Love the Lord your God

Deuteronomy 6:1-12, NASB

Circa 1451 BC

It was a bitter-sweet time for Moses. The time to be gathered to his fathers was rapidly approaching. He would never set foot in the Land of Milk & Honey. The land that God promised. The land to which Moses had led the “chosen people” from their exit from slavery in Egypt.

For forty years, Moses would teach, preach, beseech, but not reach the promised land himself. Only from a mountain top would God permit Moses to see the land, so rich, so beautiful, just beyond the river. Read now his rallying words of encouragement and of warning to the Jews to obey God and prosper. Savor his message, meditate on it's power and beauty:

(Deu 6:1) "Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments which the LORD your God has commanded me to teach you, that you might do them in the land where you are going over to possess it,

(Deu 6:2) so that you and your son and your grandson might fear the LORD your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged.

(Deu 6:3) "O Israel, you should listen and be careful to do it, that it may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.

(Deu 6:4) "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!

(Deu 6:5) "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

(Deu 6:6) "These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.

(Deu 6:7) "You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.

(Deu 6:8) "You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.

(Deu 6:9) "You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

(Deu 6:10) "Then it shall come about when the LORD your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you, great and splendid cities which you did not build,

(Deu 6:11) and houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and you eat and are satisfied,

(Deu 6:12) then watch yourself, that you do not forget the LORD who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY?

Love the Lord your God

Deuteronomy 6:1-12, NASB

Circa 1451 BC

It was a bitter-sweet time for Moses. The time to be gathered to his fathers was rapidly approaching. He would never set foot in the Land of Milk & Honey. The land that God promised. The land to which Moses had led the “chosen people” from their exit from slavery in Egypt.

For forty years, Moses would teach, preach, beseech, but not reach the promised land himself. Only from a mountain top would God permit Moses to see the land, so rich, so beautiful, just beyond the river. Read now his rallying words of encouragement and of warning to the Jews to obey God and prosper. Savor his message, meditate on it's power and beauty:

(Deu 6:1) "Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments which the LORD your God has commanded me to teach you, that you might do them in the land where you are going over to possess it,

(Deu 6:2) so that you and your son and your grandson might fear the LORD your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged.

(Deu 6:3) "O Israel, you should listen and be careful to do it, that it may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.

(Deu 6:4) "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!

(Deu 6:5) "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

(Deu 6:6) "These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.

(Deu 6:7) "You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.

(Deu 6:8) "You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.

(Deu 6:9) "You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

(Deu 6:10) "Then it shall come about when the LORD your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you, great and splendid cities which you did not build,

(Deu 6:11) and houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and you eat and are satisfied,

(Deu 6:12) then watch yourself, that you do not forget the LORD who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY?

An Expert Searcher

Charles H. Spurgeon, Faith's Checkbook

(Eze 34:11) For thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out.

This He does at the first when His elect are like wandering sheep that know not the Shepherd or the fold. How wonderfully doth the LORD find out His chosen! Jesus is great as a seeking Shepherd as well as a saving Shepherd. Though many of those His Father gave Him have gone as near to hell-gate as they well can, yet the LORD by searching and seeking discovers them and draws nigh to them in grace. He has sought out us: let us have good hope for those who are laid upon our hearts in prayer, for He will find them out also.

The LORD repeats this process when any of His flock stray from the pastures of truth and holiness. They may fall into gross error, sad sin, and grievous hardness; but yet the LORD, who has become a surety for them to His Father, will not suffer one of them to go so far as to perish. He will by providence and grace pursue them into foreign lands, into abodes of poverty, into dens of obscurity, into depths of despair; He will not lose one of all that the Father has given Him. It is a point of honor with Jesus to seek and to save all the flock, without a single exception. What a promise to plead, if at this hour I am compelled to cry, "I have gone astray like a lost sheep!"

HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY??

An Expert Searcher

Charles H. Spurgeon, Faith's Checkbook

(Eze 34:11) For thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out.

This He does at the first when His elect are like wandering sheep that know not the Shepherd or the fold. How wonderfully doth the LORD find out His chosen! Jesus is great as a seeking Shepherd as well as a saving Shepherd. Though many of those His Father gave Him have gone as near to hell-gate as they well can, yet the LORD by searching and seeking discovers them and draws nigh to them in grace. He has sought out us: let us have good hope for those who are laid upon our hearts in prayer, for He will find them out also.

The LORD repeats this process when any of His flock stray from the pastures of truth and holiness. They may fall into gross error, sad sin, and grievous hardness; but yet the LORD, who has become a surety for them to His Father, will not suffer one of them to go so far as to perish. He will by providence and grace pursue them into foreign lands, into abodes of poverty, into dens of obscurity, into depths of despair; He will not lose one of all that the Father has given Him. It is a point of honor with Jesus to seek and to save all the flock, without a single exception. What a promise to plead, if at this hour I am compelled to cry, "I have gone astray like a lost sheep!"

HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY??

Conversation with Jesus

(Mat 7:7) "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Sometimes I get so frustrated trying to determine and discern where God wants me that it becomes a stumbling block and a distraction. I am often my worst enemy as I try to stay just a step ahead of my Lord. It does not work! It does not work because His will and our will are almost always opposites. We remain flesh and blood, constantly influenced by the world, and simply cannot truly decipher the spiritual unless aided by the express intervention of the Holy Spirit. I so look forward to that day when all believers will exchange the tent of our bodies for the immortal and our language will be in the spirit.

(Isa 25:8) He will swallow up death for all time, And the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces, And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken.

One morning, during early devotions, I sat at my desk and experienced a “Day Dream” A dream of having a direct conversation with Jesus. All though not face to face, I imagined His actual presence in the room and following is my recollection of that Day Dreamed dialog:

ME: Oh my Lord God, how very lost I sometimes feel. When your presence is known through your actions, I am at the top of the world. It is almost like being in heaven while here on earth. You know my heart, Lord, you knitted me together in my mother's womb, and from that first heartbeat, my first breath, the first steps of my feet, you, Oh God, have always been right there. Most of the time Lord, I am confident in my walk, but other times, like now, I question if I am truly doing what I am supposed to do. What is my purpose? What is my job? Jesus help me!

JESUS: Love. Love our Father, Love me with all of your heart, all of your mind, and all of your soul, and love your brothers and sisters and neighbors as you love yourself. That is your purpose. It is why you were created. To Love. Love me because I first loved you. [MT 22:36-40, 1 JN 4:19]

ME: I do so love you Lord. With everything in me, I do so Love you!

JESUS: I know you do. That is why I am here. Your job, like your purpose is likewise uncomplicated. You are to go and make disciples of all the nations, Baptizing in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them about all of my commands. When you do that, I will always be with you to the very end of days. That, my loving brother, is your job. [MT 28: 18-20]

ME: (tears in my eyes) You called me brother!

JESUS: I did.

ME: (now sobbing) Lord I should be calling you King, Savior, even GOD! And you just called me, ME, your brother. [MT 12:50]

JESUS: I Love You. Let it be as I have said for this moment. In your human tent, you cannot measure the length or the width, or the height or the depth of my love for you. You are not capable of grasping such love, but you are capable of following in the example I set for you while I was walking on the earth. You see, you have all the tools you need to follow me. They are gifts from on high. Your greatest power rests in your FAITH. Faith, belief in that which you cannot see, cannot taste, cannot smell, cannot touch. The faith of a child that all is possible and that nothing is impossible with the Father and with Me. When you feel lost, find your faith. The narrow path will return. Above all else, know that I Love you and I am always here and will never leave you.

[EPH 3:17-19, MK 10:15, MT 17:20]

ME: Oh Lord, My God how wonderful you truly are, how magnificent, wondrous and powerful. All of us, those who believe, how very blessed we are to walk in your steps, and to follow your lead and to share the Truth, the Gospel to all who will listen. Thank-you Lord Jesus, thank you for loving me, Amen.

This was a day dream. Its tale, its contents are based on facts in the book. His book. Our guide. The Bible!

Have you read your Bible today?

Conversation with Jesus

(Mat 7:7) "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Sometimes I get so frustrated trying to determine and discern where God wants me that it becomes a stumbling block and a distraction. I am often my worst enemy as I try to stay just a step ahead of my Lord. It does not work! It does not work because His will and our will are almost always opposites. We remain flesh and blood, constantly influenced by the world, and simply cannot truly decipher the spiritual unless aided by the express intervention of the Holy Spirit. I so look forward to that day when all believers will exchange the tent of our bodies for the immortal and our language will be in the spirit.

(Isa 25:8) He will swallow up death for all time, And the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces, And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken.

One morning, during early devotions, I sat at my desk and experienced a “Day Dream” A dream of having a direct conversation with Jesus. All though not face to face, I imagined His actual presence in the room and following is my recollection of that Day Dreamed dialog:

ME: Oh my Lord God, how very lost I sometimes feel. When your presence is known through your actions, I am at the top of the world. It is almost like being in heaven while here on earth. You know my heart, Lord, you knitted me together in my mother's womb, and from that first heartbeat, my first breath, the first steps of my feet, you, Oh God, have always been right there. Most of the time Lord, I am confident in my walk, but other times, like now, I question if I am truly doing what I am supposed to do. What is my purpose? What is my job? Jesus help me!

JESUS: Love. Love our Father, Love me with all of your heart, all of your mind, and all of your soul, and love your brothers and sisters and neighbors as you love yourself. That is your purpose. It is why you were created. To Love. Love me because I first loved you. [MT 22:36-40, 1 JN 4:19]

ME: I do so love you Lord. With everything in me, I do so Love you!

JESUS: I know you do. That is why I am here. Your job, like your purpose is likewise uncomplicated. You are to go and make disciples of all the nations, Baptizing in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them about all of my commands. When you do that, I will always be with you to the very end of days. That, my loving brother, is your job. [MT 28: 18-20]

ME: (tears in my eyes) You called me brother!

JESUS: I did.

