Deut 21:23 …You must not desecrate the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance. (NIV)
Lord, Every good and perfect gift is from You (James 1:17). All that I have, all that I am, all that I can do is Your gift to me. Thank You.
Deut 21:23 …In this way you will prevent the defilement of the land the LORD is giving you as your special possession. (NLT)
Lord, You have given me these gifts and these talents because You love me. Help me to use them to praise You and to shine Your light because I love you.
Deut 21:23 …The land that the LORD your God is giving you must never become unclean. (God’s Word trans)
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the reminder to safeguard these gifts I have been given by You and to use them to glorify and praise You. Thank You for who You are and for who I am in You. Help me to glorify You always. Amen.
Deut 21:23 …You shall not defile your land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance. (ESV)
Have a blessed day
Fighting for me…. (devo reflection)
Deut 20:1a When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours….
Lord, You know every battle I will ever face. Thank You for being with me always, for fighting for me.
Deut 20:1b …do not be afraid of them, because the LORD God, who brought you out of Egypt, will be with you.
Lord, Help me to be still in You, to seek You and to know You, to trust You and obey You.
Deut 29:3 …Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them.
Lord, Help me to understand that not every battle I think is worth fighting really is worth fighting. Thank You for this day and this scripture and for this unshakable knowledge that You are with me always. Help me draw closer. Help me to be still in You. Amen.
Deut 20:4 For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.
Have a blessed day.
Our refuge…. (devo reflection)
Deut 19:2-3 …then set aside for yourselves three cities…so that a person who kills someone may flee for refuge to one of these cities.
Of course it was the commentary that helped me see the connection between the cities of refuge and Jesus this morning. I was being incredibly literal as I read today’s text. But Jesus IS our refuge and strength, and I am eternally grateful for that fact.
Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
The crucial difference between the cities of refuge and Jesus, again brought to my attention by commentary this morning, is that the cities were only refuge for the innocent. Jesus is a refuge for all of us, no matter our circumstances.
Psalm 62:8 Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for Your steadfast love and presence. Thank You that You are our refuge and strength, no matter what we’ve done or what we face. Thank You for providing refuge and strength when life overwhelms us. Draw us closer. Amen.
1 Peter 5:7 …casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.
Have a blessed day.
An eternal inheritance…. (devo reflection)
Deut 18:1a The Levitical priests—indeed, the whole tribe of Levi—are to have no allotment or inheritance with Israel.
According to Google, an inheritance is money, property, a title, etc that is received by an heir when the previous holder has died. All the possessions that we work so hard for on this earth, all the things—house, car, “stuff”—cannot go with us when we die. They will be left behind as an inheritance for others.
Deut 18:1b They shall live on the food offerings presented to the LORD, for that is their inheritance.
Maybe it’s age that’s changing my perspective. I use to think that’s why you work—to get stuff. I come from a bit of a hoarder background, where stuff somehow equaled safety. But it doesn’t. Stuff is just stuff—inanimate, solidly fixed to this realm.
Deut 18:2a They shall have no inheritance among their fellow Israelites….
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the reminder that stuff is and always will be just stuff. There is no safety there, no love, no comfort. Thank You for the reminder that we have an inheritance in You, that Your inheritance is eternal. Help me to let go of anything that doesn’t draw me closer to You. Amen.
Deut 18:2b …the LORD is their inheritance, as He promised them.
Have a blessed day.
An interesting opportunity during this pandemic…. (devo reflection)
Deut 17:1 Do not sacrifice to the LORD your God an ox or a sheep that had any defect or flaw in it, for that would be detestable to Him.
A sacrifice is not a sacrifice if it doesn’t cost you anything on a personal level. If I am cleaning out and giving things to charity, then my giving them to you instead does not constitute sacrifice. God wants our best. It’s got to cost us something to be a worthy sacrifice.
Mark 12:41-42 …Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.
I think we are afforded an interesting opportunity during this pandemic to offer to God a sacrifice of praise (Heb 13:15). Times are tough, there is no disputing that fact. So to earnestly praise God, to rejoice in Him in the midst of the chaos and confusion, that is a worthy sacrifice.
Mark 12:43 Calling His disciples to Him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that You don’t want our excesses, You want our best, our first fruits, and You are so worthy, Lord. Help us, especially now, to offer You a sacrifice of praise. Draw us closer. Amen.
Mark 12:44 “They gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
Have a blessed day.
A gift of thanks…. (devo reflection)
Deut 16:10 Then celebrate … by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the LORD your God has given you.
