Show us, Lord, what we really are - without You.

Deuteronomy 23:1-25

Show us, Lord, what we really are - without You. Make us, more truly and more fully, what You want us to become - by Your saving grace. Fill us with Your holiness - and fill us with Your love. You've lifted us out of our sin and into Your salvation. This is Your doing. It's not our own achievement. we're called to be Your holy people - but we dare not imagine that we're better than everyone else. We're set apart for You - but we must never forget that we'll never be anything more than sinners, saved by Your grace. Your love has reached. Your love changes us. Make us more like Jesus - walking with You on the pathway of holiness and reaching out, in love, to others, inviting them to receive the Saviour's love and respond to His call: "Follow Me" (Matthew 4:19).

Lord, we are called to fear You - and to love You.

Deuteronomy 6:1-25

Lord, we are called to fear You - and to love You. We tend to think that fear and love are opposites. You teach us something else, something very different. Fear and love belong together. You are the holy God, the God who cannot look upon our sin (Habakkuk 1:13). We fear You. You show us our sin so that we might be brought to Jesus, our Saviour. We come to Jesus. We learn how much You love us - and we begin to love You.

Lord, You are the God of love. You are also the God of holiness.

Deuteronomy 13:1-14:21

Lord, You are the God of love. You are also the God of holiness. We like to hear about Your love. It makes us feel good. We're not so keen on hearing about Your holiness. You are the holy God. You are the God who calls us to be holy. Help us, Lord, not to be content with the half-truth, contained in the words, "All you need is love." We do need love - but we also need holiness. Help us to "strive ... for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14).

On To The Promised Land

Deuteronomy 1:1-3:29

This is the continuing story of God’s mighty working on behalf of His chosen people. He is leading them on to the land He had promised to them. Entering this land will not be easy. There will be plenty of opposition. The enemy will be defeated. The Lord will triumph over all who stand against Him.

We need the Word of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 7:1-8:20

The contrast between God’s people and those who worship false gods is so strong. It would be easy for God’s people to feel superior. God’s Word gives us no encouragement to have a superiority complex (Deuteronomy 7:7-8). How are God’s people to remain true to Him when there are so many pressures to conform to the world? – We must remember that we need the Word of the Lord (Deuteronomy 8:3). Without His Word, we will be easy victims for Satan. The Lord warns His people – We must remember to obey Him, or we will, by our disobedience, bring ourselves under His judgment (Deuteronomy 8:19-20).

Live Each Day - With The Attitude Of Gratitude.

Deuteronomy 4:1-43
The people of Israel were involved in the work of the Lord. The work was based on God – not Moses. Moses would not be in the promised land. God would be there. Moses would ‘not go over the Jordan’. As God’s man. he was to prepare the people for their task: ‘you shall go over and take possession of that good land’(22). Privilege involves responsibility. Israel was a privileged people, redeemed by the Lord, delivered from bondage ‘by a mighty hand and outstretched arm’(34). Israel was a responsible people, called to obey the Lord: ‘Obey His laws and commands’(40). The Lord our God is ‘a merciful God’(31). He has saved us. We are to serve Him. Let Him reign in your heart. Let there be ‘no other besides Him’(35). Flee to Christ for refuge (42-43), and live each day with ‘the attitude of gratitude’.

The Lord’s work is moving on.

Deuteronomy 33:1-34:12

The Lord’s work is moving on. the Lord’s servant – Moses – is looking towards the future. He is pronouncing God’s blessing on the people of Israel. He pays special attention to each tribe. There is a Word from the Lord for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. The people of Israel had been “blessed” – “a nation saved by the Lord” (Deuteronomy 33:29). The future lay with the whole people of God, as they moved forward together. There was, however, to be one man who was called to special leadership among the people – Joshua. For this work, Joshua was “filled with the Spirit” (Deuteronomy 34:9). The people of God were moving forward, but they would not forget where they had come from – how the Lord had led them. They remembered Moses (Deuteronomy 34:10-12) – and they gave thanks to God.

