50.j. Wilderness – 14.p. “Take care lest you forget the LORD your God”

 

Deu 8:11-18  “Take care lest you forget the LORD your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end. Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. And if you forget the LORD your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish. Like the nations that the LORD makes to perish before you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the LORD your God.

 Proverbs 1:32   For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them;

 Proverbs 30:9   lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the LORD?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.

 Psalms 106:21    They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt,

 Hosea 13:5-6     It was I who knew you in the wilderness, in the land of drought;  but when they had grazed, they became full, they were filled, and their heart was lifted up; therefore they forgot me

 Jeremiah 2:31   And you, O generation, behold the word of the LORD. Have I been a wilderness to Israel, or a land of thick darkness? Why then do my people say, ‘We are free, we will come no more to you’?

 1 Corinthians 4:7   For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?

 Psalms 127:1-2    Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.  It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.

When everything is fine and our lives are filled with abundance, it is not hard to have our hearts lifted up. We can easily forget the LORD Himself and forget it was all His work on our behalf. In times of abundance, it is easy to forget the LORD, or to at least no longer seek Him with the urgency we once had. We often think highly of our own hard work and brilliance. Yet we must see that God gives us the body, the brain, and the talent. It is all of God.  His plan is that it would ultimately further His eternal purpose. Therefore, we have no right to use our material blessing to further selfish purposes; instead, we use our resources to advance His kingdom. (Guzik)

Moses directs to the duty of a prosperous condition. Let them always remember their Benefactor. In everything we must give thanks. Moses arms them against the temptations of a prosperous condition. When men possess large estates, or are engaged in profitable business, they find the temptation to pride, forgetfulness of God, and carnal-mindedness, very strong; and they are anxious and troubled about many things. In this the believing poor have the advantage; they more easily perceive their supplies coming from the Lord in answer to the prayer of faith; and, strange as it may seem, they find less difficulty in simply trusting him for daily bread. They taste a sweetness therein, which is generally unknown to the rich, while they are also freed from many of their temptations. Forget not God’s former dealings with thee. Here is the great secret of Divine Providence. Infinite wisdom and goodness are the source of all the changes and trials believers experience. Israel had many bitter trials, but it was to do them good. Pride is natural to the human heart. Would one suppose that such a people, after their slavery at the brick-kilns, should need the thorns of the wilderness to humble them? But such is man! And they were proved that they might be humbled. None of us live a single week without giving proofs of our weakness, folly, and depravity. To broken-hearted souls alone the Saviour is precious indeed. Nothing can render the most suitable outward and inward trials effectual, but the power of the Spirit of God. See here how God’s giving and our getting are reconciled, and apply it to spiritual wealth. All God’s gifts are in pursuance of his promises. Moses repeats the warning he had often given of the fatal consequences of forsaking God. Those who follow others in sin, will follow them to destruction. If we do as sinners do, we must expect to fare as sinners fare. (Henry)

Pathway to Victory – Devotion

 

 

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor?
–Romans 11:33–34

The Bible can’t predict our future. It can’t answer all our questions. It can’t give us specific guidance for every decision in our lives. So what can the Bible do for us when we’re searching for direction in life?

For one thing, the Bible confirms God’s sovereignty. The term sovereignty simply means that God’s in charge. When I read the Bible, I’m reminded that God is working out His plan, even when I don’t understand it.

Years ago, I was out of town at a speaking engagement when I got a phone call. My mom had had exploratory surgery that day, and the doctors had found widespread cancer. The situation was so hopeless that all they could do was sew her back up. She had only a few months to live.

I remember the drive back to Dallas that night. I wasn’t angry, but I was wondering, God, why in the world would You take my mom, an effective Bible teacher and witness for Christ? She’s only fifty-four years old. Why would You take her like this?

As I was asking those questions, I turned on the radio. A pastor was reading Romans 11:33–34: “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor?” At that moment, God’s Word grabbed hold of me with this reminder: Robert, I have a plan, even though you can’t understand it. God’s Word reminds us that God is in control of everything that happens.

God’s Word also convicts us of sin. I can’t tell you the number of times somebody has come up to me after a worship service and said, “Who told you about my situation? You made that sermon just for me.” No, I didn’t know about their situation, but God knew, and He used His Word to penetrate that person’s heart. Hebrews 4:12 says His Word is “sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” God’s Word cuts through all the malarkey and gets to the heart of the matter. That is what the Bible does for us when we need direction.

