Tag Archives: Bible Study

Sinned By Accident

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Talking With Hands

Today’s Devotional: Deuteronomy 19

Have you ever hurt someone by accident? I have. I’m a very animated speaker and when I’m really into my story my hands are busy trying to bring added emphasis to each word that I’m trying to convey. This [habit] has gotten me into trouble from time to time. You could say that I’m dangerous to be around if you are a waitress carrying a tray of red wine glasses or a heavy tray of dishes. I can (figuratively speaking) poke out an eye if you are an innocent passerby and I remember having to apologize for inadvertently slapping someone with a quick lash from the back of my hand because of the passion in which I was speaking.

Deuteronomy 19 brings to our minds a scenario in verse 5, “For instance, a man may go into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and as he swings his ax to fell a tree, the head may fly off and hit his neighbor and kill him. That man may flee to one of these cities and save his life.” First, I’m impressed that God’s Word uses such a comprehensible example of accidental death and secondly, it’s something that could really happen. If it would… What do you you? If you kill someone, even if its an accident, isn’t that still murder?

God gives this example to let us know that accidents do happen, even ones that may result in sin. I don’t know about you, but I find relief in that. Surely my spilled red wine and minor backhanding doesn’t compare to accidentally killing someone, but what if, right? The bible helps us prepare for those moments of uncertainty and I’m thankful that God has ever possible scenario covered and will protect us.

Since we are prone to sin and God knows it, it is also a relief to know that ALL of our sins are forgiven. God’s grace is so unbelievable that even in the sins we commit by accident, He proves a way out. That way out is Jesus and how blessed we are to know our lives are saved.

Testing For Imposters

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Crystal Ball

Today’s Devotion: Deuteronomy 18

Palm readers, horoscopes and Tera cards don’t pass the test. The last verse in chapter 18 tells you how to know what is truly from God and what is false. Deuteronomy 18:21-22, “You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD ?” If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed.”

Now what about today? This test would disqualify everyone on the contemporary scene who claims to be a “prophet” by predicting the future. I have heard of instances where someone has hit the nail right on the head, but more often they’ve miss the nail altogether. We never hear of their misses; we only hear of their accurate guesses and I admit – some are freaky accurate.

One very common prediction are the people predicting the end of the world on a certain date, the rapture of the church on a certain date, calamities that will come to a particular section of the country on a specific date, and a myriad of other such theories. My husband and I were married on December 31, 1999, which was supposed to be the eve of the end of the world. As soon as the calendar turned to 01-01-00 it would be the end of the world as we know it; that makes me think of the song by REM. Needless to say, the world didn’t end and we just celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary.

If we applied God’s test to these self-acclaimed prophets, they would be out of business in short order. A true prophet must be accurate in every detail every time. But do you know that there are no warnings about false prophets for the church today? Why? Because there is no more prophecy to be revealed. Everything has been revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ and in His Word. Our warning today is not against false prophets; our warning is against false teachers. “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you …” (2 Pet. 2:1). The warning to us is to listen very carefully today, because there are many sweet, soothing voices that sound very pious, but are not teaching the Word of God. Oh, how important it is for us to beware of false teachers!

McGee, J. Vernon (1984-01-06). Thru the Bible Commentary, Volumes 1-5: Genesis through Revelation (Thru the Bible 5 Volume Set) (Kindle Locations 21921-21931). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.

The Key to Success

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Secret to Success

Today’s Devotional: Deuteronomy 17

A valuable chapter which deals with the regulations that would control a king. I do have a verse that jumped out at me and inspired this blog today. It’s verse 19, “It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees.”

It is written to instruct a king, but I see application for us. What if we made it personal and read it as, “God’s WORD is to be with YOU, and YOU are to read it all the days of YOUR life so that YOU may learn to revere the LORD your God and follow carefully all the words of His law and these decrees?”

God may have been giving advice to prepare a king for his role as a leader, but I also know that the bible is our source for preparation in our daily lives. When I imagine the roles and responsibilities of a king I think of all the decisions he has to make, the people who are depending on him to lead them and the great responsibility on his shoulders not only in his household, but in his kingdom.

How is that different from our lives? We have decisions to make, we have people who are depending on us to lead them and we have great responsibility on our shoulders in our households and our workplaces, neighborhoods and communities. Should we need God’s Word less than any king of any land?