ME: (now sobbing) Lord I should be calling you King, Savior, even GOD! And you just called me, ME, your brother. [MT 12:50]

JESUS: I Love You. Let it be as I have said for this moment. In your human tent, you cannot measure the length or the width, or the height or the depth of my love for you. You are not capable of grasping such love, but you are capable of following in the example I set for you while I was walking on the earth. You see, you have all the tools you need to follow me. They are gifts from on high. Your greatest power rests in your FAITH. Faith, belief in that which you cannot see, cannot taste, cannot smell, cannot touch. The faith of a child that all is possible and that nothing is impossible with the Father and with Me. When you feel lost, find your faith. The narrow path will return. Above all else, know that I Love you and I am always here and will never leave you.

[EPH 3:17-19, MK 10:15, MT 17:20]

ME: Oh Lord, My God how wonderful you truly are, how magnificent, wondrous and powerful. All of us, those who believe, how very blessed we are to walk in your steps, and to follow your lead and to share the Truth, the Gospel to all who will listen. Thank-you Lord Jesus, thank you for loving me, Amen.

This was a day dream. Its tale, its contents are based on facts in the book. His book. Our guide. The Bible!

Have you read your Bible today?

LISTENING

(Luk 9:35) Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!"

Listen to Me, listen to My Son, listen to them, listen to My Word, Listen to Him, They don't listen, they did not listen, if you would only listen.......

Many of us are pretty good at sending, but woefully poor in the art of receiving. So often God's will is delayed or interfered with because we refuse to listen. We love to hear ourselves talk. We think we have all the answers. It is actually rare for us to have any of the answers absent the Holy Spirit. When your mouth is running, its very difficult to hear the inner voice of God, and we miss His message.

(Joh 10:27) "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;

This old boy has had many years of experience in the “Flapping of Lips” department. The result has been missed opportunities, loss of valued lessons, ignored warnings, and failing God more times than I could ever count. [ He is so very patient with us....]

Have you ever been driving the car, jacking your jaw, and you miss the turn off? When your mouth is operating it pulls vital nutrients from the common sense part of your brain. This results in stupid behavior, irrational actions, and failure to notice the RED LIGHT at the intersection you are about to speed through. The mouth is so over rated.

When we practice the gentle art of LISTENING, (and it truly is an art), and discipline ourselves to LISTEN, and not talk, amazing things happen! Knowledge happens! Learning happens! Valued information and usable data is revealed producing an OH-MY-GOSH moment. This is only possible when the MOUTH unit is closed and the EAR unit is open.

When a friend comes to you with a problem, their hope is that you will listen. That you will hear and understand. That is what friends are for. If, instead, you are in TRANSMIT mode, you will most likely not hear the message your friend is hoping you will RECEIVE. If you miss the MESSAGE, you miss an opportunity. We rarely have a second bite at that apple. Many warnings are missed while the mouth bloviates.

God's message throughout the Bible is to LISTEN. We listen to learn, we learn to OBEY, we obey to serve, and we serve to minister in His LOVE. None of this happens if we fail to LISTEN. Its in the Book!

HAVE YOU LISTENED TO YOUR BIBLE TODAY?

LISTENING

(Luk 9:35) Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!"

Listen to Me, listen to My Son, listen to them, listen to My Word, Listen to Him, They don't listen, they did not listen, if you would only listen.......

Many of us are pretty good at sending, but woefully poor in the art of receiving. So often God's will is delayed or interfered with because we refuse to listen. We love to hear ourselves talk. We think we have all the answers. It is actually rare for us to have any of the answers absent the Holy Spirit. When your mouth is running, its very difficult to hear the inner voice of God, and we miss His message.

(Joh 10:27) "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;

This old boy has had many years of experience in the “Flapping of Lips” department. The result has been missed opportunities, loss of valued lessons, ignored warnings, and failing God more times than I could ever count. [ He is so very patient with us....]

Have you ever been driving the car, jacking your jaw, and you miss the turn off? When your mouth is operating it pulls vital nutrients from the common sense part of your brain. This results in stupid behavior, irrational actions, and failure to notice the RED LIGHT at the intersection you are about to speed through. The mouth is so over rated.

When we practice the gentle art of LISTENING, (and it truly is an art), and discipline ourselves to LISTEN, and not talk, amazing things happen! Knowledge happens! Learning happens! Valued information and usable data is revealed producing an OH-MY-GOSH moment. This is only possible when the MOUTH unit is closed and the EAR unit is open.

When a friend comes to you with a problem, their hope is that you will listen. That you will hear and understand. That is what friends are for. If, instead, you are in TRANSMIT mode, you will most likely not hear the message your friend is hoping you will RECEIVE. If you miss the MESSAGE, you miss an opportunity. We rarely have a second bite at that apple. Many warnings are missed while the mouth bloviates.

God's message throughout the Bible is to LISTEN. We listen to learn, we learn to OBEY, we obey to serve, and we serve to minister in His LOVE. None of this happens if we fail to LISTEN. Its in the Book!

HAVE YOU LISTENED TO YOUR BIBLE TODAY?