Turning Point – Devotion

 

 

Then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
Deuteronomy 6:12

Philosopher George Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” That usually refers to remembering the mistakes of the past—if we don’t remember them, we are likely to make them again. But the same could be said about blessings. If we fail to remember the blessings of the past, we are more likely to fear the future.

When Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land, he had a stone memorial built after they crossed the Jordan River. It was to remind future generations that God not only dried up the Jordan so they could cross, but He also parted the Red Sea so they could escape the Egyptian army (Joshua 4:19-24). Before Jesus returned to heaven, He instituted a memorial meal by which, when celebrated, future generations of believers could remember His death for them. Remembering the blessings of the past is a powerful motivation for facing the future.

Do you keep a journal or diary in which you record what God has done in your life? It is a helpful way never to forget.

50.i. Wilderness – 14.o. “Today you shall be careful to do”

 

Deu 8:1-10  “The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the LORD swore to give to your fathers. And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years. Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the LORD your God disciplines you. So you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him. For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land he has given you.

Obedience must be, 1. Careful, observe to do; 2. Universal, to do all the commandments; and 3. From a good principle, with a regard to God as the Lord, and their God, and with a holy fear of him. To engage them to this obedience. Moses directs them to look back. It is good to remember all the ways, both of God’s providence and grace, by which he has led us through this wilderness, that we may cheerfully serve him and trust in him. They must remember the straits they were sometimes brought into, for mortifying their pride, and manifesting their perverseness; to prove them, that they and others might know all that was in their heart, and that all might see that God chose them, not for any thing in them which might recommend them to his favour. They must remember the miraculous supplies of food and raiment granted them. Let none of God’s children distrust their Father, nor take any sinful course for the supply of their necessities. Some way or other, God will provide for them in the way of duty and honest diligence, and verily they shall be fed. It may be applied spiritually; the word of God is the food of the soul. Christ is the word of God; by him we live. They must also remember the rebukes they had been under, and not without need. This use we should make of all our afflictions; by them let us be quickened to our duty. Moses also directs them to look forward to Canaan. Look which way we will, both to look back and to look forward, to Canaan. Look which way we will, both to look back and to look forward will furnish us with arguments for obedience. Moses saw in that land a type of the better country. The gospel church is the New Testament Canaan, watered with the Spirit in his gifts and graces, planted with trees of righteousness, bearing fruits of righteousness. Heaven is the good land, in which nothing is wanting, and where is fulness of joy. (Henry)

Henry, Barnes, Poole, Keil, Ellicott, Gill, Brown, Benson, Guzik, Ryles, Tozer, Piper, Spurgeon, and many more span from the 1600s to the present day. I love to read their thoughts about how people were living too close to the world they lived in. If they could only step into our day and witness what a Christian life has become, what is tolerated by society, and how it is finding way into congregations.  Wouldn’t it be glorious to have discernment and know right from wrong, good from bad, and holiness from sinfulness? I fear our prosperity, technology, and comfort have yielded fruits that only serve this world and much of the time do not honor and glorify Jesus Christ.

50.h. Wilderness – 14.n. “You shall not covet the silver or the gold”

 

 

Deu 7:22-26  The LORD your God will clear away these nations before you little by little. You may not make an end of them at once, lest the wild beasts grow too numerous for you. But the LORD your God will give them over to you and throw them into great confusion, until they are destroyed. And he will give their kings into your hand, and you shall make their name perish from under heaven. No one shall be able to stand against you until you have destroyed them. The carved images of their gods you shall burn with fire. You shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, lest you be ensnared by it, for it is an abomination to the LORD your God. And you shall not bring an abominable thing into your house and become devoted to destruction like it. You shall utterly detest and abhor it, for it is devoted to destruction.

