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A short chapter, but an incredible wealth of
information! What jumped out first was
something God had brought up in Sunday School yesterday and something I’d said
to my younger son during a trying time yesterday – love and respect. “Love the Lord your God with all your
heart … Respect the Lord your God.” My commentary was rich in explanations, and said the key theme of this chapter and
the next is motivation for obedience.
The first, Love For
The Lord, was a given based upon God’s covenant with their fathers which gave them “ownership of the Promised Land, but it
was their own obedience to the Lord
that guaranteed their possession and
enjoyment of the land … Believers
today need to be reminded that all
our blessings come to us because of
God’s eternal covenant with His Son
and the new covenant which Jesus
made through His sacrificial death on the cross. We aren’t blessed because of what we are in ourselves, but because
of what we are in Christ.”
The commandment
to love God was also discussed: “Is it
possible to command somebody to love? … In the life of the believer,
love is an act of the will; we choose to relate to God and to other
persons in a loving way no matter how we
feel … love leads to ACTION … To
love God and worship and serve Him is the
highest PRIVILEGE we can have, so when the Lord commands us to love, He is inviting us to that which is the best.
But our love for God must involve the totality of the inner person … If the inner person is completely
yielded to the Lord and open to His Word as ministered by His Spirit, then the feelings will follow.”
Communication with
the Lord: “When we hear the Word of God and receive
it into our hearts, then the Holy Spirit can use the truth to transform
us from within … God writes the Word upon our hearts … to allow the Word to
guide our minds and hands as we work throughout the day … The emphasis of this
command was obedience to God’s Word in all
that we think or do.”
Besides love for the Lord, gratitude to the Lord was a second motivation for obedience
mentioned here. Ingratitude showed up when the older generation tested God at
Massah. “We tempt the Lord when we openly and unbelievingly question His
ability or defy His authority by what we say or do … The Lord deliberately led
them through difficulties so He could teach them to trust Him… The Lord tests
our faith, not just in the great crises of life, but even more in the small
unexpected events, such as a travel delay, an irritating interruption, a sudden
sickness, or a lost wallet. The way we
respond in these situations will indicate what’s in our hearts, because what
life does to us depends on what life
finds in us. If we love and trust the Lord, we’ll leave
the matter with him and do what He tells us, but if we question the Lord and
rebel because we’re not getting our own way, then we’re in danger of tempting
Him. One of the best protections against
tempting the Lord is a grateful heart.
If we’re in the habit of thanking the Lord in everything, including the painful experiences of life, then the
Holy Spirit will fill our hearts with love and praise instead of Satan filling
us with bitter venom.”
It concluded: “When
our children are ignorant of the past, they will have no hope for the
future. An attitude of gratitude is a
wonderful weapon against unbelief, disobedience, a hard heart, and a bitter
spirit.”
Father, thanks for Your incredible timing on this
today. Sink it deep into my heart and
transform me.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
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