March 13 – Deuteronomy 5-7

Good morning!

Today’s focus is on the fact that God is gracious. Grace is undeserved favor or merit. It is to receive a valuable gift, though we did nothing to deserve it. In fact, just the opposite. The Scripture I chose is Ephesians 2:1-10. We were all once dead in our sins, following the course of the world and the enemy of God, living in disobedience, following the passion of the flesh. That’s a hard pill to swallow. However, God in His mercy and love made us alive in Christ. He gave us what we didn’t deserve. We were all on death row, but those in Christ have received a full pardon, though we were clearly guilty. By grace we have been saved through faith. It is not of our own doing but is the gift of God. It is not a result of works, so that NO ONE may boast. At the same time, we were created for good works. So, out of this wonderful gift of salvation God has given us, we should gladly do good works because we love Him.

There were LOTS of 6:33 points in the reading today. I believe this is a very significant passage of Scripture. Chapter 5 – A) Listen to God’s statutes and ordinances and learn to follow them carefully. B) Do not have other gods besides the LORD God. C) Do not make idols, nor worship them. D) Do not misuse the LORD’s name. E) Be careful to remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. F) Honor your father and mother. G) Do not murder. H) Do not commit adultery. I) Do not steal. J) Do not give dishonest testimony against your neighbor. K) Do not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor. L) Listen and obey. M) Fear God and keep all His commands always. N) Be careful to do as the LORD commands and do not turn aside to the right or left. O) Follow His whole instruction.

Chapter 6 – A) Follow God’s statutes and ordinances. B) Fear God and keep all His commands always. C) Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength (Greatest commandment!). D) Put God’s Word in our hearts. E) Repeat God’s Word to our children – Talk about them when we sit in our houses, when we walk, when we lie down, and when we get up. Bind them as a sign on our hands and let them be a symbol on our foreheads. Write them on the doorposts of our houses and our gates. F) Be careful not to forget the LORD. G) Fear the LORD. H) Worship the LORD. I) Any oaths should be in His Name. J) Do not follow other gods. K) Do not test the LORD. L) Carefully observe the commands of the LORD, His decrees and statutes. M) Do what is right and good in the LORD’s sight. N) Tell our children all that the LORD has done.

Chapter 7 – A) Do not intermarry with unbelievers. B) Keep God’s statutes and ordinances. C) Listen to and be careful to keep His ordinances. D) Do not be afraid. E) Remember what God has done. F) Do not covet the silver and gold of the world. G) Do not bring any abhorrent thing into your house.

There is so much I could say here, but it is getting late. One thing that sticks out to me is that we should disciple our children. We are responsible for them knowing God, not the youth minister or Sunday school teacher, though they are important people and do a very valuable work. The responsibility falls on us, as parents, to make sure that our children know God and that they have the opportunity to love Him with all of their heart, soul, mind, and strength. There is nothing better we can teach them. Doesn’t matter if we raise up the next Einstein, Beethoven, Michelangelo, or even Michael Jordan. If we don’t introduce them to their Savior, we have wasted a life. Believing in Him is on them, but lovingly discipling them is on us.

May we bless God today as we live in His grace and teach our children His ways!

Psalm 145

5 On the glorious splendor of Your majesty and on Your wondrous works, I will meditate.

6 They shall speak of the might of Your awesome deeds, and I will declare Your greatness.

7 They shall pour forth the fame of Your abundant goodness, and sing aloud of Your righteousness.

8 The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.

9 The LORD is good to all, and shows mercy to all that He has made.

February 5 – Exodus 19-21

Good morning!

If you are keeping up with the reading, hopefully by now you have fit it into your daily routine / disciplines. The reading is already part of my disciplines… it’s finding time to do the writing that proves to be a challenge. Super Sunday is proving to be Super Busy!

Here are the 6:33 points: Chapter 19 – A) Carefully listen to God. B) Carefully keep His covenant. Chapter 20 – A) Observing the 10 Commandments 1) Do not have any other gods besides the one true God. 2) Do not make idols or bow down or worship idols. 3) Do not misuse the name of the LORD. 4) Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. 5) Honor your father and mother. 6) Do not murder 7) Do not commit adultery. 8) Do not steal. 9) Do not give false testimony. 10) Do not covet what your neighbor has. B) Reverence C) Fear God and do not sin in times of testing. D) Do things God’s way. Chapter 21 – Let me just say that I am so thankful to live under grace instead of the law. Since we are under grace and are of a different time and culture, some of these really don’t apply. However, I will still point out a few things: A) Once again, honor your father and mother. B) Take responsibility for your actions. C) Accept consequences, including paying for damages.

As we are reminded of the 10 Commandments, I am also reminded of what Jesus said is the greatest commandment: Love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and the second is love your neighbor as yourself, later changed to “love your neighbor as I (Jesus) have loved you.” This sums up the 10 commandments. As Jesus would teach in the Sermon on the Mount, it’s not just about murder, but also being angry with your neighbor. It’s not just about adultery, but also about lust. Loving our neighbor as Jesus loved is a heart matter. This is the very core of 6:33 – Love God and love people.

May God bless you today as you love Him heart, soul, mind, and strength and out of that love, love others as Jesus loved!