A History Lesson

Scripture:
Deuteronomy 10:12 – 13 — Now Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the Lord’s commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?
 
Observation:
The generation of Israelites that had been in captivity in Egypt had passed away and the new generation didn’t know all the things that God had done for them. Moses had been giving the Israelites a history lesson. They needed to learn from the past and not make the same mistakes their parents had made. I’m sure most were amazed by the stories. I’m sure there were some that wanted to know what all this meant to them. Moses boiled it down for them: respect God, follow God, love God, serve others and be obedient to God. This is God’s blueprint for our lives.
 
Application:
There were times when I was growing up that there seemed to be an endless supply of rules. There were rules at home and at school. Each sport had its own set of rules. Learning to drive brought another set of rules. Then getting married had rules that I never imagined. Everywhere I turned there were rules. It can get to the point with the vast number of rules that you just throw up your hands and say “I quit”. If I’m not careful I can make things really complicated and confusing. I can get sidetracked on things that are not that important. I can totally lose my focus. It’s at times like that when I need to bring everything back to what God requires of me; to respect Him, follow Him, love Him, serve others and to be obedient to Him.
 
Prayer:
Dear Father, I that you help me to keep my focus on you. I want you to be at the center of everything I do. When I become distracted, I pray that your Holy Spirit would remind me that’s it is all about you. God never let me complicate your word or the Gospel, but let your simple message come through.

— David Hardin, community missions pastor