A GIVING HEART

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“At the end of every seven years, you must cancel debts. This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel the loan he has made to his fellow Israelite. He shall not require payment from his fellow Israelite or brother, because the Lord's time for canceling debts has been proclaimed. You may require payment from a foreigner, but you must cancel any debt your brother owes you. However, there should be no poor among you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, He will richly bless you, if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today. For the Lord your God will bless you as He has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you.”

“If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs. Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: ‘The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,’ so that you do not show ill will toward your needy brother and give him nothing. He may then appeal to the Lord against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.”

Deuteronomy 15:1-11

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Consider the following facts below:

- According to the US Census Bureau, approximately 35.9 million people live below the poverty line in America, including 10.4 million children.

- According to the Food Research and Action Center and the USDA Economic Research Service, 47.9 million people (or one in every seven households) deal with food insecurity issues and this includes 14 million children. Some people in these households frequently skip meals or eat too little, sometimes going without food for a whole day.

These statistics aren’t coming from an underprivileged country where wealth and resources are an issue. They exist in the United States of America, one of the world’s richest nations that has been blessed with so much.

And yet, the numbers don’t lie.

It should lead us to self examine ourselves as to how well we are taking care of one another.

Well, in our scripture passage for today from the opening verses of Deuteronomy, chapter 15, we see where the responsibility to care for the poor is on center stage. Moses makes this clear when he says this to the Israelites:

“…there should be no poor among you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, He will richly bless you…”

In other words, God was going to give His people an abundance overall and in turn, they were to make sure that everyone was taken care of properly. Additionally, note that Israel would be so well off that they would be able to “lend to many nations but…borrow from none”.

As we fast forward to present times and look at America, God has given the nation a great abundance as well, so much so that there’s really no excuse for anyone to be in need. And yet, how many people are homeless and/or hungry in our country, unable to afford a place to call home or have enough to eat?  We should ask ourselves how this could happen in a place where so many people have been blessed with a rich plenty and enjoy it with a blind eye to those who are without.

Recently, I read where an athlete had a swimming pool built on his property that cost over a million dollars and it led me to wonder how many people could be helped if a more modest pool had been installed with the remainder of the money being given charitably.

Friends, it’s high time we begin to understand that the Lord expects us to be good stewards of what He blesses us with and part of that good stewardship is to show ourselves as a giving people. As we read in this scripture passage, “there will always be poor people in the land” and so this is why God commands us to “be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy.”

When it comes right down to it, we aren’t to possess our money, time, and talent like we somehow had anything to do with gaining it. No, the Lord grants it all. He is the source of every good and perfect gift we get (James 1:17) and we are to give Him a return on the investment, giving “generously to (another) and (to) do so without a grudging heart” because God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7), one who willingly and willfully gives from the heart with joy.

So what are we to do with these verses?

My prayer is that we take them to heart each and every day, seeking opportunities to help anyone who is less fortunate than ourselves. My hope is that we stop turning the other way from the poor but rather engage them with the desire to help just as Jesus did in His life.

When we do this, we need to remember that the Lord will show us the way to best meet the needs of the person we are assisting. We only need to seek His guidance and then respond in obedience to what He calls us to do, especially if it comes down to giving away something we have.

In the end translation, wouldn’t our world be a better place if we all just shared what we had to ensure everyone was able to have the basics needed to live. Wouldn’t it be such a blessing to know that no one was without a place to stay, or hungry, or dying from a health problem that was treatable if the afflicted person only could afford the care they  needed?

In yesterday’s devotional, Jesus called us to show we have a giving heart, caring for those who are experiencing hardship and so I’ll close again with His words from the 25th chapter of Matthew:

"I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me." v.40

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

BETTER TO GIVE THAN RECEIVE

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the Lord your God at the place He will choose as a dwelling for His Name, so that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always. But if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by the Lord your God and cannot carry your tithe (because the place where the Lord will choose to put his Name is so far away), then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the Lord your God will choose. Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice. And do not neglect the Levites living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own.”

“At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year's produce and store it in your towns, so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless, and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.”

Deuteronomy 14:22-29

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As we continue our study of Deuteronomy 14, we need to know that this passage, coupled with the directives found in Numbers, chapter 18, provided guidance for the people of Israel on tithing.