Sometimes to our frustration, this is the way God often works in our life. He clears things away little by little even though we might prefer it all at once. But God wanted Israel to grow spiritually in the process of taking the Promised Land. Doing it all at once might seem easier and better to us but will have consequences we cannot see or appreciate. God cares that we grow, and so He grows us little by little.(Guzik)

Thou shalt not be able; I will not assist thee with my omnipotence, to crush them at one run of success and victory; for you are not yet numerous enough to people the whole country at once. But I will bless thee in the use of ordinary means, and thou shalt destroy them by degrees, in several battles, that thou mayest learn by experience to put thy trust in me. (Benson)

It is an abomination to the Lord thy God; not only the idol itself, being put in the place of God, and so derogatory to his honour and glory, but the gold and silver on it, being devoted to a superstitious and idolatrous use; and even the taking of it, and appropriating it to a man’s own use, was an abomination, and resented by the Lord as such. (Gill)

We need to rely upon God’s leading to discern what is good and right and what is worldly and heavenly. The problem arises when we think we can discern this on our own. We lean on our own understanding. We listen to pastors and teachers who do not preach and teach the full Word of God. It would seem they are more interested in how big they can become rather than what you learn. They feed baby food day after day. We should not expect to be able to discern anything living on baby food. It is no wonder there is little difference in how the world lives each day and how many “Christians” live. The love of this world and pleasures of the flesh easily find their way into the hearts that should be far from it. Oh, you may feel comfortable in your church and it might be growing but are the people maturing? Is there a difference in their lives? How many examples does the Bible show us of how easy it is to fall away and blend in with the worldly? How many examples of God’s anger and judgment do we need to read before it changes how we live? How much preaching is on sin? How much teaching is on God’s holiness? How many times are you in church and you feel comfortable and satisfied? 

I am not sure we should be comfortable though we ought to find comfort. I don’t think we should be satisfied though we ought to find satisfaction. When we are being led by pastors and teachers who feed baby food we will be very comfortable and very satisfied when in fact we should be in awe, wonder, reverent, humble, thankful, and ever searching our hearts and minds for maturity in knowing and understanding God’s holiness and our sinfulness. 

Oh that God would raise up pastors and teachers who rightly divide the Word of God and purpose to do so over butts in the pew and money in reserve.

50.g. Wilderness – 14.m. “But you shall remember what the LORD your God did”

 

Deu 7:17-21. “If you say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I. How can I dispossess them?’ you shall not be afraid of them but you shall remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt, the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, the wonders, the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, by which the LORD your God brought you out. So will the LORD your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid. Moreover, the LORD your God will send hornets among them, until those who are left and hide themselves from you are destroyed. You shall not be in dread of them, for the LORD your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God.

 Yet sin is never totally destroyed in this world; and it actually prevails in us much more than it would do, if we were watchful and diligent. In all this the Lord acts according to the counsel of his own will; but that counsel being hid from us, forms no excuse for our sloth and negligence, of which it is in no degree the cause. We must not think, that because the deliverance of the church, and the destruction of the enemies of the soul, are not done immediately, therefore they will never be done. God will do his own work in his own method and time; and we may be sure that they are always the best. Thus corruption is driven out of the hearts of believers by little and little. The work of sanctification is carried on gradually; but at length there will be a complete victory. Pride, security, and other sins that are common effects of prosperity, are enemies more dangerous than beasts of the field, and more apt to increase upon us. (Gill)

It is hard for us to remember all that God has done for us, how and when He led us, how and when He healed us, how and when He prospered us, how and when He forgave us, how and when He opened and closed doors, how and when He comforted and encouraged us, how and when He filled us with peace in trying and troubling times, how and when He blessed us, how and when He ……… 

Do you ever wonder why it is that we so easily forget? Or, why it is we are strong sometimes and weak other times? Or, why we are affected by what is before us to the point of being fearful and hesitant? Do we know who God is? Do we trust in, cling to, and rely on He is all-knowing, all-powerful, and ever-present? Do we trust in, cling to, and rely upon His steadfast love, purpose, mercy, grace, and love? Do we actually purpose to live every moment of every day to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all we say, think, and do?  Are we in a state of thankfulness and looking for reasons to praise and worship Him? 

The answer to these questions reveals the reason why we fail to remember – because much of what happens we attribute to; “good luck”, “fate”, “our own hard work and determination”, “someone else’s good or bad toward us”, “being in the right place at the right time”, etc….. 

We have grown weak in knowing who God is. We have become complacent. We are neglectful. We are tossed to and fro. We are forgetful. We are proud. We are jealous. We are hateful. We are fearful. We are greedy. We are self-serving. We are self-reliant. We think we are self-worthy. We think we are deserving. We have a hard time discerning right from wrong and good from bad. We tolerate sins of the flesh. We purpose to do without seeking God’s leading. Our ears have become dull to the Holy Spirit leading. God’s Word is void from our thinking most of the day.  We like to be fed baby food from scripture and not solid food for maturity. We see the sins of others and are critical of them. We are blind to our own sins. We are…….

Repent of being slothful and negligent. Doubts and worries will come – talk to God about them and REMEMBER who He is. Purpose to be ever diligent in the study of God’s Word and living with a single purpose to drive every thought, word, and action – Honor and Glorify Jesus Christ every single moment of every day. 

Pathway to Victory – Devotion

 

 

In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.
–Mark 1:35

Have you heard the story about the newly promoted colonel? He was settling into his makeshift office when he saw a private heading his direction. Wanting to look busier than he was, the colonel picked up the telephone and pretended to be in a conversation: “Yes, General; I think that’s an excellent plan, sir. We’ll have to meet soon to discuss things in more detail. Thank you, General. Goodbye.” He hung up the phone and turned to the private. “What do you want?”

The private stammered, “Well, sir, I’ve been assigned to hook up your telephone.”

Most of us treat prayer as a one-way conversation. We talk to God as if there’s nobody on the other end of the line. But prayer is two-way communication: we speak to God, and God speaks to us. This week, we’re going to talk about how to listen to God and what He wants to say to us.

I’ll admit that over the years, I’ve had a lot of questions about prayer: If God has a sovereign plan for my life, then why should I bother to pray at all? Why does God take His time answering some of my prayers? Why did He answer that person’s prayer but not mine?

Yet all my questions and excuses melt away when I look at the example of Jesus Christ. Mark 1 recounts the busiest recorded day in Jesus’s ministry. He spent the entire day teaching, casting out demons, and meeting with people individually. He crawled into bed very late that night. But notice what happened the next day: “In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there” (v. 35).

Jesus could’ve come up with a lot of reasons to hit the snooze button that morning. He could’ve said, “Father, I know this is the time I usually meet with You, but I had a busy day working for You yesterday. Surely You want Me to catch up on My sleep.” But for Jesus, prayer wasn’t a nicety; it was a necessity. You see, Jesus didn’t pray only when His back was up against the wall. Isn’t that what we do? We pray when a crisis comes. But Jesus prayed at all times. And if prayer was essential for the perfect Son of God, how much more important is it for us? Jesus was sold out to prayer not only so He could speak to God but also so He could listen to God.

Enduring Word – Devotion

 

 

But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. (Philippians 1:12-14)

Paul had a special relationship with the Christians in Philippi; they were not only part of a church he founded, but they were also his friends. Sometimes our friends are confused at what God is doing in our life – and sometimes we are even more confused! In Philippians 1:12-14, Paul wanted to reassure the Philippians that God was doing good even when it looked bad.

When Paul was in Philippi, he was arrested and imprisoned. But God miraculously freed him, and he continued preaching the gospel (Acts 16:25-34). When Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians, he was in a jail in Rome. Paul’s Philippian friends were probably thinking, “God used a miracle to set Paul free before. Why doesn’t God do it now? Is He letting Paul down, or is Paul in sin?” In Philippians 1:12-14, Paul assured them that God’s blessing and power were still with him, even in prison – he was not out of God’s will.

Considering how God set Paul free in Philippi, we shouldn’t be surprised they wondered where the power of God was in Paul’s present imprisonment. If Paul wasn’t being advanced, that was all right – because his passion was to see the gospel advanced. Even though Paul was in prison, the circumstances around his imprisonment, and his manner during it, made it clear to everyone he was not just another prisoner, but he was an emissary of Jesus; this witness led to the conversion of many including his guards.

In fact, Paul’s imprisonment gave the Christians around him, who were not imprisoned, greater confidence and boldness, because they saw that Paul could have joy in the midst of adversity. They saw that God would take care of Paul and still use him even in prison. We also know this turned out for the furtherance of the gospel because during this time he wrote Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. When Paul was in bad circumstances, God was using him.

