Thurs.’s Devo- God’s Ways

Read: Deuteronomy 5:1-6:25; Luke 7:11-35; Psalm 68:19-35; Proverbs 11:29-31
Moses wanted to read to them the ten commandments that God had given to them on Mount Sinai when he spoke to them “face to face”. This was the event when God betrothed Israel to himself. Rejecting these commandments would cause a penalty on the parents and the entire family, even to the third and fourth generation. Those who loved and obeyed them would be rewarded with God’s lavish love for a thousand of their generations.
Moses reminded them of God’s display of power on that first Pentecost when he first gave them his marriage contract - the Ten Commandments to his people. He wrote them on stone tablets.
Moses told them over and over that if they obeyed his commandments when they came into the land that God had promised them, they would be blessed with many children. They would be given land with prosperous cities they didn’t build. Their houses would be stocked with goods they did not produce. They would draw water from wells they didn’t dig and eat from vineyards and olive trees they didn’t plant. When they became prosperous they were not to forget God.
In Luke, Jesus brought resurrection life to a young boy in the middle of his funeral. He was the only son of a widow. Jesus’ heart overflowed with compassion. I wonder if he wasn’t thinking of his own mother and how she would feel about his death.
Jesus walked over and touched the coffin which would have made him unclean, then he talked to the dead boy and told him to wake up. Can you imagine the shock when the boy immediately sat up and spoke? Jesus is the resurrection and the life.
John the Baptist was in prison and had preached that the Messiah would set the prisoner free. I’m sure he was wondering why Jesus hadn’t come and “set him free”. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he was indeed the Messiah. Jesus told them to tell John all the miracles he WAS doing. Jesus then made the statement: “Blessed is he who is not offended in me.” In other words…Jesus was prompting John to focus on the things he was doing instead of the one thing he wasn’t doing. God’s ways are not our ways, but his are always the best. This is a great reminder to us to remember all the wonderful things God has done for us and to trust him with the one thing we are still waiting on.
When Jesus had finished preaching, the crowd and even the tax collectors agreed that God’s way was right. They could receive Jesus’ words because they had received John’s baptism. The Pharisees couldn’t receive Jesus’ words because they hadn’t received John’s baptism. We have to humble ourselves and repent before we can be saved.
Lord, thank you for your perfect ways! We submit our lives to your plan especially when we don’t understand it.