Continue in the way of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 4:1-6:25

There is a real challenge here – Continue in the way of the Lord. Don’t turn back from following Him. This is important – not only for ourselves but for generations to come. The Word of the Lord must never be dismissed as something which is to be left in the past. Love for the Lord is not to be set aside as a thing of the past. We are to preserve the Word of the Lord for the next generation. The call to love God must be passed on those who come after us.

Help us, Lord, to be caring people.

Deuteronomy 22:1-30

Help us, Lord, to be caring people. Where does this love for one another come from? It comes from Your love for us. Where there is a growing appreciation of Your love for us, there will be an increasing commitment to sharing Your love with others. Help us to love people without loving the ways of those who "live as enemies of the Cross of Christ" (Philippians 3:18). May our love for them be a true expression of Your love for them. May it call them to return to You, to be forgiven by You, to make a new beginning with You.

From the land of bondage - to the land of salvation

Deuteronomy 16:1-17:20

“Honour the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 16:1) – We are to worship the Lord. Our worship is to be filled with thanksgiving, praising the Lord for His redemption – “The Lord your God brought you out of Egypt.” Moving from the land of bondage, we move, by faith, into the land of salvation: “You will enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you. You will take possession of it and live there” (Deuteronomy 17:14). As the Lord leads us on, our praise to Him increases. Let praise increase as grace increases.

At the heart of worship, there is to be the Word of God.

Deuteronomy 11:1-13:18

God had blessed His people greatly. They were to live in obedience to Him. This is the way of further blessing (chapter 11). At the heart of our obedience to God, there is worship, true worship, worship which glorifies the Lord (chapter 12). At the heart of worship, there is to be the Word of God. Without the Word of God, we will be easily led astray (Deuteronomy 13:1-2). The central message to us here is summed up in Deuteronomy 13:4 – “Worship the Lord your God, fear Him, obey His commands, listen to what He says, serve Him and be loyal to Him.”

How are we to experience an ever-increasing measure of God’s blessing?

Deuteronomy 9:1-10:22

The Lord’s people were on a ‘journey’ (Deuteronomy 10:11). They were journeying with Him. He was leading them in the way of His blessing. In our journey through life, how are we to experience an ever-increasing measure of God’s blessing? – “Fear the Lord your God, follow all His directions, love Him, and worship Him (Deuteronomy 10:12). This is the way of blessing. It is “for your own good” (Deuteronomy 10:13).

Lord, You call us to belong to You.

Deuteronomy 14:22-15:23

Lord, You call us to belong to You. This is wonderful. It makes our hearts glad. You also call us to serve You. We're not to remain what we were before we became Your redeemed people. We're to be renewed - "beholding the glory of the Lord, we are being changed into His likeness from one degree of glory to another" (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Obedience, Blessing And Prayer

Deuteronomy 24:1-26:19

Doing “the right thing in the presence of the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 24:13), living “a long time in the land that the Lord your God is giving you” (Deuteronomy 25:15) – the two are vitally connected: obedience and blessing. Together with obedience and blessing, there is prayer. The blessing is not earned by our obedience. It is God at work, answering prayer (Deuteronomy 26:7). Together with the prayer which asks God for blessing, there is to be the prayer which thanks God for His blessing (Deuteronomy 26:8-10). We show our thanksgiving to the Lord by “faithfully obeying His Word with all our heart and with all our soul” (Deuteronomy 26:16). As we keep on obeying the Lord, He will keep on blessing us (Deuteronomy 26:18-19).

More Than A Prophet!

 “The Lord your God  will raise up for you a Prophet … to Him you shall listen” (Deuteronomy 18:15).

We read these words, and we think of the words spoken by God on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:5). There is a difference. Jesus is more than a Prophet. He’s God’s Son. He’s greater than Moses. He’s greater than Elijah. They were God’s servants. He’s God’s Son. When we realize that we have a Saviour – more than a prophet!, we will listen to Him, we will give ourselves to Him, and we will thank Him for giving Himself for us.

Why do we listen to Jesus? It’s because He speaks the Word of the Lord – “I … will put My words in His mouth; and He shall speak to them all that I shall command Him” (Deuteronomy 18:18).  It’s more than that! He is the Word of the Lord (John 1:1,14).