We need to know that the word “tithe” is actually a Middle English word derived from the old English word “tegotha” which means tenth. In regard to the church, this lends to the following giving standard:

A tenth part of something paid as a voluntary contribution or as a tax especially for the support of a religious establishment.

This standard definitely applies to what we see in our verses today. Let’s look again at them here:

“Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the Lord your God at the place He will choose as a dwelling for His Name, so that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always. But if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by the Lord your God and cannot carry your tithe (because the place where the Lord will choose to put his Name is so far away), then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the Lord your God will choose. Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice. And do not neglect the Levites living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own.”

“At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year's produce and store it in your towns, so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless, and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.” Deuteronomy 14:22-29

Here, we find Moses telling the Israelites to “set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year”. This tenth was to go to the Levites who you’ll remember were not permitted to produce their own sustenance. The scriptures tell us that they had “no allotment or inheritance of their own”. And so God gave the people of Israel responsibility for tithing and taking care of those He had appointed to be the spiritual leaders and tabernacle sanctuary maintainers.

We also read where a portion of the tenth given to the Levites was to be eaten “in the presence of the Lord…at the place He (would) choose as a dwelling for His Name” for by doing this Israel would “learn to revere the Lord…always”. Through this, we see where God expected His people to come together and share a communal meal of thanksgiving and praise to the One who provided their bounty, the bounty from which they would be eating from.

After this, we find our scriptures addressing a potential problem. For what would happen if the place where God wanted Israel to go and present their tithe was too far for someone to haul their tithe to? How would this get resolved so the person could still go to the appointed place and provide what was expected?

Well, in regard to the solution, we’re reminded that our God always has a “Plan B”. For in the instance mentioned, anyone who couldn’t transport their tithe a long distance would simply exchange their tithe for silver and then bring that silver to the place God had set aside for the tithe collection. Once there, the silver would be used to purchase whatever the person liked which might include “cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything” else. Then, once the purchase was made, the person who had traveled a long distance and their household could eat with the others “in the presence of the Lord…and rejoice”.

God had a workaround for His people and He does the same for us today when the occasion calls for it.

Now, we also need to note that every three years, the people of Israel were to “bring all the tithes of that year's produce and store it in (their) towns, so that the Levites…and the aliens, the fatherless, and the widows” could “come and eat and be satisfied”. Through this, the people of Israel would find themselves blessed “in all the work of (their) hands” by the Lord. In other words, the hard work and effort that went into the harvest would bring great satisfaction to the harvesters by way of the blessing it provided to those in need.

Simply put, the Israelites would learn that it’s far better to give than receive.

This principle of intentional actions to care for the less fortunate was expounded on by Jesus when He said this in the twenty-fifth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel:

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.”

“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited Me in, I needed clothes and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you came to visit Me.’”

“Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and invite You in, or needing clothes and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prison and go to visit You?’”

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’”

“Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite Me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after Me.'”

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help You?’”

“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.’”

“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." Vv. 31-46

Here we find Jesus leaving no doubt that He expects His created people to care for those who are experiencing difficulties and/or hardships in life. Everyone is to look after those who are struggling or suffering or hungry or thirsty or in need of clothing or incarcerated, or in trouble, giving what it is needed to provide help within their circumstances. It’s not optional and as we see in the Matthew passage, there are eternal consequences for those who are not in Christ and therefore reject doing the good He expects unto others.

For those who are in Him and commit themselves to live as He did, they can fully relate to the joy and satisfaction that comes through selfless sacrifice to care for someone who is down and out. Indeed, there is a blessing of internal contentment that comes from being a blessing to another person.

But we need to see that there is another reason to be joy-filled through caring for anyone who could be counted as the “least of these”. For as we help them, we see through the very words of our Savior that it is as if we are doing it to Him. And in doing that, we revel in knowing that we’ve gained an inheritance through belief in Him, the  “kingdom prepared since the creation of the world”…the place where we will dwell with God the Father and Christ His Son forever.

No one can gain this is they are self centered and selfish, unwilling to surrender their lives to the only One who can save them, Jesus. These are the goats that Jesus talks about, the ones who are destined for Hell because they never took the time to help anyone who was disadvantaged.

