CRU Weekly Ministry Tip #16, Fall 2011
The Old Testament is always fascinating to me. I’ve been reading it through in my devotionals. You can see how God wanted to preserve and protect Israel.
As you read Deuteronomy 11:13-22 below, pay careful attention to this progression of ideas –
What God wants Israel to do: verses 13, 22
Why God wants Israel to do this: verse 16-17
How Israel is to do this: verse 18-20
Results for Israel by living in obedience to God: verses 14, 15, 21, 23
13 “It shall come about, if you listen obediently to my commandments which I am commanding you today, to love the LORD your God and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul, 14 that He will give the rain for your land in its season, the early and late rain, that you may gather in your grain and your new wine and your oil. 15 “He will give grass in your fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. 16 “Beware that your hearts are not deceived, and that you do not turn away and serve other gods and worship them. 17 “Or the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and He will shut up the heavens so that there will be no rain and the ground will not yield its fruit; and you will perish quickly from the good land which the LORD is giving you.
18 “You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. 19 “You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up. 20 “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21 so that your days and the days of your sons may be multiplied on the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens remain above the earth. 22 “For if you are careful to keep all these commandments which I am commanding you to do, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and hold fast to Him, 23 then the LORD will drive out all these nations from before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than you.
There are similar parallels between Israel in the Old Testament and us today as His children. Let’s strive over the Christmas break, when you’re home and tempted to fall back into old patterns, to set up guardrails to help you apply verses 13 and 22. Then you can experience all God wants for you. Keep your devotional a priority in your schedule each day at home. Be prepared to come back to school in January ready to make it a great Spring term both in ministry on campus and everything else in life.
For extra help and ideas on having devotionals, go to this document on CrupressGreen.
Ben Rivera/GodSquad and CruPressGreen Team