Guarding heart and mind when entering a period of provision
S -13 "It shall come about, if you listen obediently to my commandments which I am commanding you today, to love the Lord your God and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul,14 that He will give the rain for your land in its season, the early and late rain, that you may gather in your grain and your new wine and your oil.15 "He will give grass in your fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied.16 "Beware that your hearts are not deceived, and that you do not turn away and serve other gods and worship them.17 "Or the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and He will shut up the heavens so that there will be no rain and the ground will not yield its fruit; and you will perish quickly from the good land which the Lord is giving you.18 "You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.19 "You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up.20 "You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates,21 so that your days and the days of your sons may be multiplied on the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens remain above the earth.22 "For if you are careful to keep all this commandment which I am commanding you to do, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and hold fast to Him,23 then the Lord will drive out all these nations from before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than you.24 Deut 11:13-24 (NASB)
O -
Let all be directed by the three rules here given. 1. Let our hearts be filled with the word of God. There will not be good practices in the life, unless there be good thoughts, good affections, and good principles in the heart. 2. Let our eyes be fixed upon the word of God, having constant regard to it as the guide of our way, as the rule of our work, Ps 119:30. 3. Let our tongues be employed about the word of God. Nor will any thing do more to cause prosperity, and keeping up religion in a nation, than the good education of children.
—Matthew Henry Concise
(My observation) The Lord is really preparing the people of Israel for what is sure to be a challenge before them, but it is not what the Israelites might think it is going to be. The battle is within themselves, and not with those who possess the land which they are to claim, nor is their challenge going to be providing food, shelter and good life for themselves in this new land. The real challenge ahead lies with their own nature that as the physical needs become met, causes their dependence, obedience and love for God to recede. The Lord identifies for them the challenge and then offers them the solution. To keep His word deeply in their hearts, obey the commandments He has given, they will protect the head and heart from straying. The second part of the solution is to spend your time serving the Lord, this will also keep you close to Him, but prevent you from focusing on serving yourself , or becoming self serving, this is the path to separation. When focusing on the Lord, He will be the Israelites full provision; he forewarns though He will not suffer wandering, and the fountain of provision will be shut down at signs of wandering.
A - The application for me is understand the guidance of the Lord for the people of Israel as it applies to my life and my family. I know the Lord continues to prepare me for entering the promised Land, I like the people of Israel am on the doorstep and about to enter but there are some precautionary notes to be payed attention to.
1. Be aware of physical provisions ability to distract me from my love of and dependence on God. As my life becomes more comfortable in the promised land, God providing for my every need, the temptation to want and strive for more, or to be less than satisfied with His provision will be there. I need to resist this by recognizing His provision, being thankful for it, and satisfied with it.
2. I need to guard my mind from wandering from His commandments. The world's draw to set new values and expectations on me, or my own tendency to "take control" of my life, can draw me away from the Lord's commandments. I must stay aligned with Him, through impressing His word into my heart daily.
P - Dear heavenly Father, thank you for today's lesson, may it be sealed to my heart. I pray Lord that you would continue to transform my heart, mind, and soul to be a true follower and child of God. I thank you Lord for your abundant provision in my life, I pray your word would transform me and be impressed upon my heart a spirit of satisfaction and obedience, that I might not wander from you and your ways. I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.
O -
Let all be directed by the three rules here given. 1. Let our hearts be filled with the word of God. There will not be good practices in the life, unless there be good thoughts, good affections, and good principles in the heart. 2. Let our eyes be fixed upon the word of God, having constant regard to it as the guide of our way, as the rule of our work, Ps 119:30. 3. Let our tongues be employed about the word of God. Nor will any thing do more to cause prosperity, and keeping up religion in a nation, than the good education of children.
—Matthew Henry Concise
(My observation) The Lord is really preparing the people of Israel for what is sure to be a challenge before them, but it is not what the Israelites might think it is going to be. The battle is within themselves, and not with those who possess the land which they are to claim, nor is their challenge going to be providing food, shelter and good life for themselves in this new land. The real challenge ahead lies with their own nature that as the physical needs become met, causes their dependence, obedience and love for God to recede. The Lord identifies for them the challenge and then offers them the solution. To keep His word deeply in their hearts, obey the commandments He has given, they will protect the head and heart from straying. The second part of the solution is to spend your time serving the Lord, this will also keep you close to Him, but prevent you from focusing on serving yourself , or becoming self serving, this is the path to separation. When focusing on the Lord, He will be the Israelites full provision; he forewarns though He will not suffer wandering, and the fountain of provision will be shut down at signs of wandering.
A - The application for me is understand the guidance of the Lord for the people of Israel as it applies to my life and my family. I know the Lord continues to prepare me for entering the promised Land, I like the people of Israel am on the doorstep and about to enter but there are some precautionary notes to be payed attention to.
1. Be aware of physical provisions ability to distract me from my love of and dependence on God. As my life becomes more comfortable in the promised land, God providing for my every need, the temptation to want and strive for more, or to be less than satisfied with His provision will be there. I need to resist this by recognizing His provision, being thankful for it, and satisfied with it.
2. I need to guard my mind from wandering from His commandments. The world's draw to set new values and expectations on me, or my own tendency to "take control" of my life, can draw me away from the Lord's commandments. I must stay aligned with Him, through impressing His word into my heart daily.
P - Dear heavenly Father, thank you for today's lesson, may it be sealed to my heart. I pray Lord that you would continue to transform my heart, mind, and soul to be a true follower and child of God. I thank you Lord for your abundant provision in my life, I pray your word would transform me and be impressed upon my heart a spirit of satisfaction and obedience, that I might not wander from you and your ways. I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.
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