What Does God Require of Us?

Deuteronomy 10:12-13 And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, (13) To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?

It is always a good thing to know what is required, or expected of you. When your boss gives you a project at work, it is helpful to know what he desires the finished product to be. As children, you would go and clean your room to the level that you thought was "good enough," only to have your patents come into the room and point out places that were not "up to code."

The same is with us today as born again Christians. Our old nature tempts us to live a Christian life that is "good enough" by the world's standards. But God wants to make sure we live a life that is "up to HIS code."

How can we do that? I believe the answer can be found here in our text as Moses is giving instruction to the next generation of Israel that is getting ready to cross the Jordan. Moses instructs them on what God would require of them:

1. A Person to Fear - "...to fear the LORD thy God..."
2. A Path To Follow - "...to walk in all his ways..."
3. A Priority in Fellowship - "...to love him..."
4. A Plan to Fulfill - "...to serve the LORD thy God...to keep the commandments...and his statutes..."

What a great plan for all of us to follow today as we strive to live a victorious Christian life!

Beware of Blessings

[Hey everyone, it's another blog post from me, who woulda thunked it?!]

You may think the title is a little strange, but the thought came to me as I read this morning in Deuteronomy 6:12 - "Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, form the house of bondage."

Here, Moses is giving some final instructions to the next generation of Israelites who will be crossing over into the Promised Land. In the couple verse prior (vs. 10-11), Moses tells them that they are going to be inheriting a land that was great, good cities that they did not build, houses that were filled but they did not fill them, wells that had already been dug, and vineyards and olive trees which they did not plant. And when they do inherit this land, they themselves will be filled. There main charge was not to forget to love and follow the Lord, and to teach their children (vs. 4-9).

Many Christians today struggle most when the blessings come to their life. We often forget that the blessings are a result of the goodness of God, and not of anything that we have done. How many Christians fill their church pew when times are tough (sickness, death, financial loss, etc.), but can't be found when times are good (good health, good job, money in the bank, etc.)?

Let's all beware of the blessings, and make it a priority to never forget that it is the Lord who provides. Remember, He can just as easily take away as He gives.

Go visit this blog.

To all who follow this blog:

#1 - Sorry I don't post more. Will try to do better with it in the future.

#2 - If you get a chance, check out my good friend's blog and sign up to be a follower: www.evangelistgodsey.blogspot.com. Today was his first blog today, and it was a great help to me. Can't wait to read more from him in the future.

Watering the Seed

Leviticus 11:37-38 And if any part of their carcase fall upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it shall be clean. (38) But if any water be put upon the seed, and any part of their carcase fall thereon, it shall be unclean unto you.

As I was reading today, I found these two verses to be interesting. Here, God is going over with Moses what they can consider to be clean and unclean when a dead carcase touches it. What caught my eye, and my heart, today was that God considered the seed clean as long as it had not been watered. As I read it, I asked myself why this would be - and here is what the Lord gave me:

The seed was still within itself UNTIL the water touched it. Once the water touched the seed, the seed begins to open. As I thought about this, I was reminded of these verses we often quote when speaking about soul-winning and witnessing:

Psalms 126:5-6 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. (6) He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

Many Christians do what they can to "Sow the Seed" but they never see any fruit of conversions. Why is it? Well, one reason may be that the seed needs to be water with the tears of our broken heart before it can open up. May we not only sow the seed, but may we water it with our tears so that God may allow us to bring in some sheaves.

Book Review: Living With Confidence In A Chaotic World by Dr. David Jeremiah

"Confidence can be hard to come by these days. People are losing their jobs, their houses, and their life savings at an unprecedented rate. Violence, natural disasters, and moral depravity seem to be skyrocketing. In the midst of all this chaos, we need to know...what on earth should we do know?

Dr. David Jeremiah's new book, a follow up to his previous work, What in the World is Going On?, picks up where the previous one left off and delivers some insightful help to the reader for their daily living.

If you are a fan of Dr. Jeremiah's works, you will not be disappointed with his newest book. It has the same style and delivery that has help countless numbers of people before. I found his chapter on "Stay Compassionate" to be especially relevant for our times. When so many Christians are struggling, our natural reaction is to do less, when we really need to be doing more.

Living With Confidence In A Chaotic World is a helpful book for any Christian that is an enjoyable and easy read.


I received this book for free from Thomas Nelson book review bloggers program.

It's not me!

Genesis 30:2 "And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?"

Today, we read a conversation between a husband (Jacob) and a wife (Rachel). Rachel was having a difficult time with the fact that Leah was able to have children with Jacob and she was not. While I could spend ample amounts of time writing about the problems that polygamy brings, I want to focus for the moment on the relationship between Jacob and Rachel and how it mirrors the difficulties that many marriages go through today.

Rachel is upset that she is unable to bare any children and lashes out at Jacob in verse 1 and tells him, "Give me children, or else I die." While her statement seems a little dramatic, when you are in the midst of a difficult situation, it often seems as if your world may come to an end. What we read in our verse today was Jacob's response to his wife's personal struggle.

In essence, I believe Jacob lashes out at Rachel after she lashes out at him and tells her, "Hey, I am not the one having any problems, I have already fathered children. The problem is obviously with you!" Many times, when husbands and wives come to a difficult stretch in their marriage, it is always the other one's fault. Our initial response is usually, "It's not me!"

But there is an interesting portion of Scripture in the previous chapter that sheds a little more light on Rachel's condition. Genesis 29:30-31 "And he (Jacob) went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served him yet seven other years. And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren." The implication here is that the Lord allowed Leah to conceive, and not Rachel, because of the attitude of Jacob ("he loved also Rachel more than Leah...Leah was hated").

What does all of this mean for us today? Well, the next time there is a difficult situation or a disagreement in your marriage, don't be so quick to say, "It's not me." Instead of pointing to others, look in the mirror and begin to make the changes needed. Everyone must take personal responsibility for their relationship and make the necessary changes for it to succeed.

Book Review: Love & Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs

What are you looking for in your marriage? Peace? Closeness? Value? These are all things that God intended for us to experience in our marriages, and this book, Love & Respect, will help you and your spouse break what Dr. Eggerichs calls the “Crazy Cycle” and work your way towards the “Reward Cycle” of love and respect.

This book is based on Ephesians 5:33, “Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.” I must admit that while I have read this verse time and time again, I never put the aspects of what husbands and wives need from their spouse. Wives are looking for love from their husbands, and husbands need to feel respect from their wife. Dr. Eggerichs does a great job emphasizing this truth and how to implement it in your own marriage.

I highly recommend this book to not only those who need help or who are looking for ways to improve their relationship with their spouse, but to pastors and teachers who deal with married couples on a regular basis. This book would be simple enough to turn into a small group study and benefit the marriages in your church.

I received this book for free from Thomas Nelson book review bloggers program.