Deut. 10:14-15 - '"Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it. Yet on your fathers did the Lord set His affection to love them, and He chose their descendants after them, even you above all peoples, as it is this day.'"
This thought truly amazes me; How the Lord our God who belongs to the heaven's Highest Heaven and the whole earth "set" His affection on the Israelites. He sets His affection on rebellious, stubborn, disrespectful people, He set His affection on Me, who at this very moment (written May 2013) have been thinking about the names I want to call my neighbour who has been bullying me. Why does God even bother with us? He can choose to pour His affection out on nature or on the animals or on other planetary beings hidden away up there in the universe. For some strange reason, He continues to be determined to love us, to love fallen man. The only way we could even remotely understand this is when we do as verse 12 says, "to love Him and to walk in all His ways." Only then will we get a glimpse of compassion that God has for such unlovely people. Praise God He never gives up on us!
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Promise 36 from Deuteronomy - 10:10
Deut. 10:10 - "'I, moreover, stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights like the 1st time, and the Lord listened to me that time also; the Lord was not willing to destroy you.'"
It just amazes me all that Moses went through to save his people. Not only was he praying and fasting 40 days and 40 nights on the mountain with God, but after he came down and saw the rebelliousness of his people, for whom had built an idol to be their god, which then provoked Moses to break the commandment tablets of stone, he went back up the mountain to contend for them before God for another 40 days and nights. Moses' action prompted God to change His mind and wasn't willing to destroy them. I'm really challenged by this. How far am I willing to go to contend for the people God sent me to, so that they can have a lavish relationship with God? God was not "willing" to destroy the Israelites, even though they totally deserved it. I don't believe God is willing to destroy this nation either, even though Godless corruption is rampant. He is not willing to destroy the western states either, for that matter, even though Godless immorality is rampant where babies are killed and people just plain make themselves gods rather than turn to the One and only God. God is merciful, but sometimes I think we need to contend on our knees for that mercy on behalf of others so that God's will will be bent and His mind changed to compassion. The promise is here is that God allows us to change His mind on behalf of others.
It just amazes me all that Moses went through to save his people. Not only was he praying and fasting 40 days and 40 nights on the mountain with God, but after he came down and saw the rebelliousness of his people, for whom had built an idol to be their god, which then provoked Moses to break the commandment tablets of stone, he went back up the mountain to contend for them before God for another 40 days and nights. Moses' action prompted God to change His mind and wasn't willing to destroy them. I'm really challenged by this. How far am I willing to go to contend for the people God sent me to, so that they can have a lavish relationship with God? God was not "willing" to destroy the Israelites, even though they totally deserved it. I don't believe God is willing to destroy this nation either, even though Godless corruption is rampant. He is not willing to destroy the western states either, for that matter, even though Godless immorality is rampant where babies are killed and people just plain make themselves gods rather than turn to the One and only God. God is merciful, but sometimes I think we need to contend on our knees for that mercy on behalf of others so that God's will will be bent and His mind changed to compassion. The promise is here is that God allows us to change His mind on behalf of others.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Promise 35 from Deuteronomy 10:8-9
Deut. 10:8-9 - "'At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to serve Him and to bless in His name until this day. Therefore Levi does not have a portion or inheritance with his brothers; the Lord is his inheritance, just as the Lord your God spoke to him.'"
I just love this! In the last passage it spoke of how we are God's inheritance and this one talks about God being the inheritance. An inheritance doesn't have to be a future object. This verse doesn't say "God will be Levi's inheritance; but God IS his inheritance. We can live in our inheritance today. We can live in abundance today. I just read an article/blog called "No more waiting." It was about a single gal who decided to stop living in wait for her husband, as though she was always missing something. She decided to start living in fullness just as she is. Often times people look at kingdom inheritance as something for the future, but not now. The kingdom of God opened up to us the moment Jesus set foot on the ground. We don't have to live in wait for something we are missing, Jesus brought our inheritance to us. We have the fullness of God available to us now. Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is at hand." So wrap your fingers around it and grasp ahold of it!
I just love this! In the last passage it spoke of how we are God's inheritance and this one talks about God being the inheritance. An inheritance doesn't have to be a future object. This verse doesn't say "God will be Levi's inheritance; but God IS his inheritance. We can live in our inheritance today. We can live in abundance today. I just read an article/blog called "No more waiting." It was about a single gal who decided to stop living in wait for her husband, as though she was always missing something. She decided to start living in fullness just as she is. Often times people look at kingdom inheritance as something for the future, but not now. The kingdom of God opened up to us the moment Jesus set foot on the ground. We don't have to live in wait for something we are missing, Jesus brought our inheritance to us. We have the fullness of God available to us now. Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is at hand." So wrap your fingers around it and grasp ahold of it!
Monday, May 20, 2013
Promise 34 from Deuteronomy 9:26 & 29
Deut. 9:26,29 - "'I prayed to the Lord and said, 'O Lord God, do not destroy Your people, even Your inheritance, whom You have redeemed through Your greatness, whom You have brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand... Yet they are Your people, even Your inheritance, whom you have brought out by Your great power and Your outstretched arm.'"
