Wed.’s Devo - The Choice is Ours

Moses began his speech reminding them of all the amazing things God had done to the Egyptians to deliver them from their slavery. Then God said He had not given them minds that understand, eyes that see, or ears that hear. God had done miraculous things for them during their 40 years in the wilderness and gave them victory over King Sihon and King Og. This covenant God was giving them would be for them and their ancestors and would either be for their good or bad. They made the choice. God reminded them of the detestable gods of Egypt and the foreign cities they had seen on their travels. He warned them not to join in their worship because it would bear bitter and poisonous fruit. They should not think they are saved just because they are Israelites. Their salvation had to do with their obedience to God’s laws and their worship of him. If they turned away from them, God would erase their names from under heaven. God would separate them from the others and bring the curses on them. If the curses was their fate, other nations would see what happens when God’s people abandon their covenant with Him. God has secrets that we are not held accountable for but the things he reveals to us, we are to obey. If the people experienced the blessings and then the curses and wanted to return to the Lord, they could, and God would restore their fortunes to them. He would bring them back to their land and make them even more prosperous than before. God would give them a heart to love and worship him with all their hearts and He would put all the curses on their enemies. That day, God was giving them the choice between life and death, prosperity and disaster. God called on heaven and earth to be witnesses to their decision. If they chose life they would live long in the land he chose for them. In Luke, Jesus was rebuked because he didn’t do the ritual hand-washing that the Pharisees had made up. Jesus explained that if your heart was clean then everything you touch becomes clean. That was why he could touch a leper and it would become healed instead of himself becoming leprous. Jesus pointed out their hypocrisy. They tithed religiously yet ignored justice and didn’t love God. They loved being the elite of society but were just like billboards that had no life or substance. They looked good on the outside when their hearts were ugly and hard. Their ancestors killed the prophets and they covered it up by building monuments over their graves. They kept the real law from the people and made up laws which were too hard to follow. They removed the key to knowledge - the law - from the people and didn’t follow it themselves. Jesus warned his disciples that one day all the secret sins of the religious leaders would be exposed and all would know their sins. He told them not to fear these leaders who could only kill their flesh but not their spirit. God would take care of them so they need not fear. How applicable was today’s scripture. We can see that many of the leaders and elite of our nation have chosen the curses and everything they have done in secret is being brought out in the open. To those who have continued to trust in God, He is turning our curse into a blessing and we will end up more prosperous than all the previous generations. We need to keep trusting and not faint. Blessings and justice are coming our way and evil is being exposed and dealt with. Lord, thank you that you are the God of justice and rewards. We turn our hearts and expectations to you.