What words of wisdom would you impart to a troubled soul? What charge do you give to people who are continually given over to straying from the commands of God? How do you encourage a people who you have represented before God? How do you sum up God’s desires for a people who are no longer going to be shepherded by you? This is the story seen in Deuteronomy chapters 3 and 4. Moses is forbidden by God to enter the promised land and he now gives last words of advice.
Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons.
Deuteronomy 4:9 NASB
I have been hit by the truth that Moses is proclaiming in these chapters. I am looking at this scripture and I feel ashamed because of how I easily become distracted by the idols all around me. Do I live my life keeping my soul diligently as it says in chapter 4 verse 9? I see a progression in my life to be more diligent but I am no where near perfect. How does a person live life when there are so many idols in the culture around us? It starts with following God’s commands. It is a simple answer yet it is a paradox to the fleshly nature of man. As I grow and learn to know who Jesus Christ is by reading the Bible I am continually transformed and my mind is renewed.
I find it interesting that the one thing I need and truly desire the most in my life can be so easily put aside when my life becomes busy. These commands that moses talks about in Deuteronomy are found in my silent pondering of scripture. I have gotten busy recently with so many things which are not inherently bad but they are not the perfect truth that is found in scripture. In Hebrews it shows how Jesus Christ is better than everything that the Jews held dear. I need to seek out the Living Water that is Jesus Christ found in scripture. Just as the Israelites needed to renew themselves with water I need to renew myself with Jesus.
My mind is jumping from one topic to another as I sit and think about the reading today. Deuteronomy 4:9 speaks about living out and not forgetting the truths that God shows us and passing them on to the generations after us. I met with a wonderful man this week who is 85 years old. I spent almost 4 hours listening to him talk about his life and how faithful God is. I am truly humbled right now. I think about the distractions I have in my life and most of them are of no real value. This man I spoke with has the relationship with God that I want! His concern was that his children grow up to know who Jesus Christ was and place their trust in Him. How do we live out building up the generations of the church that come after us? Do we live our faith out in public as an organic expression of who we are?
What is a way that you can start living a daily life for Jesus Christ? Take time out of your daily routine to have fellowship with God. Abide in the story that God has placed you in. It will never be an instant fix to live life for God but He looks at your heart and knows your true desire.
It is Maundy Thursday today. Take time to watch the following video. Think about how you can live out the commandment to love one another Jesus Christ gives us in John chapter 13. It can be a step close to knowing Jesus in a new way.
I pray that God will draw you closer to Him as you earnestly seek to abide in Him and live your life to pass on what you know to be true to those around you. Do not stray from the truth that you see in scripture. Just as Moses tells the Israelites to guard against idols so do we still need to guard ourselves. I leave you with a quote that I love from Rich Mullins:
If my life is motivated by an ambition to leave a legacy, what I would probably leave is a legacy of ambition. But, if my life is motivated by the power of God’s spirit in me and the awareness of the indwelling Christ, if I allow His presence to guide my motives, that’s the only time I think we really leave a great legacy.
-RICH MULLINS
