We should not be so stupid and foolish as Israel was. We must remember that God is a “consuming fire.” The language of this poem/song reveals that God wants to bless his people, but he will chastise them severely if they rebel against him. The Bible reveals that God is both good and severe. If we want to enjoy God’s blessings, we must remain faithful and obedient to his commands. If we flagrantly disobey God’s commands, we will experience God’s severe, stern discipline. Read More ...
Serving or leading people can be very discouraging. You pour your time and effort into people, only to see them turn away from everything they were taught and pursue the opposite. We must remember that our service is ultimately to God. We serve God by serving people. We cannot control how people respond. All we can do is be faithful. Moses and Joshua were both faithful. Even the greatest leaders have mixed results when it comes to how people respond to their exhortations and teachings. Read More ...
The contrast between the biblical view and the secular view could hardly be more stark. The biblical view says that man has value and dignity because every human reflects the image of God. God has a direct interest in humanity, and it is morally evil to terminate innocent human life. Those who hold a biblical worldview recognize the sanctity of human life. Read More ...
Since our ultimate aim is to bring glory to God, we gauge success in terms of faithfulness to God and his word. Success is not a matter of facilities or numbers of members or budget. We gauge success in terms of faithfulness. Read More ...
Like Moses, I urge all of us to “choose life.” First, choose to be saved through repentance of sin and faith in Christ. And second, choose to live in repentance and obedience. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul that you may live (vs. 6end). Follow vs. 10. Read More ...
In this chapter, Moses continues the theme of potential blessings and curses for Israel. If they remain faithful and loyal to God by keeping the terms of the covenant, Israel will enjoy immense blessings. They are virtually guaranteed to be successful and prosperous in the PL, a land flowing with milk and honey, if they simply keep the terms of the covenant obediently. Read More ...
The Christian life is like a race. We are stretching out and striving to reach the finish line. Our ultimate goal is heaven, but we are not there yet. So while we are still here, we should be striving toward Christ-likeness in our attitudes and in our behaviors. We are certainly not perfect, but we are hopefully moving in the right direction. We should be fulfilling the ministries God has set before us. We should be using the opportunities God gives us and going through those open doors that are before us. And we don’t quit the race until we reach the finish line. Read More ...
B. John was an eye-witness of the things Jesus did, as others were. John was one of the first disciples and was with Jesus almost the entire length of his earthly ministry. He’s an expert on who Jesus is and what he did. Read More ...
Like the Israelites, we should be highly motivated to obey God’s commands. We should respond with a hearty “Amen” to God’s commands to us. We should be motivated to obey God and do our best to avoid disobedience. Read More ...
Are you among the people of God? When you put your faith in Christ, you become one of God’s children; you identify as one of the people of God. As God’s people, we are obligated to obey God’s commands, worship him rightly, and persevere in the faith. Read More ...