Josh1Eight

Scripture: Deuteronomy 8:10-11, 17-18  "When you have eaten your fill, be sure to praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.“ But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today.  17 He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’ 18 Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath." Observations: After 40 years of senseless wandering in the wilderness, Moses finally sheds some light on Gods purpose for His people during that difficult season in Israel's history. As much as God was teaching them to trust in Him He was also  teaching them not to trust in themselves by forcing them to become totally dependent on Him. His purpose in all this was to ensure that wh...

Scripture: Luke 8:17-18 “For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all. So pay attention to how you hear. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what they think they understand will be taken away from them.” Observations: When Jesus spoke about the importance of His message, He wasn't kidding. His teaching would benefit some and also destroy others depending on their willingness to accept it. The reason Jesus was warning people to give special attention to what He was saying was because He knew that most people wouldn't bother. Why? Because like a lamp it brought light to everyone and exposed the secret things of people's hearts and made them known. But the sad truth was that most people weren't willing to deal with their stuff they thought was perfectly well "hidden". The word Jesus uses f...

Scripture: Luke 9:23-26 "23 Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. 24 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 25 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed? 26 If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels. Observations: Jesus had many followers in His day. Multitudes of people came from everywhere to hear Him speak and to see Him perform miracles. While Jesus welcomed anyone that was willing to follow Him, it was not without expectation. Jesus conditioned for everyone the level of commitment required and the personal sacrifice necessary to be counted as one of His followers. He also pointed out the severe consequence that follow those wh...

 Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:3, 6, 17-18, 24 "Be careful to obey. Then all will go well with you...And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today...You must diligently obey the commands of the Lord your God—all the laws and decrees he has given you. 18 Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight, so all will go well with you... And the Lord our God commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear him so he can continue to bless us and preserve our lives, as he has done to this day." Observations: Before God allowed the Israelites to enter the Promised Land, He repeatedly emphasized the importance of obeying His commands. Every blessing He would give them was conditioned on their obedience. If they obeyed they would experience blessing. If they didn't, their blessings would be short lived. God pointed them to His commands over and over again, not to restrict them but so that they could sustain His blessings longer.  Application:...

Scripture: Deuteronomy 4:9-10 9 “But watch out! Be careful never to forget what you yourself have seen. Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren. 10 Never forget the day when you stood before the Lord your God at Mount Sinai, where he told me, ‘Summon the people before me, and I will personally instruct them. Then they will learn to fear me as long as they live, and they will teach their children to fear me also.’ Observations: Just before the Israelites entered the Promised Land, Moses took an opportunity to remind them of all that God had done and to warn them to never forget it. He drew special attention to the moment when God established His covenant with Israel and invited them into a special relationship with Him. God foresaw the dangerous possibility that His people would be distracted by the world around them and ultimately forget the One who made it all possible. He knew that if His peo...