Fri.’s Devo - May We Be

Read: Deuteronomy 26:1-27:26; Luke 10:38-11:13; Psalm 76:1-12; Proverbs 12:15-17 Once they got settled in their land and experienced their first harvest, they were to bring a basket of their produce to the place of worship and proclaim that they were wandering Arameans who lived in Egypt as a foreigner. There they grew into a large nation. When they became oppressed by the Egyptians and made to be their slaves, they cried out to the Lord. He heard their cries and brought them out with his power - with signs and wonders. He brought them to this wonderful land and now they are offering a gift of thanksgiving to the Lord. *** Every third year they were to bring a special tithe of their crops for the foreigners, Levites, orphans and widows so they would have food to eat. With this gift they were to proclaim that they had followed all of God’s laws and that their gift was ceremonially clean. They were to ask God to bless them and the land. *** When they crossed over the Jordan they were to set up stones at Mount Ebal and coat them with plaster and write the curses on them. They were to also build an altar there using uncut stone and offer a burnt offering to the Lord. These stones are still in existence in Palestine. *** The tribes of Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin were to stand on Mount Gerizim to proclaim a blessing over the people that would be theirs if they obeyed the commandments of God. The tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali were to stand on Mount Ebal and proclaim the curses. These mountains were right across from each other. Mount Gerizim is believed to be Mount Moriah where the Samaritans went to celebrate the feasts. The woman at the well in John 4:20 referred to this mountain as being the Mountain they worshipped on. It was the mountain that they believed God had chosen to place his name. *** Today, we read the curses. Tomorrow we will read the blessings. The curses sound a lot like the Ten Commandments. *** In Luke, we have the story of Mary and Martha which is such a reminder to us of what is really important. We get so distracted by what is going on around us, it is easy to forget that stopping and sitting with Jesus is much more productive that running around doing all the stuff we think is important. The lesson is: we have to first “be” before we “do”. When we are in the presence of the Lord, we get strategy, power, energy, and blessing to then go out and do the things God has called us to do. We know we are being the “Martha” when we feel stressed and out of sorts. Mary is content and at peace. Martha is in a tizzy and judgmental. *** Jesus was asked how they should pray. Jesus gave them a prayer that we have all memorized and heard many sermons about. He started out praising God and proclaiming who he is and praying his Kingdom to come to earth. He prayed for their daily needs then asked for forgiveness for their sins. He prayed strength to stand against temptation. This is how we pray for ourselves. *** Then Jesus told them how to pray for others. The essence is you pray until you see the results. Then he explained that you have to learn how to receive and believe that God gives good gifts to his children. *** Lord, teach us to live in your presence and choose to enjoy your peace. May we seek you first in all we do. It is your will that we desire above all.