Monday, July 6: Deuteronomy 28-29; Acts 7:1-21 by Pamela

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Deuteronomy 28-29; Acts 7:1-21

Here are some verses that stood out for me today:

6: 15 “But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you.

How true it is that when we do not obey the word of the Lord that we make our lives so much more difficult. We become overwhelmed in our sin and they do threaten to overtake us. This verse reminds us to do "all" of his commandments. Not some. Not most. Not one. All. I think sometimes it's easy to get a list of instructions...glance over them...and then do most of them or even all of the list (but not carefully) and call the list done. It's much harder to do each item on the list to the best of your ability and not just to stroke the item off the list. God's commandments are not meant to be a check list, but a handbook to follow to lead the life God wants for us.

^6:58 “If you are not careful to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, the Lord your God, ⁵⁹ then the Lord will bring on you and your offspring extraordinary afflictions, afflictions severe and lasting, and sicknesses grievous and lasting. 

Again, do "all". It is by obeying and trying to reach perfection that we truly understand the magnitude of sacrifice Jesus paid for us. We are sinners in desperate need of a Saviour. When we don't acknowledge that, and we don't teach it to our children, the effects are far-reaching and long-lasting. 

^6:66  Your life shall hang in doubt before you. Night and day you shall be in dread and have no assurance of your life. ⁶⁷ In the morning you shall say, ‘If only it were evening!’ and at evening you shall say, ‘If only it were morning!’ because of the dread that your heart shall feel, and the sights that your eyes shall see.


This is talking about literal fear for your life but I think it is also figurative as well. When you lack contentment and are uncertainty of the direction in your life you are also in constant fear and turmoil. Having "no assurance of your life" might also relate to not making a firm commitment to Christ. You will feel dread and you won't feel the peace that can only be found with God. When we are not content with our lives we are always reaching and grasping on to the things we believe will fill the void. We may dread what our heart feels because we want what others have or we want our lives to be what they are not. Our eyes may see things we don't have or make us desire what we may never reach. Dread and fear and hopelessness is not terminal. We can always turn to Christ. 

^{Acts 7:20} At this time Moses was born; and he was beautiful in God's sight. And he was brought up for three months in his father's house,²¹ and when he was exposed, Pharaoh's daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son.

"At this time". How often do we wait on God for him to answer in our time? How often do we want answers now...not in His time...now?! Moses arrived in God's perfect time. It was certainly far from perfect (you know with that law that all baby boys should be killed and all) but Moses arrived in God's perfect time. He was born and achieved exactly what God had planned for him-despite the circumstances and the time of his arrival. God truly does know exactly what He is doing. He sees the whole picture. We don't always know how God's timing will play out but we can have the assurance that is will. I heard Karen Kingsbury speak on the radio today about God's perfect timing. On her honeymoon, she and her husband prayed on the beach for their marriage, for any children they would have, and for any spouses any of their future children would have. At that exact hour, their son in law was being born. (Full story here) We may wonder how it will all work out when things seem too big...and yet God knows.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Deuteronomy 28-29; Acts 7:1-21