Conversely, Christ followers, the sheep under the leading of the Good Shepherd (John 10:1-18), willingly and gladly seek to make a difference in the lives of others, especially those who are in the greatest need. And in emulating the heart and Spirit of their Lord, they learn that it is far better, both now and forever, to give rather than receive.

Thanks be to Jesus for the opportunity to do just that, each and every day.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“You are the children of the Lord your God. Do not cut yourselves or shave the front of your heads for the dead, 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.”

“Do not eat any detestable thing. These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep. You may eat any animal that has a split hoof divided in two and that chews the cud. However, of those that chew the cud or that have a split hoof completely divided you may not eat the camel, the rabbit, or the coney. Although they chew the cud, they do not have a split hoof; they are ceremonially unclean for you. The pig is also unclean; although it has a split hoof, it does not chew the cud. You are not to eat their meat or touch their carcasses.”

“Of all the creatures living in the water, you may eat any that has fins and scales. But anything that does not have fins and scales you may not eat; for you it is unclean.”

“You may eat any clean bird. But these you may not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, the red kite, the black kite, any kind of falcon, any kind of raven, the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, the little owl, the great owl, the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, the cormorant, the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat.”

“All flying insects that swarm are unclean to you; do not eat them. But any winged creature that is clean you may eat.”

“Do not eat anything you find already dead. You may give it to an alien living in any of your towns, and he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner. But you are a people holy to the Lord your God.”

“Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk.”

Deuteronomy 14:1-21

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As we move to Deuteronomy chapter 14, we find Moses reviewing guidelines for what foods God permitted the people of Israel to eat and as we see, food was divided into one of two categories: clean or unclean.

Obviously, anything in the clean category was allowable but any food labeled unclean was not to be eaten.  

As we look at this passage, there are two important things to remember:

First, these directives had already been given in much more detail back chapter 11 of the Book of Leviticus. Given this, Moses’ instructions weren’t new to the Israelites but rather just reminders.  

Secondly, this matter of clean and unclean foods was revised by Jesus during His ministry. Here’s what He had to say in the Gospel of Matthew in chapter 15, verses 17 through 20:

"Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man 'unclean'; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him 'unclean.'"

Here we find Jesus setting things straight, making it clear that it wasn’t actual food that made a person unclean but rather the condition and state of one’s heart.

OK…so I’m sure you are wondering this:

Why in the world were these restrictions placed on food if Jesus was just going to write them off in the not too distant future?

I believe the answer to this question comes in the prior chapter for you may recall these words from Deuteronomy, chapter 13:

“The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love Him with all your heart and with all your soul. It is the Lord your God you must follow, and Him you must revere. Keep His commands and obey Him; serve Him and hold fast to Him.”

You’ll remember from yesterday’s message that “the test” spoken of in chapter 13 regarded God watching to see if the Israelites would give in to the temptations of those who would try and convince them to worship false gods. Now here, in chapter 14, we can see where “the test” expands to include whether or not God’s people would be obedient in avoiding the foods they were told not to consume.  

We should note here that the Lord wasn’t trying to starve His people to death. He had always provided food to sustain them and even after abstaining from the forbidden foods in the Law, there was plenty of food that was “clean” to enjoy.

The bottom line was that God didn’t tell the people of Israel not to eat at all. Rather, He just dictated what they could and couldn’t eat, expecting them to comply with His demands in complete obedience.

If the Israelites consumed food in accordance with God’s commands, then they would pass the test and become righteous and holy. Conversely, if they ate the things that God told them not to eat, then they would fail His assessment and be seen as wicked and evil within their sinful disobedience.

So what’s the life application point for us?

Today, the world sets forth many things that are available to us, some holy, acceptable, and even pleasing to God while other things are detestable and unacceptable in God’s sight.

Indeed, everything we see, everything we hear, everything we do, everything we think, everything we breathe, or everything we eat or drink, revolve around a myriad of choices. We can choose to ingest or engage in things that God will and Word or decide to go against His desires, choosing our own which is akin to picking the world and Satan over the Lord.

Like Israel, will become what we eat or drink…or breathe in, hear, or watch. We can allow ourselves to become holy or evil…righteous or wicked…the choice is up to us but as we make our considerations, we need to remember that we are continuously being put to the test and, in the end, it really does become our heart that determines whether we are clean or unclean, just as Jesus said.

