Key Verse: Deuteronomy 3:22
You must not fear them, for the Lord, your God, fights for you.
In today’s reading, Moses recounts how the Children of Israel were a few short weeks from entering the Promised Land. En route there they won several battles. For Moses personally, the big battle was within himself. He made an impassioned plea to be allowed to enter the land. God answers his prayer with an adamant “NO.” He tells Moses to never speak of the matter again. God sends Moses to the peak of Mt. Pisgah to view the Promised Land, and He tells him to commission Joshua as the new leader. God tells Moses to use his authority to “command” Joshua. Moses was still God’s leader, and his “commands” were a source of encouragement and strength to Joshua moving forward.
When God says “No,” He has other plans underway. We need to learn that God’s purposes are His #1 priority, not our plans which we may seek to implement. God’s will be done!
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Father God, help me to always be totally obedient to You, never questioning Your authority. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen!
100 PERSONAL WORDS:
I identify with the Apostle Peter who, on one of the occasions when Jesus spoke of His impending death, said to Jesus, “Far be it from You, Lord, this shall not happen to You!” (check out Matthew 16:21-26). I’ve learned from this that the word “no” and “Lord” must never be found in the same sentence! If Jesus is not “Lord,” then I can say “no.” I have the free will. But if He’s my “Lord,” and He is, I can never say “no” to Him. From time to time I’ve sought to put my own plans in place. They never succeed. I’m 80 now, and I look back over 8 decades. I’ve learned some hard lessons. This blog is one way to pass onto others the wisdom of those lessons. God willing, in another 18 months, I’ll complete this current two-year blog journey through the Bible. You can start anytime and 24 months later you’ll read the Bible’s last word. Therefore, stick with me and we’ll be equipped for living life God’s way. I’ve said to Norma-Jean many times, with a smile on my lips and a twinkle in my eye, “Stick with me, baby, and I’ll give you diamonds as big as your eyes” (I’m sure that’s a quote from some scriptwriter). Of course, I gave her a little diamond upon our engagement (a magnifying glass would have come in handy – my excuse was that I was a student). Then in a burst of enthusiasm, I bought her a larger one about 30 years later when I spotted a bargain in a foreign country. Unfortunately, when I had it checked at a local Canadian jeweller, it was flawed. It wasn’t a bargain after all. I know she still loves me, and I also know that she’ll stick with me. I’m a blessed man!
Yours for “sticking” with the plan,
David
P.S. Norma-Jean also has her mother’s engagement diamond, and she is blessed and content!
Up Next in Year 1 | December
-
100 Words - YR1 December 17 - Take he...
Key Verse: Deuteronomy 4:9
Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and grandchildren.Words repeated in a chapter stand out to me. ...
-
100 Words - YR1 December 18 - God is ...
Key Verse: Deuteronomy 6:24
And the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day.Let us keep in mind the reason for God’s laws, “FOR OUR GOOD ALWAYS.” There are 15 repetitions of words that ...
-
100 Words - YR1 December 19 - 1,000 G...
Key Verse: Deuteronomy 7:9
Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments…What are the emphasis words? Twenty-three times the phrase, “the Lord your God” is repeated....