As I was reading this morning’s chapter, this question came to mind: Do I praise God in proportion to the blessings He has given me? Sadly, the answer is no. Not always, not most days, not nearly often enough. And these long days of quarantine, where every little annoyance is amplified, these days aren’t helping me any toward that end.
Deut 16:17 Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the LORD your God has blessed you.
The humanity in me wants to castigate myself for these transgressions, to beat myself up for my failures, but to give in to that desire would mean that there is no hope of change, and with my precious Savior, I ALWAYS have hope. Thank You, Jesus!
Phil 4:4 Rejoice in the LORD always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for Your blessings and the hope that can only yet always be found in You. Thank You for the many blessings in my life, Lord. Help me to rejoice in You always, as a gift to thank You for Your sovereignty and love. Draw me closer. Amen.
Habakkuk 3:18 …yet I will exult in the LORD; I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!
Have a blessed day.
To seek and to see the blessings…. (devo reflection)
Deut 15:4a However, there need be no poor people among you….
Lord, You know that there are more ways to be poor than just monetarily. And while monetary issues may be much different now, those lacking joy, hope, peace, compassion, aren’t much different, I suspect.
Deut 15:4b …for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance….
Lord, This is a difficult time, an unprecedented time. There is fear and uncertainty; there is economic hardship. Help us to see, however, that You can, will, and do still richly bless us in many ways if we only have the eyes to see. There is still hope to be found, Your peace and compassion. Help us to seek and see these gifts.
Deut 15:4c …He will richly bless you….
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the reminder that You are still sovereign and still present with us even now, even through this. Help us to seek and to see the blessings that are all around us if we only look carefully. Draw us closer. Amen.
Deut 15:5 …if only you fully obey the LORD your God…
Have a blessed day.
His own special treasure…. (devo reflection)
Deut 14:2 …the LORD has chosen you to be His treasured possession.
Lord, As someone who often struggles with self-esteem, this scripture is a beautiful gift. Thank You for considering me Your treasure. Help me to live confidently as Your daughter.
Deut 7:6 …the LORD your God has chosen you to be His own special treasure.
Lord, Be with all those who struggle, who see themselves as less than, who see the perfection of social media imagery and feel they can’t ever live up. Help them to see themselves—help us to see each other—as You see us: Your own special treasure, fiercely loved exactly as we are.
1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people…God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for calling us out of our darkness and into Your glorious light. Help us to live as sons and daughters of the one true King. Help us never to forget who we are and Whose we are. Thank You that we are Yours. Amen.
Eph 1:18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you….
Have a blessed day.
Hold fast to Him…. (devo reflection)
Deut 13:4a It is the LORD your God you must follow….
The part of Deut 13:4 that really grabs me is the very last part, “…hold fast to Him.” It brings to mind the song “On Christ the solid Rock I Stand.” The words immediately following the title verse are “…All other ground is sinking sand.”
Deut 13:4b …and Him you must revere….
That is such an apt description of current times. Every time I hear the news or see an article or social media post, it feels startling and unsettling, a world of sinking sand. But I am not depending on the world. I am holding fast to God, standing firm on the Solid Rock. Thank You, Jesus.
Deut 13:4c …Keep His commands and obey Him….
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for Your sovereignty, no matter the condition of this world. Thank You for the reminder to hold fast to You, that You are our Refuge and Strength. Thank You that we can say with certainty, “He is risen. He is risen indeed.” Draw us closer. Amen.
Deut 13:4d …serve Him and hold fast to Him.
Have a blessed day.
Rejoice in the LORD…. (devo reflection)
Deut 12:12 And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God….
If God never did anything else for me save sacrifice His only Son so that I could be restored to a right relationship with Him, I would still have reason to praise His name for the rest of my life. But I am so deeply human, so often driven by my fickle feelings that I don’t always, maybe don’t often, praise Him as I should, as He deserves.
1 Thess 5:16 Rejoice at all times….
But God doesn’t want empty praise. He wants praise that overflows from a thankful, grateful, devoted heart, even when it’s hard. And, y’all, sometimes life is so hard—global pandemic, freak accident or illness, death of loved one—hard. A friend once related a story about her aunt. I don’t remember all the details, but she had dealt with sickness and death of several family members, and when she was told of yet another death, her response was, “God has been so good to me.” THAT is praise from a grateful heart.
Phil 4:4 Rejoice in the LORD always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder to rejoice always in You. Thank You for the example of my friend’s aunt, who rejoiced in Your blessings, even in the midst of her loss. Help us to rejoice in You always, even when it’s difficult. Thank You for Your abiding love. Draw us closer. Amen.
Psalm 33:1 Rejoice in the LORD….
Have a blessed day.