So with all this, we should do some self reflection and consider where we stand before God. We need to be brutally honest with ourselves when it comes to grading how well we are living in obedience to what our Lord had demanded.

If He was to look into our hearts this very moment, would He see cleanliness or uncleanliness?

No one can answer that question except you and God, the One who is ready to help you become clean and then continue leading you in the right direction while producing the fruits of righteousness and holiness within. All you need to do is surrender yourself to Him, allowing Him and Him alone to be your guide. He will always make sure you consume the proper things in life, now and forevermore.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

PUT TO THE TEST

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder, and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, ‘Let us follow other gods’ (gods you have not known) and ‘let us worship them,’ you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love Him with all your heart and with all your soul. It is the Lord your God you must follow, and Him you must revere. Keep His commands and obey Him; serve Him and hold fast to Him. That prophet or dreamer must be put to death, because he preached rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery; he has tried to turn you from the way the Lord your God commanded you to follow. You must purge the evil from among you.”

“If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, ‘Let us go and worship other gods’ (gods that neither you nor your fathers have known, gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other), do not yield to him or listen to him. Show him no pity. Do not spare him or shield him. You must certainly put him to death. Your hand must be the first in putting him to death, and then the hands of all the people. Stone him to death, because he tried to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and no one among you will do such an evil thing again.”

“If you hear it said about one of the towns the Lord your God is giving you to live in that wicked men have arisen among you and have led the people of their town astray, saying, ‘Let us go and worship other gods’ (gods you have not known), then you must inquire, probe, and investigate it thoroughly. And if it is true and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done among you, you must certainly put to the sword all who live in that town. Destroy it completely, both its people and its livestock. Gather all the plunder of the town into the middle of the public square and completely burn the town and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God. It is to remain a ruin forever, never to be rebuilt. None of those condemned things shall be found in your hands, so that the Lord will turn from His fierce anger; He will show you mercy, have compassion on you, and increase your numbers, as He promised on oath to your forefathers, because you obey the Lord your God, keeping all His commands that I am giving you today and doing what is right in His eyes.”

Deuteronomy 13

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In the Bible, and especially in the Old Testament, we find the Lord giving a great deal of attention to the matter of worshipping gods other than Him, the one true God, the Maker and Master of all things. This was because other cultures outside of Israel practiced polytheism, the worship of many gods, and several of those nations were living in Canaan, the land that God was giving to His people to inherit.

In Deuteronomy, chapter 13, we find Moses warning the Israelites about those who might try and persuade them to engage in pagan, polytheistic worship practices. The scriptures tell us that he was specifically cautioning against prophets, family members, and even complete communities that might try and lead them astray toward worshipping “other gods”. Note that in every one of these instances, the people of Israel were not only supposed to reject the propositions but they were to kill anyone who tried to entice them. The bottom line is that there was no room for sin and evil in God’s kingdom and anyone trying to tempt Israel were working under the auspice of Satan, not the Lord and His Spirit.

This truth leads me to the focal point of this message for the key verse in this passage comes at the very beginning as Moses says this:

“The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love Him with all your heart and with all your soul. It is the Lord your God you must follow, and Him you must revere. Keep His commands and obey Him; serve Him and hold fast to Him.”

We should see here that any false prophet coming to try and sway Israel would do so under the watchful eye of God as He observed to see how His people would respond. In other words, the false prophet (or anyone else for that matter who tried to get the Israelites to worship false gods) would be a test for Israel to see if they would fail to be obedient to His commands.

Now, one might try and paint this picture as God initiating temptation but that would go counter to His Word for we read where He doesn’t tempt (James 1:13). Only Satan does the tempting but God evaluates our response to that testing to see how believers respond. There can only be one of two outcomes.

First, if we love our Lord with all our heart and soul, then we will stand firm in obedience to Him when Satan attempts to tempt us. We only come to this place of committed, loyal devotion when we love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength as He demands (Mark 12:30), dedicating ourselves to follow, respect, and revere Him - every second of every minute of every hour of every day. For when we are committed to God at that level, then we will find it easy to keep His commands, obey Him, serve Him, and hold fast to Him.

You’ve probably figured out that the second outcome is the polar opposite of the first. This is where a believer gives into the temptation, chasing after their own will and desire while rejecting God. This is equivalent to failing the test the Lord has set before them and that failure will never bring any blessing, only consequences.

