(Deuteronomy 10:1-22) “At that time the Lord said to me, ‘Cut out for yourself two tablets of stone like the former ones, and come up to Me on the mountain, and make an ark of wood for yourself. 2 I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets which you shattered, and you shall put them in the ark.’ 3 So I made an ark of acacia wood and cut out two tablets of stone like the former ones, and went up on the mountain with the two tablets in my hand. 4 He wrote on the tablets, like the former writing, the Ten Commandments which the Lord had spoken to you on the mountain from the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly; and the Lord gave them to me. 5 Then I turned and came down from the mountain and put the tablets in the ark which I had made; and there they are, as the Lord commanded me.”
6 (Now the sons of Israel set out from Beeroth Bene-jaakan to Moserah. There Aaron died and there he was buried and Eleazar his son ministered as priest in his place. 7 From there they set out to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land of brooks of water. 8 At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to serve Him and to bless in His name until this day. 9 Therefore, Levi does not have a portion or inheritance with his brothers; the Lord is his inheritance, just as the Lord your God spoke to him.)
10 “I, moreover, stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights like the first time, and the Lord listened to me that time also; the Lord was not willing to destroy you. 11 Then the Lord said to me, ‘Arise, proceed on your journey ahead of the people, that they may go in and possess the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.’
12 “Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to keep the Lord’s commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good? 14 Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it. 15 Yet on your fathers did the Lord set His affection to love them, and He chose their descendants after them, even you above all peoples, as it is this day. 16 So circumcise your heart, and stiffen your neck no longer. 17 For the Lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe. 18 He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing. 19 So show your love for the alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. 20 You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him and cling to Him, and you shall swear by His name. 21 He is your praise and He is your God, who has done these great and awesome things for you which your eyes have seen. 22 Your fathers went down to Egypt seventy persons in all, and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
The Lord is just and shows no partiality and is not prejudiced. God cares and so loves the world and desires that everyone would come to Him!!! This does not mean that there are many ways to God. We cannot just make up our own "truths" and practice what we deem acceptable or good enough. All cults and religions are created by mankind and require mankind to (hopefully) earn their way (somehow) towards some sort of status (somewhere). But to get into heaven, we must be perfect, and this is impossible except through Jesus' work on the cross.
To believe in the Lord God Jesus Christ requires humble hearts, realizing that we are sinners in need of saving. In showing remorse and repenting of our sins means that we will desire to turn away from them and turn towards Jesus, and walk closely with Him. He is the way, and the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except through Him.
In our salvation, we are born again as children of God, having a close personal relationship with Him. And like any child who depends fully on their parents for everything, more so will we depend on our heavenly Father because He provides what we need, and He takes care of us, and protects us. And like any child, we will love our heavenly Father and believe fully that He is the best and the biggest and the strongest because He is sovereign. And like any child, we will have the same traits as our heavenly Father.
As God loves, we should love! If we truly love and care for people, we will be fair and just in our dealings with them. We will be helping and looking out for the poor and the vulnerable. And most importantly, we will be sharing the good news with everybody and anyone - no matter their color, or their sex, or their status in life.
God is there to guide us in everything, so that whatever He asks of us, He will help strengthen, fill and equip us for those very things! Therefore, as we ask and allow, God changes us from the inside out, in order to do good deeds with pure motives, wherever we are. In this way we serve the Lord and glorify Him.
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