Deuteronomy 4:1-49 + Luke 6:39-7:10 + Psalm 68:1-18 + Proverbs 11:28
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Old Testament - Today in Deuteronomy chapter 4 verse 29 we read: “But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.” How does this verse speak to you today? Do you believe it is true? Have you sought God with all of your heart and with all of your soul? This verse also reminds me of Jesus’ teaching of one of the two great commands – which he quoted from Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 5 – “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” So – if you have sought after God and found him, do you now today love God with all your heart and with all of your soul and with all your strength? What does this look like in your life? How do you love God in your life today?
New Testament - The passages on the faith of the centurion today are powerful - especially his words in verse 7 - "Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed." Can we learn something from the faith of the centurion in our lives today?
Bible.org's commentary on Luke chapter 6 readings today titled "Tough Love" is at this link. And commentary on Luke chapter 7's readings titled "Jesus the Healer" is at this link.
Psalms - I always like the idea and reminder to sing to God! Do you sing to God at places other than church? Maybe in your car? Maybe at home with the headphones on? Do you "sing" to God with the way you live your life? Here's verse 4 in Psalm 68 today which I love - "Sing praises to God and to his name! Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds. His name is the LORD-- rejoice in his presence!" How do you sing your praises to the Lord each day? Is it done as passionately as this fella below? :)
Proverbs - Proverbs 11:28 today teaches us: "Trust in your money and down you go! But the godly flourish like leaves in spring." Great proverb! It tells us that trusting in money is not godly and "down" we will go. Why? Because if we are trusting in money then we are not trusting in God. And who can ultimately hold us "up" - now and for eternity? God or money? How very interesting is it that the back of U.S. money says "In God We Trust"? :)
Worship Video: Today's readings in Deuteronomy chapter 4 and Psalm 68 remind me of the Matt Maher song "Alive Again:"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSTaVmDQP5s
Do you need to be made alive again? Click here for Life!
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: ""Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" Luke 6:46 NIV
Prayer Point: Pray that you will call upon Jesus as your Lord, each and every day. Pray that you will be obedient to Jesus' Word, each and every day. Pray that you will be a doer of Jesus' Word, and not just a hearer.
Comments from You & Questions of the Day: Back to our Psalm today - how many folks out there belt out worship tunes while driving in your car?? :) Feel free to fess up in the Comments below. I will confess here and now that I do belt out tunes from various worship CD's - Chris Tomlin and Phil Wickham lately. However, what's interesting is sometimes I feel a bit guilty spending so much time listening to music and singing along. I have one great friend who almost never listens to music - he thinks it's a waste of time and he wants to listen to news / preaching in the car instead. To try to learn something he says. And I can appreciate this... but I think it's still quite allright to sing our praises to the Lord on a frequent basis in the car! What say you? Also, what verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings? Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!
God bless,
Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our One Year Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 - Download a schedule of our One Year Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 - I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this One Year Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
Deuteronomy 4:1-49
Moses was a Sheppard, it must have been hard for him to watch but not be permitted to accompany his flock as they finally cross over into the Promise Land. Imagine the responsibility of managing such a huge number of people, a people that are so prone to wander off in different directions. Got me to thinking about the way God sometimes uses Sheppard’s as leaders. The theme of Deuteronomy is love and obedience, the same agenda the good Sheppard has for his flock. The good Sheppard wants to take us out of the bondage of our own territory and lead us into the green pastures of the Promise Land.
The good Sheppard is willing to lay his life down for his sheep; he leads the sheep with love but at times the Sheppard must be harsh on the sheep when they wander. The Sheppard does not enjoy being harsh, he is only harsh because he knows the great danger facing the sheep that wander, realizing those that stray could permanently be separated from the flock forever.
Moses as a good Sheppard pleads with his flock to hearken to the word of the Lord by giving them reason after reason to obey God so that it will go well with them. Deuteronomy expresses the magnitude of God, His love for us and His awesome power as a God of consuming fire and a God of love.
In the words of my Pastor, “Yes, He's a consuming fire and those enemies of God shall be destroyed by that consuming fire. Consuming is just a qualifying word and that is a word that qualifies really the enemies of God; that which the fire will do to enemies of God. But that same fire transmits us into permanency because from us it consumes the dross and the impurities of our life. It's the refining fire of God burning within our hearts, consuming dross transmitting into permanency”.
Posted by: Ramona | March 24, 2022 at 07:04 PM
March 25th
Idolatry Forbidden
Deuteronomy 4: 15 “Therefore watch yourselves very carefully. Since you saw no form on the day that the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, 16 beware lest you act corruptly by making a carved image for yourselves, in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female, 17 the likeness of any animal that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air, 18 the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth. 19 And beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them, things that the Lord your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven.
This passage once more prohibits graven images from being made and especially worshiped. Unfortunately, archaeological digs all around Israel have found idols in the dwellings of ancient Israelites. They certainly broke this prohibition and many practiced syncretism. Today, some Christian churches have statues and other “graven” images in them. I wonder if God is displeased with that? Are icons OK, too? They aren’t graven, but do receive veneration and are images. Questions like these have caused schisms in the church before. The Iconoclast controversy being one of the greatest.
Even crosses have been banned from churches in some organizations that take passages like Deuteronomy 4 very seriously.
Astrology is also a form of worship, IMHO. It gives power to the Sun and planets and even stars that they do not have – the fate of human destiny, etc.
We don’t even have one description of what Jesus looked like, except Scripture says in Isaiah:
Isaiah 53:2–3
For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (ESV)
God made fun of idols in the book of Isaiah, too:
Isaiah 40:18–20
To whom then will you liken God,
or what likeness compare with him?
An idol! A craftsman casts it,
and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
and casts for it silver chains.
He who is too impoverished for an offering
chooses wood that will not rot;
he seeks out a skillful craftsman
to set up an idol that will not move. (ESV)
Our passage from Deuteronomy 4 makes it clear that God is a spirit being and has no physical form… the only “form” God has taken is theophanies and the incarnation of the Son:
Philippians 2:5–8
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (ESV)
Perhaps I focus on this too much… or not enough. Is God concerned with things like this today? I would say his Word is eternal, so he must have some concern…
Maranatha! IC -|- XC
Prayer for Today:
Lord, thank you for your Word- it brings light and life! Bless the work of Voice of the Martyrs in carrying Bibles high into Nepal’s mountains. May your Word speak powerfully to those who receive these precious Bibles, causing many to place their trust in you. Amen.
Posted by: Jeffrey | March 24, 2022 at 07:15 PM
I like to praise the Lord in my car. With music, animals, the wild follow me some days but I trust in You
Posted by: Dd | March 25, 2022 at 08:07 PM