focus away from God, it cost him.  When he sought to help his people by taking matters into his own hands, he spent the next forty years herding sheep in the wilderness (Exodus 2:11-15).  This time his impetuous behavior cost him the opportunity to enter the Promised Land (Numbers 20:12).  In his frustration at the peoples’ irreverence, Moses committed the very same sin, blatantly disobeying God’s instructions.  How did this happen?  Moses allowed his attention to shift to the behavior of others rather than focusing on the activity of God.

This could happen to you as well.  God has put people around you who need your ministry to them. You will never be able to properly help them, however, unless your primary focus is on God.  If you concentrate on people, their weaknesses, their disobedience, their lack of faith, and their stubbornness will quickly frustrate you.  You may, like Moses, commit the very sins you are condemning.  If, however, your eyes are fixed on holy God, you will become more like Him—gracious, forgiving, long-suffering, and righteous.  When a friend’s behavior disappoints you, go immediately to the Lord.  Seek to discern what God is wanting to do in your friend’s life rather than concentrating on your friend’s sin.  Then you will have the strength, wisdom, and patience you need to help your friend in the way God desires.

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day