With all this in place, how are you doing in regard to this matter in your life? How are you passing the tests that comes before you, the enticements that Satan uses to try and break your relationship with God?

Are you firmly rooted in Him with all your heart and soul and mind and strength? Or is your relationship with Him more situational, giving Him your attention when you want to while always leaving the door open to do what you want to do, chasing after your sinful desires?

Friends, the scriptures make it clear that this life is a test and God is grading us day-by-day.

When you look at your life, are you passing or failing?

Only you and the Lord know the answer to that question.

Amen. 

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

GOD'S APPOINTED PLACE OF WORSHIP

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“These are the decrees and laws you must be careful to follow in the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess - as long as you live in the land. Destroy completely all the places on the high mountains and on the hills and under every spreading tree where the nations you are dispossessing worship their gods. Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, and burn their Asherah poles in the fire; cut down the idols of their gods and wipe out their names from those places.”

“You must not worship the Lord your God in their way. But you are to seek the place the Lord your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there for His dwelling. To that place you must go; there bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, what you have vowed to give and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. There, in the presence of the Lord your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, because the Lord your God has blessed you.”

“You are not to do as we do here today, everyone as he sees fit, since you have not yet reached the resting place and the inheritance the Lord your God is giving you. But you will cross the Jordan and settle in the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and He will give you rest from all your enemies around you so that you will live in safety. Then to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for His Name - there you are to bring everything I command you: your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, and all the choice possessions you have vowed to the Lord. And there rejoice before the Lord your God, you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levites from your towns, who have no allotment or inheritance of their own. Be careful not to sacrifice your burnt offerings anywhere you please. Offer them only at the place the Lord will choose in one of your tribes, and there observe everything I command you.”

“Nevertheless, you may slaughter your animals in any of your towns and eat as much of the meat as you want, as if it were gazelle or deer, according to the blessing the Lord your God gives you. Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat it. But you must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water. You must not eat in your own towns the tithe of your grain and new wine and oil, or the firstborn of your herds and flocks, or whatever you have vowed to give, or your freewill offerings or special gifts. Instead, you are to eat them in the presence of the Lord your God at the place the Lord your God will choose - you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levites from your towns - and you are to rejoice before the Lord your God in everything you put your hand to. Be careful not to neglect the Levites as long as you live in your land.”

“When the Lord your God has enlarged your territory as He promised you, and you crave meat and say, "I would like some meat," then you may eat as much of it as you want. If the place where the Lord your God chooses to put his Name is too far away from you, you may slaughter animals from the herds and flocks the Lord has given you, as I have commanded you, and in your own towns you may eat as much of them as you want. Eat them as you would gazelle or deer. Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat. But be sure you do not eat the blood, because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat. You must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water. Do not eat it, so that it may go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord.”

"But take your consecrated things and whatever you have vowed to give, and go to the place the Lord will choose. Present your burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord your God, both the meat and the blood. The blood of your sacrifices must be poured beside the altar of the Lord your God, but you may eat the meat. Be careful to obey all these regulations I am giving you, so that it may always go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the Lord your God.”

“The Lord your God will cut off before you the nations you are about to invade and dispossess. But when you have driven them out and settled in their land, and after they have been destroyed before you, be careful not to be ensnared by inquiring about their gods, saying, "How do these nations serve their gods? We will do the same." You must not worship the Lord your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the Lord hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.”

“See that you do all I command you; do not add to it or take away from it.”

Deuteronomy 12

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

The central theme of today’s message is worship and I’ll begin with three questions. Read them and see where you might fit in, then I’ll come back them after looking at our scripture passage for today.  

1. Are you not seeking or attending a church right now?

2. Are you currently seeking a church home, worshipping in different churches until you find the right one?

3. Are you currently attending one church regularly?

In Deuteronomy, chapter 12, we find Moses addressing the matter of proper and improper worship with the Israelites right before they would cross over the Jordan River and enter into Canaan, the land that God had promised to give them.

We read where Israel was commanded to completely destroy “all the places on the high mountains and on the hills and under every spreading tree where the nations you are dispossessing worship their gods”. They were to “break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, and burn their Asherah poles in the fire” as well as “cut down the idols of their gods and wipe out their names from those places.”

