“Our Daily Bread”     http://odb.org/

The Daily Devotions of Greg Laurie                                  

http://www.harvest.org/devotional/daily-devotions/home.ht

“Homily Grits Devotional”   http://www.homilygrits.com/ 

Deuteronomy 8:20… As the nations which the Lord destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the Lord your God.  (NKJV)

These are pretty harsh words from the Lord God in this opening scripture…as God told the Israelites that they must be obedient to His commands, or they would perish…  Human nature fills us with pride right from the start, with our sin nature that we are all born with…  Ever since Adam and Eve were deceived by the serpent (Satan) in the Garden of Eden (Genesis chapter 3)…  We all fall short (Romans 3:23) of God’s original requirements to obey the law, handed down by God to Moses on Mount Sinai with the 10 Commandments… These 2 tablets of stone were inscribed by the finger of God Himself…Exodus 31:18…

All God wanted the Israelites to do, was to love and obey Him; and God promised over and over again, that He would take care of them when they crossed over the Jordan, and entered into the promised land…a land flowing with milk and honey (Deuteronomy 6:3)…

Deuteronomy 6:4-6… “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! ⁵ You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. ⁶ “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.”  (NKJV)

But the Israelites were a stubborn people…  Here God was, offering them everything on a silver platter, so to speak…and all God wanted in return, was for them to serve and love Him…and to give God the honor and the glory that He rightfully deserved… God told them about the beautiful cities and the houses He would provide for them in the promised land…that were to be filled with all good things (Deuteronomy 6:10-11)…

But there were commandments God gave them, that they were to remember…Deuteronomy 6:12-15…  then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. ¹³ You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name. ¹⁴ You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you ¹⁵ (for the Lord your God is a jealous God among you), lest the anger of the Lord your God be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of the earth.  (NKJV)

But there was no way the Israelites could possibly keep the whole law; and scripture says that if we are guilty of any sin…we are guilty of them all, in…James 2:10… For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point,he is guilty of all.  (NKJV)

But God in His mercy, and His grace, and because of His great love for us…sent His Son Jesus down from heaven, to be born of a virgin; and Jesus would save those disobedient sinners from their sins, if they come to Him in faith…Matthew 1:21… “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

The Lord still offers today, this sweet deal to provide for all of our needs…Matthew 6:33… But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  (NKJV)…

But the necessary commandments of obedience are still the same, as spoken by Jesus, in…Matthew 22:36-40… “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” ³⁷ Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and great commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”  (NKJV)

Unfortunately, the pride we are all born with…along with the blindness (2 Corinthians 4:4), and the lure of the lusts of the flesh (1 John 2:15-16), that Satan uses to keep unredeemed sinners from seeing past the material stuff of the world…will keep them separated from God’s eternal love, and His promises of grace…

This is precisely why Christians that have been saved by God’s grace through faith alone in Jesus
Christ…must  do their best to learn how to evangelize those in need… Christians have been commanded by Christ (Matthew 28:19-20), to plant the seeds towards salvation…by sharing their own faith, and the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to those in need of hearing this truth that will allow God to set their unredeemed friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers free from Satan and their sins…John 8:32…

Here is a link for this most important days writing about how God’s grace is received to become a Christian in God’s eyes; through obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ… https://godsmanforever.wordpress.com/2012/10/20/gods-group-thoughts-for-10202012-gods-grace-through-obedience-to-the-gospel-of-christ/

Heavenly Father, I pray that all of Your children become burdened with the need to share their faith with those around them, that don’t know Your Son Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior… Help all of Your children Lord, to be empowered by the Holy Spirit…with a new found exuberance and a boldness to share the good news of the grace that You have blessed them with…  I pray for all of Your children to step up to the plate, and swing for the fences…when it comes learning how to evangelize those most precious in their lives… I pray that You help all of us Lord, with this endeavor…in Jesus’ most precious name and for His sake…Amen…

written by bruce r mills