I think verse 19 has a very important instruction for us and I’m blogging this to help us remain firm in whatever life is throwing at us right now. You’ll find what you need in His Word and He is all we need. That may sound cliche, but I’m not intending it to be. Read, pray, meditate on his word daily. God sums it up perfectly in Joshua 1:8, “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”

Come, With Joy

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Joy

Today’s Devotion: Deuteronomy 16

Today’s Theme is about Three main feasts: Passover, Pentecost, Tabernacles. Exodus 12 gave us the real details of the Passover. The Feast of Passover was instituted as a memorial to Israel’s deliverance from Egypt and their adoption as Jehovah’s nation. The Passover is a festival that laid the foundation of the nation, Israel’s birth into a new relationship with God.

In verses 9-11, it says that they were to number seven weeks after Passover, which would be forty-nine; then the next day would be the Sabbath, the fiftieth day. Because the Greek word for “fifty” is pentecoste, this Feast of Weeks is known as Pentecost. It is also called the Feast of Harvest or the Day of First Fruits. It celebrated the first or earliest fruits of the harvest.

Verses 16-17 expand on the tabernacles. These are the three feasts which were to be celebrated in Jerusalem, which all males were required to attend. Three times a year they were to travel to Jerusalem to keep these feasts. It was to be a time of rejoicing and they were to come before the Lord with joy.

How often do we come to the LORD with a laundry list of wants and we through it all on Him. I’m guilty of that. I have burdens for people and events. I try to be sincere when I ask God about the things on my prayer list, but do I always come to Him with joy? Unfortunately, no.

This is a great perspective for us to keep in mind as we enter into prayer with Him. He does say “cast your burdens on Him and He will care for you” (1 Peter 5:7) and I’m certain God can handle it, but what if someone saw you, walked up to you and just started hammering you with a list of “I wants?” You would be confused. No sincerity, no compassion, not even a half-hearted, “How are you doing?” If we had people like that in our lives, we may avoid that person in the future.

I know God doesn’t avoid us, but I do believe as we approach the God of the Universe, we could (and should) be respectful, communicative, appreciative and joy-filled. This is a perspective that is a good reminder to us, especially me, that God is not my dumping zone of worries and woes. He is God and we are so blessed to be able to go directly to Him, in fellowship, with our lives.

Everybody Has a Heart

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Homeless

Today’s Devotion: Deuteronomy 15

God has a solution for fighting poverty in verse 1, “At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts.” I had to read that twice. Imagine if you got a do-over every 7 years? If you’re in bad shape, that could be a real blessing.

I took my family on a tour at our local homeless shelter this past Monday. I thought that serving together as a family,  especially serving meals to people less fortunate, might be a great way for our family to bond, bring perspective on how blessed we truly are and teach my children how rewarding it is to help others.

The people who occupy this shelter for their temporary living space are the poorest of community. For many of the residents this is an opportunity to get a fresh start; a do over. The staff helps them identify goals, provides guidance on how to find a job, interview and dress appropriately; they also teach organizational skills, basics for daily living (like how to manage finances) and basic hygiene.

Shortly after our tour my youngest daughter said to me, “Mom, why were some of those people were looking at us weird?” I responded with the kindest words I could muster, “Well sweetheart, those people don’t have homes… perhaps they were looking at us because they were ashamed to be there or maybe they think we’re ‘the rich people,’ we really are compared to them. We have a home.”

I wasn’t honestly sure what to say, you know how kids ask the most amazing questions that we, as parents, sometimes don’t know the answers to ourselves. My answer was intended to show compassion and help her per-adolescent mind that she didn’t have to be self-conscious of her image or take anything personally.

In verse 7, “If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them.” This is a basic human courtesy to be kind to the poor among us; it is not our social status that defines us.

My mom used to say, “Sarah, everybody has a heart!” What she meant was I am not better than anybody. I should not judge anyone, look down on them, act like I’m better than anyone nor be mean like a bully. Whether they have a physical disability, are poor, shop at 2nd hand stores vs. the trendy stores at the mall, don’t wear matching clothes, have body Oder, etc… My mom taught me an incredible life lesson in those words – to love everyone and recognize that everyone has feelings – Don’t judge.

