"Undressed Stones"

Deuteronomy 27:5-6

These two short verses have come to be so dear to me along with every other verse where God commanded His people to make an altar of field stones or “undressed stones” in the King James. What on earth does that even mean? It means that the people were to make an altar of stones that they had done nothing to except just pick up off the ground. They had not used any tools on them to make them beautiful or carved any image into them. They were just rocks. They had added nothing to them.

The significance is that they could not impress God into forgiving them by how beautiful their altar was. They had nothing to offer God that would make Him forgive them. He was forgiving them because He wanted to. It pleased Him to do it.

When we come to the cross there is absolutely nothing we can bring with us that will impress God into forgiving us. He is forgiving us because of Jesus’ sacrifice – not because of anything we have to offer Him. We can add nothing to salvation. We can do nothing to earn salvation. It is offered as a gift to those who will accept it.

Have you accepted His ultimate gift today or are you still trying to impress God with you talents and good works? None of those will work, but you can come with a humble heart and He will not turn you away. Come to Christ today with the "undressed stones" of your life. He is ready to accept anyone who will trust in Him.

Visual Reminders

Deuteronomy 27:1-4

Before Moses dies, he reminds the people again to keep all the commandments that the Lord had given to them. He also tells them to write the law on stones covered with plaster and set them up on Mt. Ebal. This was to be a visual reminder to them of what was right and what was wrong. Without them, they would be prone to live very differently.

There is power in the spoken word and there is power in the written word. We have the same visual reminder only it is in the form of a book – the Bible. Without the Bible, we would all live very differently. Loving our enemies, forgiving others, and blessing those that persecute us are not things that come natural to us. However, with the Word of God before us, we know that these are things that God commands us to do. Therefore, we are to do them whether we “feel” like it or not!

If we ever have a question about how we should live, all we must do is open and read our Bibles. “But what about the “gray” areas?” you may ask. There is far more black and white than gray. I have found in my life that if I concentrate on obeying the black and white, the “gray” areas I used to worry about tend to disappear.

Seeking God's Word First

Deuteronomy 13:1-5

We might think that our hearts are completely guarded from following after a false prophet, but we might be wrong. Usually we identify someone as a false prophet if their prophecies do not come true. However, this passage tells us that a pagan’s prophesies might come true. Then how are we to judge? The Word clearly tells us that if anyone or any prophesy tries to lead us away from God to worship anything or anyone else - even if they are telling us to worship this person along with God – that person is a false prophet and is ultimately worthy of death.

What does this mean for us today? It is actually very applicable to our daily lives. We must put priority on the written Word of God over anyone else’s word. We must also put God’s Word over supposed signs, wonders, or miracles, or our own feelings. This passage teaches us that we are to be taught and guided by God’s Word. The Bible is truly all we need to discern God’s will therefore it is necessary for us to know what it says.

Ask God to help you listen to His Word first today. Ask Him to drown out all the other voices and to lead you to the passages in His Word that will help you make any and every decision. After you have sought His Word, then ask Him to confirm it through other sources. We must make the commitment to seek Him and His Word first.

Greatest Priviledges

Deuteronomy 6:1-9

This passage contains the two greatest privileges and responsibilities that we have as Christians.

1. 1. To love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (verse 5)
2. 2. To teach the ways of the Lord to our children (verse 7-9)

To know and love God is the greatest duty, but also the greatest privilege of any person that has ever or will ever live. But, this does not always come easy. The type of love that God requires us to have of Him is an unconditional, supernatural love that only truly flows from Him. However, He will freely give us this type of love if we will only ask. Ask Him today to give you a heart to love Him. This is a request He will not deny.

To teach the ways of the Lord to our children is one of my greatest joys in life. Moses commanded the people to talk about God’s ways all the time and to bind them to their hands and write them on the posts of their homes. They took this literally and made little boxes called phylacteries that contained Bible verses. They actually fastened them to their foreheads and forearms as constant reminders. They took this command literal, yet we who know the love of God literally through Jesus Christ tend to be forgetful of God’s Word and commands. We also tend to remain silent about the truth that we do know.

Call me old-fashioned, but I think it’s still alright to write down the verses your memorizing or clinging to and carry them around with you. I also think we are to live by the Bible and teach it to our children – DAILY.

We have all failed in these areas. A missed opportunity with a friend, co-worker, or our children does not have to be the end of our witness with them. Will you join me in asking God for forgiveness in these areas and for help in loving Him unconditionally and teaching His ways to our children.

Good Enough?

Numbers 32:1-33

You may have never read this short story before about the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. It was unfamiliar to me as well; however there is something to be learned from the behaviors of these tribes.

Just before the children of Israel were about to enter into the Promised Land, the leaders of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh started looking around. They decided that where they were was good enough for them and their families. It was a great land for their cattle and they just really wanted to stay there. So they went to Moses to ask permission. Moses was angry and asked them, “Why should your brothers go to war while you stay here?” Reuben and Gad promised to go to war with their brothers, but as soon as the land was conquered they wanted to come back to the land they had chosen.

Reuben and Gad chose what they wanted over what God had chosen for them. They settled for less than God’s best and missed out on what God really had for them. Not only did their decision affect them, it also affected their families. Sometimes the decisions we make keep others from experiencing God’s blessings.

My Bible Study teaching leader said recently when discussing this story that “half-hearted obedience results in half-hearted blessings.” I don’t know about you, but I want God’s best. Where are you settling for less than God’s best? Let’s not live our lives at the edge of what God has for us. Let us be obedient to Him today and experience the fullness of His blessing.