Today’s Reading: Deuteronomy 11-12; Psalm 146

“See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse — the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known.” — Deuteronomy 11:26-28

GOD’S PEOPLE DID AND STILL DO HAVE A CHOICE TO MAKE.

God is not forcing us to obey and follow the life He has prepared for us, but He does want us to know what is available to us. God gives clarity to what our choices are. He longs for us to receive His blessings and choose life, but He gives us the opportunity to make our own decision, even if that means we choose death. God knows that obedience is what will lead to our peace and joy, and He loves us enough to pursue our heart, while also giving us the freedom to make our own decision whether or not we will serve Him.

“Therefore, be careful to obey every command I am giving you today, so you may have strength to go in and take over the land you are about to enter. If you obey, you will enjoy a long life in the land the Lord swore to give to your ancestors and to you, their descendants—a land flowing with milk and honey! For the land you are about to enter and take over is not like the land of Egypt from which you came, where you planted your seed and made irrigation ditches with your foot as in a vegetable garden. Rather, the land you will soon take over is a land of hills and valleys with plenty of rain — a land that the Lord your God cares for. He watches over it through each season of the year!” — Deuteronomy 11:8-12

God knew the battles that were ahead of the Israelites; He knew they needed His strength to take over the land He had promised to them. He knew that if they obeyed him, they would enjoy a long and wonderful life in this place He was giving them. He was not promising there would never be difficulty. He reminded them they would have enemies and that there would be battles to fight, but He would be with them to protect and provide for them.

GOD WANTS TO WATCH OVER YOU AND FIGHT YOUR BATTLES, BUT YOU MUST CHOOSE HIM.

“If you carefully obey the commands I am giving you today, and if you love the Lord your God and serve him with all your heart and soul, then he will send the rains in their proper seasons—the early and late rains—so you can bring in your harvests of grain, new wine, and olive oil. He will give you lush pastureland for your livestock, and you yourselves will have all you want to eat.” — Deuteronomy 11:13-15

God was calling His people to relationship; He was calling them to a life where they would serve him with all their heart, and He would provide them with all they would need. But, if they chose to serve other gods, His jealous anger would burn against them and He would withdraw the rain. Without the rain there would be no harvest, and without the harvest, there would be no food. It was their choice to make, but they needed to be aware of the consequences that were attached to each option. God makes those same consequences clear to us in His word.

GOD IS CALLING US TO BE ALL IN — TO LOVE HIM AND SERVE HIM WITH ALL OUR HEART AND SOUL — SO THAT WE CAN LIVE IN RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM.

“So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, so that as long as the sky remains above the earth, you and your children may flourish in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors.” — Deuteronomy 11:18-21

ARE YOU ALL IN? HAVE YOU MADE YOUR DECISION?

Are you willing to serve God wholeheartedly? He is calling out to you, asking you to give Him everything. He wants your love for Him to be displayed in the way you serve only Him — for your decision to be evident in the choices you make each day. Show your love for God by walking in His ways and holding tight to Him (11:22).

The way of the godly leads to life; that path does not lead to death. — Proverbs 12:28

But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper,
whose hope is in the Lord their God.
He made heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them.
He keeps every promise forever.
He gives justice to the oppressed
and food to the hungry.
The Lord frees the prisoners.
The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down.
The Lord loves the godly.
The Lord protects the foreigners among us.
He cares for the orphans and widows,
but he frustrates the plans of the wicked. – Psalm 146:5-9