Perhaps Deuteronomy 15 was God’s way of saying to the Israelites, “Everyone has a heart.” Give them a new beginning, a do-over every 7 years. Which leads me to note that Jesus gave us a HUGE do-over for dying on the cross for our sins. We are all poor in spirit and lost without Christ. He sacrificed everything for us to have eternal life. He didn’t discriminate on the basis of wealth, acts, right vs. wrongs…. he did it for those of us whose hearts have repented and accept his sacrifice. The result – a new birth.

You Are A Treasure

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Treasure

Today’s Devotion: Deuteronomy 14

Please excuse me while I get a little mushy today. Out of all the verses about food (what to eat, what not to eat and then a brief topic on tithing) I found one little verse that appears to be completely unrelated, but it jumps off the page and directly touches my heart. It’s Deuteronomy 14:2, “For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the LORD has chosen you to be his treasured possession.”

To whom is Moses referring to? Who has the LORD chosen as His treasured possession? – Answer: Believers!

A treasured possession. When is the last time someone told you that you are treasured. Hearing that we are loved is one thing, but treasured?…. that’s love at an entirely different level. Over the century people have died for things they treasured. Huh, could that be why Jesus died for us?

When I think of a treasure I think of value. I think of something that is desirable, unique, special, significant, important –  nothing else comparable. God calls us [believers] his treasured possession in verse 2 and throughout the bible. How do we wrap our minds around that idea with out letting it go to our heads, literally?

Then you have the word, possession. That is a possessive word that means selfish, unwilling to share, not willing to part with or in the words of a toddler, “Mine!” Put those two words together, “treasured possession” and WOW!

We can’t wrap our minds around it. We have to rest in it, have confidence in it, accept it and live it. I think there are so many truths in the bible that we simply can’t comprehend, but God wants us to take Him at His Word and know that He is God. (Isaiah 46:9)

So if you’re feeling insignificant today or perhaps you are carrying a burden of some sort, these are Words for your soul. They are for mine and I am grateful and feeling very blessed by this verse. Funny how God has a way of telling you exactly what you need to hear. Each phrase in this verse speaks powerfully to my heart. Let’s read it again and allow His Words to bring perspective for us today… “For YOU are a people holy to the LORD your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the LORD has chosen YOU to be his treasured possession.“

Walk with your head held high today Girlfriends. God loves you, you are His treasured possession.

God’s Got Your Back

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Got Your Back

Today’s Devotion: Deuteronomy 10

I remember a song we used to sing in Sunday School class when I was a young girl. It went like this, “King of Kings and Lord of Lord’s, Glory! Halleluiah.”

Verse 17 reminded me of that song, “For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.”

Sometimes I read the bible and I’m looking for something that is tangible and applicable; where I can close the book and walk away with a verse or a thought that I can immediately apply to face life. Other times, like today, God seems to stop me in my tracks and provides me with one big, broad reminder and truth – He is God.

That’s what Deuteronomy 10 speaks to me; He is God of everything. Especially over those little gods like ice cream, i phones, money, jobs, hobbies, collections, children, husbands, etc… He is also the Lord over all the lords in our world like presidents, pastors, princes and kings, teachers or any other authority figure we may esteem to be our leaders. Verse 17 reminds me that He is a great God; mighty and awesome. That in itself is great, mighty and awesome.

Just for perspective today… meditate on that. “King of all kings and Lord of all lords.” When we take a pause and recognize just how magnificent He is we don’t need to worry, fear, be anxious, doubt, be depressed, care what others think, limit ourselves, cower, avoid, withdraw or retaliate.  God is the “Big Man”, He’s got your back.

Rehashing The Past

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Punching Bag

Today’s Devotional: Deuteronomy 9

Have you ever been in a fight with someone who keeps circling back to the past; bringing up issues that should have been long gone, forgiven, over it – past! When that has happened to me I feel as if they aren’t even participating in the current argument and they just can’t seem to let go. It’s like I’m some kind of punching bag… I have no defense.

What if God did this? Remember the time when you took that box of pens from the office, rounded up the mileage on your expense reimbursement, told your parents you were home by curfew, but they were out of town so what’s a little white lie? What about the gossip you initiated about a ‘friend’, the cheat sheet you hid in your sleeve to pass your high school exam or the plagiarism used to write that college paper? That door ding you pretended not to carve into the door of that parked car, that tantrum you displayed when your checkbook didn’t balance or that time you turned your nose up on that homeless beggar who wanted some pocket change for food?