What a thought! He redeemed His inheritance with His mighty outstretched hand, because He is a great God. That just wows me to think, I am God's inheritance that He will go to great measures to make sure I continue to be His. He displays His power and passion in saving His people. That is what He did on the cross for you and for me. He stretched out His mighty hands to show His compassion to us so that we may be saved. In all His greatness, He chose to shed all that He is, so that we could be all that He intended us to be; His children, His inheritance, His beloved. Thank You, Jesus!
What a thought! He redeemed His inheritance with His mighty outstretched hand, because He is a great God. That just wows me to think, I am God's inheritance that He will go to great measures to make sure I continue to be His. He displays His power and passion in saving His people. That is what He did on the cross for you and for me. He stretched out His mighty hands to show His compassion to us so that we may be saved. In all His greatness, He chose to shed all that He is, so that we could be all that He intended us to be; His children, His inheritance, His beloved. Thank You, Jesus!
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Promise 33 from Deuteronomy 9:19
Deut. 9:19 - "'For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure with which the Lord was wrathful against you in order to destroy you, but the Lord listened to me that time also.'"
I just had a conversation with some friends yesterday (written Apr. 22) about prayer. The question was, "Does prayer move the hand of God?" The answer is "Yes, it does!" Moses prayed and fasted for 40 days and nights on behalf of the sinful people. He knew that death for them was on the threshold, God had His hand raised and ready to snuff them out. But Moses contended! And Moses won! God heard his cries. Moses said, "And once again, God listened to me." Not only did God listen, He changed His mind, thereby sparing the lives of the Israelites. God listens to His people who put themselves at His mercy on behalf of those who need Him. He listens to us when we cry out for the salvation of loved ones, nations and others. He listens to us when we align ourselves with His heart and pray for the sick, injured and lonely. He moves His hand and heart over the lost, the broken, those who need healing. He brings restoration, salvation and healing. He hears the cries of His children and responds. Thank you Jesus!
I just had a conversation with some friends yesterday (written Apr. 22) about prayer. The question was, "Does prayer move the hand of God?" The answer is "Yes, it does!" Moses prayed and fasted for 40 days and nights on behalf of the sinful people. He knew that death for them was on the threshold, God had His hand raised and ready to snuff them out. But Moses contended! And Moses won! God heard his cries. Moses said, "And once again, God listened to me." Not only did God listen, He changed His mind, thereby sparing the lives of the Israelites. God listens to His people who put themselves at His mercy on behalf of those who need Him. He listens to us when we cry out for the salvation of loved ones, nations and others. He listens to us when we align ourselves with His heart and pray for the sick, injured and lonely. He moves His hand and heart over the lost, the broken, those who need healing. He brings restoration, salvation and healing. He hears the cries of His children and responds. Thank you Jesus!
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Promise 32 from Deuteronomy 9:5
Deut. 9:5 - "'It is not for your righteousness or for the uprightness of your heart that you are going to possess their land, but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord your God is driving them out before you, in order to confirm the oath which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.'"
As much as we like to think that God is only thinking about blessing us, God has another agenda too. He hates unrighteousness especially when that unrighteousness risks getting in the way of others being, or becoming righteous. Yes, He did promise to bless Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as He promises to bless us, but He also knows the heart of man, He knows man's tendency to take credit for the things God does. Moses is warning the people already of this and is making it clear that His clearing out the enemy has nothing to do with what man will do but everything to do with what He will do. God reserves the right to claim what is His, He does this by wiping out the enemy. The promise is: He will do it, and it will be ALL Him!
As much as we like to think that God is only thinking about blessing us, God has another agenda too. He hates unrighteousness especially when that unrighteousness risks getting in the way of others being, or becoming righteous. Yes, He did promise to bless Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as He promises to bless us, but He also knows the heart of man, He knows man's tendency to take credit for the things God does. Moses is warning the people already of this and is making it clear that His clearing out the enemy has nothing to do with what man will do but everything to do with what He will do. God reserves the right to claim what is His, He does this by wiping out the enemy. The promise is: He will do it, and it will be ALL Him!
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Promise 31 from Deuteronomy 9:1,3
Deut. 9:1,3 - "'Hear, O Israel! You are crossing over the Jordan today to go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than you, great cities fortified to heaven.... know therefore today that it is the Lord your God who is crossing over before you as a consuming fire. He will destroy them and He will subdue them before you, so that you may drive them out and destroy them quickly, just as the Lord has spoken to you.'"
How big is your God? Do you see Him as a "consuming fire" that rushes down on your enemies, that consumes and destroys the strongholds in your life? Here is our promise: Today God crosses over from your camp to your enemies camp and He will capture them, He will destroy their strength bases so that you may go in easily to drive them away so that you can quickly clean house and move in. There is NOTHING, and I repeat NOTHING that is too big, too mighty, too difficult, too lofty that the Lord your God can't wipe away today. This is who He is, this is what He does!
How big is your God? Do you see Him as a "consuming fire" that rushes down on your enemies, that consumes and destroys the strongholds in your life? Here is our promise: Today God crosses over from your camp to your enemies camp and He will capture them, He will destroy their strength bases so that you may go in easily to drive them away so that you can quickly clean house and move in. There is NOTHING, and I repeat NOTHING that is too big, too mighty, too difficult, too lofty that the Lord your God can't wipe away today. This is who He is, this is what He does!
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