In other words, the Israelites weren’t allowed to leave anyplace untouched where other gods were worshipped. The one true God, their God, their Creator God who was them Canaan was the only God who was to be all honor, glory, and praise.

Indeed, Israel was told to “worship the Lord” by seeking “the place” He would “choose from among all” the tribes. In that place, the people of Israel were required to “put His Name there for His dwelling” and bring their “burnt offerings and sacrifices”, their “tithes and special gifts” and what they had “vowed to give” along with their “freewill offerings, and the firstborn” of their “herds and flocks”. With all this in place and “in the presence of the Lord”, the Israelites were to “eat” and “rejoice in everything” they had put their hand to “because the Lord” had blessed them.

Putting it another way, God would show Israel where their appointed place of worship was to be and once there, they were to rejoice and bring their tithes, offerings, and gifts to Him, celebrating the way He had blessed them.

Today, God still has appointed places of worship for every one of His children and with that in mind, let’s go back to the earlier three questions:

1. Are you not seeking or attending a church right now?

Which leads to a secondary question, “What are you waiting for?”

There is no question that God has an appointed place of worship for you. It’s up to you to find it and as you seek, pray over this and allow Him to guide you through His Holy Spirit. I can tell you fom experience that He will always lead you where He wants you to be.

And even if you end up having to work on Sundays when church services are usually happening, some churches have evening services on Sunday and sometimes even Wednesdays. Further, technology advances have allowed churches to not only live stream services but also archive them so they can be watched on demand.

There really isn’t an excuse not to be involved in a church and engaged in worship. If you’re not, today would be a great time to change that and get started finding a church home.

2. Are you currently seeking a church home, worshipping in different churches until you find the right one?

If you are in this category, I just have two words: keep looking. Going back to question 1, God has a place of worship in mind just for you. Don’t give up your search or give up hope. Maintain patience while He leads to where He wants you to be.

3. Are you currently attending one church regularly?

If you answered “yes” to this question, great!

You are already experiencing the joy of being in the place of worship that God had in mind for you.

With that, I would be remiss in asking one other important question:

Are you so deeply rooted in your church that you would be unable to pull up those roots if God called you to?”

I ask this because God just might have you do that. There’s nothing to say that He won’t want to send you to a different appointed place or even places of worship during the course of your life. I know it has been that way with me so I can fully relate to what some pastors go through. And while it happens, there’s no assurance that they will lead only one congregation through the entire course of their ministry career. More likely, they will go where the Lord calls them to go and this means moving to another appointed place of worship.

As believers, we should be ready for this possibility as well.

So there you have it. Three different potential worship scenarios but one constant in the Lord God Almighty, the One who knows the church home where you should be, the appointed place of worship He has set just for you. I urge you to seek and find it, then carry out His will by serving as He desires within that body of Christ, fully using the gifts He has given.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

NO MIDDLE GROUND

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“Love the Lord your God and keep His requirements, His decrees, His laws, and His commands always. Remember today that your children were not the ones who saw and experienced the discipline of the Lord your God: His majesty, His mighty hand, His outstretched arm; the signs He performed and the things He did in the heart of Egypt, both to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and to his whole country; what He did to the Egyptian army, to its horses and chariots, how He overwhelmed them with the waters of the Red Sea as they were pursuing you, and how the Lord brought lasting ruin on them. It was not your children who saw what He did for you in the desert until you arrived at this place, and what He did to Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, the Reubenite, when the earth opened its mouth right in the middle of all Israel and swallowed them up with their households, their tents, and every living thing that belonged to them. But it was your own eyes that saw all these great things the Lord has done.”

“Observe therefore all the commands I am giving you today, so that you may have the strength to go in and take over the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, and so that you may live long in the land that the Lord swore to your forefathers to give to them and their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey. The land you are entering to take over is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you planted your seed, and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden. But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from Heaven. It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.”

“So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today - to love the Lord your God and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul - then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine, and oil. I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied.”

“Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them. Then the Lord's anger will burn against you, and He will shut the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce, and you will soon perish from the good land the Lord is giving you. Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the Lord swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.”

“If you carefully observe all these commands I am giving you to follow - to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to hold fast to him - then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and stronger than you. Every place where you set your foot will be yours: Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River to the western sea. No man will be able to stand against you. The Lord your God, as He promised you, will put the terror and fear of you on the whole land, wherever you go.”

