11-22-21 Today in the Word

Confusion and Clarity Monday, November 22 | Deuteronomy 30:11–16 On the Go? Listen to Today's Devotional Have you ever worked for a boss who was impossible to please? Sometimes this is a result of unclear directions or unreasonable expectations. If you’ve ever been in this situation, you might have been forced to ask, “What exactly do you want?!” The people who lived in the areas surrounding Israel experienced a similar sort of situation. They weren’t trying to please a boss, but gods— multiple gods—in order to ensure some measure of peace and stability. To make matters worse, there was no manual for how to please them. What worked one day might not work the next. Requirements shifted constantly. We can only imagine their anxiety! One of the many things that made the Lord, Israel’s God, utterly different from those false gods was that He never changed and His requirements were clearly known. There was no secret knowledge to gain, and there was no guessing to be done. God had already told His people exactly what would please Him. See how He described this expectation in Deuteronomy 30: “Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven...Nor is it beyond the sea,...No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it...For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees, and laws” (vv. 11–16). through the prophet Micah The Lord did not play guessing games during Micah’s time, and He doesn’t play guessing games now. He has made it clear what will please Him! >> The expectations God has made of us are clearly outlined in Scripture. It may be tempting to pick and choose, deciding what we will or will not do. But there is no confusion with God. His way is clearly stated for us. Read also: Micah 6:6–8 Pray With Us What a comfort it is to serve an immutable God. You are always constant and never unpredictable. Not only do You outline Your expectations of us, You also supply what we need to obey.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

9-16-23 Santa Staleness

Santa Staleness :: By Edwin Tan Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles My one and only trip to Israel had more than a profound effect on my present-day psyche. It might have been three decades ago, but there is more than a lingering aftertaste. It happened smack in the last fortnight of the year. Surprisingly absent were the familiar sights and sounds of the Christmas most people are accustomed to. Hardly any Christmas decorations in downtown Tel Aviv, if not any of the shopping thoroughfares across the Holy Land. Hanukah was a breath of fresh air – not anything resembling a Christmas carol most people grew up with did surface. The Christmas Eve service in a small Protestant church not far away from Jerusalem’s Old City was awesome; songs that truly celebrated the virgin birth of our Lord, which though seemingly unheard of, were a welcome inspiration to many a soul. There was even one sung in Arabic! So it began, my overt disdain for the secular Christmas t...
Read more

9-25-23 The Farm Chronicles: One Christmas

The Farm Chronicles: One Christmas :: By Bill Wilson Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:Bill Wilson, General Articles There are a lot of terrible things going on right now in the world. But we are at the time of the year when we, as Christians, celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. We can choose to be impacted by the world around us in its dimly lit arena, or we can choose to let our light so shine. I choose the latter. I want to tell you a little about the Christmas that I had growing up on our family farm in Ohio. I was blessed to be born into a horse and cattle farm that has been in our family for some 200 years. And Christmas, especially Christmas Eve, was a wonderful time for our family. December 24 was my Dad’s birthday. And my Dad was well-loved by his neighbors and friends, so we had a lot going on Christmas Eve. I remember one special Christmas Eve. I must have been about four years old. The night was falling, and the wind and snow were whipping across the barny...
Read more

9-15-23 Miracles 2

Miracles 2 :: By Jim Towers Published on: December 21, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles This story is a continuation of the exciting things God continues doing in my life. I was supposed to have died a while back, and sometimes I feel as though I may do so soon. But since I’m ready to meet my maker, I have no fear of death. In fact, my evangelistic zeal has only increased, especially as I see the fast approaching of the “Tribulation period” mentioned in the book of Revelation. Insofar as my acting career is concerned, I just finished filming a soliloquy featuring Melchior, one of the three Magi who followed the star to Christ lying in the manger, and am preparing to portray a Jewish Priest on stage. Like I said, God is working overtime in my life, and I will be appearing on stage singing Broadway show tunes sometime in March, so I have a lot of rehearsing to do. In the meantime, I will be signing Christmas carols acapella at a park here in Naples. Since it is a spontaneous th...
Read more