We give ourselves to Him because He has given Himself to us. We do not think much of our great devotion to him. We think much of His great love for us.

 As I was reading about “the Prophet”, I found my attention drawn to these words – “you shall not be afraid of him” (Deuteronomy 18:22). As I read this verse, I noticed that it’s telling us that we do not need to be afraid of the false prophet. Satan has no authority over the Lord’s people – “No weapon that is formed against you will prosper … ” (Isaiah 54:17). “you shall not be afraid of him” – I thought a bit more about this verse. I found my thoughts turning to Jesus, our Saviour. We don’t need to be afraid of Him. He loves us. In fear, we come to Him. We know that He is holy. In love, He comes to us. He shows us that He is our Saviour. “His perfect love casts out our fear” (1 John 4:18).

Loved By God, Let Us Love Him - More!

Deuteronomy 4:44-5:33
Obedience is grounded in salvation. The Ten Commandments (7-21) are preceded by the divine declaration: ‘I am the Lord your God’ who brought you… out of the house of bondage’(6). He has redeemed us. We are to live for Him. The Word of God was spoken to Moses before it was spoken by him (27). We cannot begin to live for the Lord until we begin to listen to Him. The way of obedience is the way of blessing. Our obedience is to be offered in a spirit of gratitude to God for His gracious salvation. Never imagine it is because of our obedience that God loves us. His love for us is always prior to our love for Him. Remember what the Lord has done for you, and your love for Him will grow stronger. Forget, and you love will grow weaker. Loved by God, let us love Him – more!

Rest Secure In God's Love.

“Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in Him, for He shields him all day long, and the one that the Lord loves rests between His shoulders” (Deuteronomy 33:12).

The Lord loves us. His love casts out our fear. His love gives us security. His love shields us. We rest in His love. There’s a place in His heart for us. The love of God – This is the message which reaches out “to the ends of the earth” (Deuteronomy 33:17).

“The great love of God is revealed in the Son, who came to this earth to redeem every one. That love, like a stream flowing clear to the sea, makes clean every heart that from sin would be free. It binds the whole world, every barrier it breaks, the hills it lays low, and the mountains it shakes. It’s yours, it is ours, O how lavishly given! The pearl of great price, and the treasure of heaven!” (Daniel Thambyrajah Niles). “All for your sake, all for my sake; yes, for all, I say: Now for the world comes news of salvation: ‘Christ is born today!” ‘Christ is born today!'” (From the Gujarati of Kahanji Madhavji Ranagrahi).

The Lord has saved us. Let's live for Him.

Deuteronomy 14:1-15:23

“The Lord has chosen you to be His own special possession” (Deuteronomy 14:2). This is a great blessing – We have been saved by grace (Ephesians 2:5,8). “You are people who are holy to the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 14:21). Those who have been saved by the Lord are to live for Him (Ephesians 2:10). “Be generous to the poor and needy” (Deuteronomy 15:11) – Living for the Lord involves showing kindness to others. We have been loved by the Lord. We are to love others.

God Is Faithful. Let's Be Faithful To Him.

Deuteronomy 31:1-32:52

Moses’ time of leadership was coming to an end. Joshua would replace him as the leader of God’s people. With God’s command – “Be strong and courageous” – and promise – “you will bring the Israelites into the land that I swore to give them, and I will be with you” (Deuteronomy 31:23), Joshua set out into the work of the Lord. Moses still had a Word to bring to the people from the Lord – a Word which proclaimed the Lord as “a faithful God” (Deuteronomy 32:4) and called the people to be faithful to Him (Deuteronomy 32:5-6).

"Love the Lord your God.”

Deuteronomy 29:1-30:20

“Today I offer you life … Choose life” (Deuteronomy 30:15,19). The meaning of these words concerning life is expanded on in Deuteronomy 30:16,20 – “Love the Lord your God.” Loving God – This is what life is all about. This is life as He intended it to be. This is the meaning and purpose of life. This is to be the direction of our life.