What if God rehashed our past?

Does the thought scare you? It does me. Maybe you don’t remember the time you got in late for curfew and lied to your parents. God would remember that. Can you imagine getting to heaven and all of a sudden God starting pulling out His list of your wrongs? This alone makes me pray out to God, “LORD, I am not worthy!”

BUT YOU ARE WORTHY! We are worthy through Christ. Deuteronomy chapter 9 is Moses reminding the Israelities how bad they were, but verse 6 says, “Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people.”

It’s not because we are sinners God is giving us eternal life, it is because Christ is your LORD and savior and through His sacrifice of His blood, took our sins away – past, present and future. Thing is… it’s not just given automatically. We have to profess Him as LORD of our lives, believe in our hearts that Jesus did take our sins away, turn away from our selfish ways, and live for Him. I used to think it was a simple prayer…. Oh, it’s simple alright, but you have to mean it with your whole life.

If you can’t find the words, pray with me:

LORD Jesus, I need You. I want You to be my Savior and LORD. I accept Your death on the cross as the complete payment of my sins. Thank You for forgiving me and for giving me new life. Help me to grow in my understanding of Your Love and power so that my life will bring honor to You. Amen.

Know It!

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Questionmark

Today’s Devotion: Deuteronomy 7

Sometimes we read the bible as a story and that is easy to do; it can flow like a story. Today the word “know” jumped off the page. When someone makes a statement that includes the word, “know” it means certainty. If I say that I know where my shoes are, that means I have confidence where I put my shoes. If I say that I know I’m going to get up early tomorrow, that means that I am going to take the necessary measures to wake up early.

Verse 9 says, “Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.” This statement has authority! It means that God is God and that He is faithful and He keeps his covenants. It’s a promise and is written so that we may know this with absolute certainty.

Why doubt it? God’s Word is filled with such amazing truths about God’s character and so far the Old Testament has proven that what verse 9 says is accurate and we can be confident in it. I was taught as a new believer, that anytime scripture has the word “therefore” that we need to ask what it is there for?

Notice that immediately following “know” is the word “therefore.” It is there, for the conclusion that everything that has been said in the prior verses are tied to this truth and is concluded as truth.

And what do the preceding verses say? “For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. 7 The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8 But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. “

This is confidence that you can walk with your head held high, a little pep in your step and KNOW that God is God and you can know it!

Intimidating Expectations

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Checklist

Today’s Devotion: Deuteronomy 6

I love these following verses in Deuteronomy 6: (Warning: They are very intimidating!)

2 So that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life.

5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

On their own, each one of these verses could be a blog from my heart. Verse 2 reminds us that our actions, values, example and disciplines not only effect us, but the generations that follow after us. I wonder if my great, great, great, great, great grandparents would be proud to know that I’m walking with the LORD today? This technically goes all the way back to Abraham, the father of all nations, whom God promised to give him as many descendant as there are stars in the sky. I’m one of Abraham’s stars, are you? When you take that perspective, it’s pretty convicting to know the responsibility beset upon us for our kids and the generations that follow after us, isn’t it?

Then, to love the LORD with all of my heart, soul, and strength… WOWSA! That is an incomprehensible love to me, but is there anyone else worthy of such love? Love of the one who gave His son for my life, as a sacrifice for MY sins, that gives me assurance of eternal life that I don’t deserve? Should God expect any less from us? I say, “No!”

And He tells us to teach it to our children CONSTANTLY. That assumes we know His Word and know Him ourselves, therefore, have the ability to teach our children. What an awesome, overwhelming responsibility. All three of these verses are awesome, but overwhelming.

I’m going to put this into perspective, my finite mind’s perspective. This Christian walk is a journey. One day at a time, one decision at a time, one moment at a time. If I look at the big picture of Deuteronomy 6, I am plummeted with feelings of inadequacy and unworthiness. But if I recognize that these are, in many ways, are the fruits of what will result from my daily walk with the LORD, it makes me excited to turn the page and take in more of what God desires for me. It takes away the checklist mentality of checking things off like a to-do list that needs to be conquered. This chapter, and specifically these verses, implies that we have a daily commitment to learn, grow and live out His Word in our lives.

So let’s turn the page, let’s start a new day, full knowing that He is providing us with the best knowledge and wisdom we can get on this side of heaven and each day. He is giving us what we need to live successfully.