“See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse - the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known. When the Lord your God has brought you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim on Mount Gerizim the blessings, and on Mount Ebal, the curses. As you know, these mountains are across the Jordan, west of the road, toward the setting sun, near the great trees of Moreh, in the territory of those Canaanites living in the Arabah in the vicinity of Gilgal. You are about to cross the Jordan to enter and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you. When you have taken it over and are living there, be sure that you obey all the decrees and laws I am setting before you today.”

Deuteronomy 11

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

I believe there are three categories of people today:

1. Those who believe in the Lord and conscientiously strive daily to obey His commands, Word, and will.

2. Those who refuse to believe in the Lord and have no interest in following His commands, Word, and will.

3. Those who live in between, those who say they believe in the Lord but want to choose when they live in obedience and when they don’t.

When we look at the Old Testament and the history of the Israelites, we see where they too often fell into Category 3 and this is why so much God invested so much time and effort instructing them in the matter of being obedient to Him.

As we move to Deuteronomy, chapter 11 today, we find Moses once again discussing the matter of compliance with the people of Israel, reminding them that their success in Canaan would largely rely on how well they kept the Lord’s requirements, decrees, laws, and commands. If they conformed to the Lord’s expectations, then He would ensure they had “the strength to go in and take over the land (they were) crossing the Jordan to possess…”so that (they could) live long in the land” which God had sworn “to (their) forefathers…a land flowing with milk and honey.”

This promised land would remain bountiful for the Israelites as long as they “faithfully obey(ed) the commands” that Moses gave them which included “to love the Lord…and…serve him with all (their) heart and…soul”. Doing this would result in “rain on (the) land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that (Israel could) gather in (their) grain, new wine and oil”. Further, grass would be provided “in the fields for (the) cattle and (Israel would) eat and be satisfied”.

The bottom line here was that life would be very good for the people of God if they would just submit to everything He demanded.

But what if they chose to do otherwise?

Going back to the scriptures today, we find Moses answering that question, warning the Israelites to “be careful” as they entered a land defined by its paganism for if they let their spiritual guard down, they would be “enticed to turn away and worship other gods”, bowing down to them. This sinful choice would cause the “Lord's anger” to “burn against” them, so much so that He would “shut the heavens” so that no rain would fall, leading the ground to not yield any produce. Eventually, this would lead to the people of God perishing “from the good land” that God had provided.

Here, we see Moses making one point very clear for the Israelites.  

Being disobedient towards God would bring sure misfortune, the polar opposite of the abundant provision that would come as a reward for their full acquiescence to His will and way.

When it came right down to it, the choice was up to Israel.

And so the lines were drawn.

Obey or disobey.

Flourish or fail.

Or as Moses would sum it up, it would be blessing or curse.

“See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse - the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known.”

We need to note here that there’s no middle ground. No in between.

If you obey, you will be blessed.

If you disobey, you will be cursed.

Choosing to obey or disobey based on one’s own desires was not an option and this is as much true today as it was well over 2,000 years ago in biblical times.

Indeed, no present believer should think for a minute that God has changed the way He feels about disobedient behavior…AKA sin for it was sin that led Him to surrender and sacrifice His only Son Jesus on Calvary’s cross, providing a way for sinners to be pardoned and saved as long as they placed their belief in His Son. When it comes right down to it, God hates sin and will not accept a cavalier approach from anyone in regard to addressing it.

Given this, we have to see that one of the primary expectations of our Lord is for us to completely eradicate sin from our lives. He has given us all we need to work towards that end and this includes His Word, which instructs us in regard to living right and righteous lives; His Holy Spirit, who comes to dwell within us the moment we believe in Christ as Savior and works from that point forward to lead us in the way of God’s will; while imparting understanding as we read the Bible; and the life of Jesus Himself, who came to earth and personally demonstrated the way God wants us to live.

Yes, our God has provided all the direction we need. Now, we need to step up spiritually and say “no” to the world and its sinful enticements, trading them in for the blessed holiness that God desires for us.

The bottom line is that blessing only comes to those who fully commit themselves to being obedient to the Lord. Curses await the rest. There’s no middle ground.

We know because God’s word tells us.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.