| Day 148: Read today's devotional on Bible Gateway. Change of Heart"And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul. And you must always obey the Lord's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good. "Look, the highest heavens and the earth and everything in it all belong to the Lord your God. Yet the Lord chose your ancestors as the objects of his love. And he chose you, their descendants, above all other nations, as is evident today. Therefore, change your hearts and stop being stubborn. "For the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed. He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing. So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt."
(Deuteronomy 10:12-19) ReflectOften we wonder, "What does God expect of me?" Here Moses summarizes the essentials: (1) Fear God (have reverence for him). (2) Walk in all his ways. (3) Love him. (4) Serve him with all your heart and soul. (5) Observe his commands. Jesus later summed it up in two commands: Love God, and love others. All the Old Testament laws are driven by these two motives. What God really wants is a relationship with us. How often we complicate our faith with human rules, regulations, and requirements. Are you frustrated and burned out from trying hard to please God? Concentrate on having a relationship with God and find peace. Respect, follow, love, serve, and obey. Love God and love people. You may not get everything right all the time, but God will fill up what you lack. Moses had a close relationship with God, yet he described God as God of gods and Lord of lords. Then Moses went a step further, calling God "mighty and awesome." He has such awesome power and justice that people need his mercy just to stand before him. Fortunately, his mercy toward his people is unlimited. When we begin to grasp the extent of God's mercy toward us, we see what true love is and how deeply God loves us. Although our sins deserve judgment, God has chosen to show love and mercy to all who seek him. RespondThank God for his love and mercy to you. And recommit to respect, follow, love, serve, and obey him. |
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