Chosen

"You have today declared the Lord to be your God, and that you would walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments and His ordinances, and listen to His voice. The Lord has today declared you to be His people, a treasured possession, as He promised you, and that you should keep all His commandments; and that He will set you high above all nations which He has made, for praise, fame, and honor; and that you shall be a consecrated people to the Lord your God, as He has spoken." -Deuteronomy 26.17-19

Israel had a choice, and they chose God. They made the decision that they would walk in His ways and obey Him. God had already chosen Israel, and simply waited for their response. When they did finally choose Him, He began to fulfill the promises that He had made, setting them apart and honoring them above all the nations.

We have all been chosen by God, but He does not force us to choose Him. We have been given the choice of who we will follow and serve. We have been given the choice of who will be God in our lives. If we choose God we will be His treasured possession, just as He promised. If we live in obedience to Him, we will be set apart and honored by Him.

Men, you have been chosen by God, do you choose Him? Will you follow His commands and live according to His statutes? God desires for you to be set apart, but the choice is yours. What will you choose?

We have been chosen by God, let us choose Him. Let our lives be set apart, striving to live in His holiness. Let us be God's treasured possession. Let us choose God.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Wholehearted

"This day the Lord your God commands you to do these statutes and ordinances. You shall therefore be careful to do them with all your heart and with all your soul." -Deuteronomy 26.16

Following God is not easy, and it is not for the faint of heart. The commands that God has given are calls to holiness and righteousness. God has set His standards out before us, and as sinful humans it is impossible for us to live up to them. Jesus came to earth as a baby, grew up modeling how God would live life as a human, and then died and rose again to make it possible. God has done so much to bring His children back to Himself, and His children must be willing to do just as much.

Here Moses commands the people to follow God's commands with all their heart and soul. He knows that this is not something that they can do half-heartedly, and he also knows they are prone to wander from God. They must be careful to follow Him, and they must do it intentionally and whole heartedly. Without this mindset they can never live holy and righteous lives.

There is no place for cultural Christianity. There is no place for the Sunday morning Christian. If we would follow God it requires that we fully commit to it and jump in with both feet. This is not something that can be done ritualistically when we feel like it, it must consume us and be the very reason we live.

Men, do you wholeheartedly serve God? In the morning when you wake up is your first thought about getting alone with God and growing closer to Him so that you can live a more holy and righteous life? Throughout the day are striving to become more like Christ? Or is all of this simply a check list that you think results in heaven? I have said before, heaven is not the goal, it's the result. The goal is Christlikeness, and the result of becoming like Christ is heaven.

Let us be men, and as men, let us live fully for God. Let us desire Him more than anything else. Let that desire guide us to become more like Christ. And as we become more like Christ, may we live wholehearted lives of obedience to God's commands.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Offering and Worship

"Now behold, I have brought the first of the produce of the ground which You, O Lord have given me.’ And you shall set it down before the Lord your God, and worship before the Lord your God; and you and the Levite and the alien who is among you shall rejoice in all the good which the Lord your God has given you and your household." -Deuteronomy 26.10-11

God is about to fulfill His promise to Israel and bring them into the land. When they collect the first harvest they are to bring the first of it to God, and worship Him for fulfilling His promises. As they presented the offering they were to worship and rejoice about all of God's goodness. They worshiped as a family, and as a congregation.

The worship of God is essential, because it is what we were made for. God displayed His goodness and power in creation, pouring out every blessing, and in response humanity was to worship Him, not simply because of what He had done, but because of who He is. The offering is done out of gratitude for all that God has provided. He has given so much, it is an honor to be able to offer some of it back to Him.

Public worship is the key here. It is important to worship God privately, spending the one on one time with Him and learning from Him, but worship needs to be public. We need a culture of worship to God, and public worship allows for correct worship, in the sense of non-heretical. It allows for guidance and instruction, as well as accountability. And it allows for a nation to praise and declare God together.

Men, do you bring an offering to God out of what He has provided? Do you worship Him both publically and privately? Are you setting an example for your family? Your neighbors? This nation?

May we never be so selfish that we hoard God's blessings, never giving anything back out of gratitude. May we set an example of a life of worship to God.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor