Deuteronomy 7-9

Moses gives the Israelites a pep talk today in Deuteronomy 7-9.  It's different though than talks in the past.  Instead of sticking solely to the history of their journey with God and God's commands, Moses focuses more on God's love for His people.  We know that God does all things with His power and might because He loves us so much.  The Israelites are looking back, thanking God, and facing their future, realizing that their mighty God who demands their attention and obedience is above all else, a loving God whose love has no limits.  It's His love that provides, sustains, and blesses.

I am learning to appreciate the fact that we all have periods in this life of wandering in the wilderness.  God tests us, just like He does the Israelites.  God wants to strengthen our faith and show us His power.  He wants us to see Him and know Him.

3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

5 Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you.

Deuteronomy 8:3, 5

Realizing God's great love at work in us and accepting it is pivotal in our relationship with Him.  The God who calls on us to face what seems impossible at times, who wants us to worship Him and love Him with all of our hearts, is the same God who goes before us making our way, redeeming us, and saving us again and again.  We can love our God because He first loved us.

Moses is telling us today to pay attention, not just to God, but to God's love.  Because we are blessed by God, we run the risk of taking God for granted.  

18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.

Deuteronomy 8:18

God defines who we are and is the source of all that we have.  In Christ, through faith and by God's grace, we find abundant and eternal life.

God is good.

A prayer for today-

Dear Heavenly Father,

I thank You for Your love that is always at work in me.  Thank You for sending Jesus to save me from my own rebelliousness.  

Forgive me for all the ways I fail to praise You in every circumstance, in plenty and in want.

It is Your hands and Your power that provide, sustain, and bless me, not my own doings and abilities.  Help me, Lord, to remember You and Your will for me in all the seasons of my life. Give me the strength to follow You and glorify You in all the tests of my faith.

Speak to me and guide me with Your Holy Spirit, today and always.  I  also pray for Your Holy Spirit to work on healing the hearts of __________________. 

I pray this prayer in the name of my Lord and Savior, Your Son, Jesus,

Amen

In Christ's love,

*This post is part of A Mind-Maker-Upper's Everyday Reading Project.  Click here to read more