God didn’t waste Paul’s time in Rome. God never wastes our time, though we may waste it by not sensing God’s purpose for our lives in our present situation. Are you in a bad place – even a “prison” of some sort? God can use you right where you are, and He wants to. Stop thinking your situation must change before God’s power can be evident in your life. It can be evident right now.

God gave Paul the ability to see the good in a Roman prison – this God is with us!

50.f. Wilderness – 14.l. “And they provoked the LORD to anger.”

 

 

Deu 7:16 And you shall consume all the peoples that the LORD your God will give over to you. Your eye shall not pity them, neither shall you serve their gods, for that would be a snare to you.

 Judges 2:3  So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.”

 Judges 2:12    And they abandoned the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them. And they provoked the LORD to anger.

 Psalms 106:36    They served their idols, which became a snare to them.

 1 Corinthians 15:33    Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

 Joshua 23:13-16   know for certain that the LORD your God will no longer drive out these nations before you, but they shall be a snare and a trap for you, a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good ground that the LORD your God has given you.  “And now I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one word has failed of all the good things that the LORD your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed.  But just as all the good things that the LORD your God promised concerning you have been fulfilled for you, so the LORD will bring upon you all the evil things, until he has destroyed you from off this good land that the LORD your God has given you,  if you transgress the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them. Then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and you shall perish quickly from off the good land that he has given to you.

God’s Word is full of reminders and examples for us.  Reminders of His awesome power, might, presence, holiness, goodness, grace, mercy, and love. Examples of His warnings, anger, wrath, judgment, and purpose for pure lives in service to Him.  How many times do we read it as history and not allow ourselves to think about it and make our minds and souls sensitive to it? How many times do we just read over it until we grasp only promises of God’s blessing, mercy, steadfast love, and grace? How many times do we pass over warnings and examples of how easily the world and our fleshly thoughts can pull us away from seeing God’s Word in its fullness? Far too many I’m sure. 

We may think not me, but in reality, we have deafened our ears, closed our eyes, and stiffened our necks against giving deep thought to the Word of God and things of God. We easily claim promises that are given to those who follow, obey, cling to, rely upon, and trust God. However, we don’t dig into His Word in depth or give it meaningful thought. We just limp along thinking life is a basket of roses, when in fact it is a battle for eternal life. A battle of good and evil. If we do not give this thought we are bound to be easily drawn away into worldly temptations and give no thought to our sinfulness, let alone how we might grow in how we honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all of our thoughts, words, and actions. 

Read God’s Word with a hunger and thirst for knowing His holiness and our sinful tendencies. Read it for how to better discern right from wrong and good from evil. Read it for in it is truth. Read it and meditate upon it for the single purpose of honoring and glorifying Jesus Christ.

“Pathway to Victory Devotion”

 

This devotion builds on yesterday’s devotion.

 

The Lord said to Moses, “. . . I will give you the stone tablets with the law and the commandment which I have written for their instruction.”
–Exodus 24:12

God communicates His will to us in various ways. Let’s look briefly at six ways God speaks to us, which we’ll study more in-depth in the coming weeks.

  • God primarily speaks to us through His Word. When God wanted to reveal His plan for Israel, the laws by which they would live, He wrote those commandments on two stone tablets. God’s written Word guided the people of Israel, and His Word is still a primary means of discerning His direction for our lives.
  • God speaks through prayer. We can do many things to determine God’s will after we have prayed, but there is nothing more important we can do until we have prayed.
  • God speaks through special revelation, such as dreams, visions, and supernatural signs.
  • God speaks through wise counselors. Proverbs 15:22 says, “Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed.”
  • God speaks through circumstances. In Acts 20, Paul rerouted his trip to Syria when he learned about a plot to kill him. God used Paul’s circumstances to direct him.
  • God speaks through our desires. Philippians 2:13 says, “God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (NLT). Your passions and preferences could be desires God has placed in your heart to lead you in the way He wants you to go.

It’s a mistake to think God speaks in only one way. As C. S. Lewis wrote, “I don’t doubt that the Holy Spirit guides your decisions from within when you make them with the intention of pleasing God. The error [would] be to think that He speaks only within, whereas in reality He speaks also through Scripture, the Church, Christian friends, books, etc.” The truth is, God speaks to us in a variety of ways.