March 29

Deuteronomy 11:1-12:32, Luke 8:22-39, Psalm 70:1-5, Proverbs 12:4 

Pray: What has the Lord done in your life? Have you ever felt His presence? Have you ever received His blessings? Sometimes when we pray, if we are honest, it is mostly petitioning God to act (Lord, please give, do, bless, work, etc.). Spend some time right now considering all that the Lord has done in your life. Ask Him to remind you of all His blessings. Then, give Him thanks and praise. He is worthy, isn’t He?

Read: Tony Campolo once lamented that seminary is “where they tell you what Jesus meant instead of letting you hear what Jesus said.” It is true, sometimes we skip over the simple, straightforward truth in an attempt to find some deeper, hidden meaning. This happens, especially, when we are convicted by the Holy Spirit and God wants to change something in us. God’s Word is clear in Deuteronomy 11 as He says, “today I am giving you a choice between a blessing and a curse! You will be blessed if you obey the commands of the Lord…But you will be cursed if you reject the commands of the Lord….” It really does not get any simpler than that. If we want to live a blessed life and enjoy God’s favor over our families, our homes, our careers, and our lives, we must live in obedience to the Lord. If we choose not to be obedient to Him, it is clear that we are welcoming a curse upon our families, homes, careers, and lives. That seems an easy choice. As you read today, in what ways are you being obedient to the Lord? What areas of your life are you choosing disobedience and welcoming a curse? Make some changes (know you’re not alone in needing to make those changes) and walk in blessing.

Edify: “I don’t have to go to church to be a Christian.” It’s a phrase often spoken by those who are not yet Christian. To be fair, they are partially correct. You don’t have to enter a church building to be a Christian, but you certainly cannot be a Christian without being a part of the Church, since the Church is the body of Christ, the people. Nevertheless, there seems to be a growing resistance toward “organized” religion and worship attendance. The average Christian attends church 3 times every 8 weeks. Perhaps God knew, even in Old Testament times, that His people needed to be reminded that sacred spaces exist for a reason. Perhaps the Lord understood that something is different when God’s people gather together to worship as one body. Perhaps that’s why He said, “bring everything I command you - your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, your sacred offerings, and your offerings to fulfill a vow - to the designated place of worship, the place the Lord your God chooses for His name to be honored” (Deuteronomy 12:11). You can’t bring anything to the designated place of worship unless you are there. You can’t honor the name of the Lord unless you show up! Sacred spaces are just that…sacred. When God’s people gather together for worship, the divide between sacred and secular is erased by His Holy presence. You don’t want to miss out on something like that.

Practice: “Whatever it takes, short of sinning” is a phrase we often use at Christ Church when talking about what we are willing to do to reach lost people for Jesus. We will do whatever it takes, short of sinning. In Deuteronomy 11, the Lord was instructing His people to do whatever it takes in order to remain committed to Him, His Word, and to live into His promises. He says of His Word, “commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands…wear them…teach them…talk about them…at home and…on the road…when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Write them…so that…you and your children may flourish….” Can you imagine what your life would look like if you did all these things with the Word of God, the Bible? Likely, it would be drastically different than it is now. How committed are you to God’s Word? We have the test by which to judge our commitment level. How do you measure up? Decide today to deepen your commitment to the Word and just watch what God can do.