Tues.’s Devo - The Commissions

Read: Deuteronomy 31:1-32:27; Luke 12:8-34; Psalm 78:32-55; Proverbs 12:21-23 God had given them the example of what they would do when they got into the land. He had given them victory over Og and Sihon. They would do the same to the people in the land he was giving them. *** Moses brought Joshua forward in the audience of all the people and commissioned him to be strong and courageous because the Lord would go before them. ***Then Moses gave the priests and the sons of Levi a copy of the law and told them to read it aloud to the people every seven years in the year of jubilee and at the Feast of Tabernacles. *** God told Moses he was about to die and sleep with his family. He was to bring Joshua to the tent of meeting where the Lord would commission him to lead them in Moses’ place. *** After Moses dies, the people will break his laws and follow after other gods. God will become so angry with them, he will abandon them. All the evils promised them will come upon them. *** Moses was to teach them a song as a witness to them when they sinned. Moses wrote the song and taught it to the people, all in one day! Then the Lord commissioned Joshua, commanding him to be strong and courageous and bring the people into their land. Moses met with the elders of the tribes and told them that he knew that after he died they would sin and turn against the Lord. *** The song reminds them of their past and all the Lord did for them and their fathers, then it gives them a picture of their future sins. The song was given so that in the future when they are in the midst of the consequences of their idolatry, they will remember this song and repent. *** In Luke, Jesus explains that what we confess now is what we will confess in eternity, so it is imperative that we have the right confession now. When we have to defend the truth, the Holy Spirit will help us say the right thing. *** Jesus then gives us a story to illustrate that he is not talking about what we accomplish or attain on earth that is important. It is our testimony that will stand. Nothing else will follow us into eternity. *** We do not have to worry about the necessities of living, we are to seek life and God’s kingdom. God will take care of all our needs. God gives us nature to show us how much he cares about everything he made. *** Lord, thank you for reminding us that our treasure is in heaven. The treasure is You and your presence. Thank you that you never leave us and never forsake us.

Mon.’s Devo - Renewing the Covenant

Read: Deuteronomy 29:1-30:20; Luke 11:37-12:7; Psalm 78:1-31; Proverbs 12:19-20 God had them make another covenant with him like they did at Mt. Sinai when he gave them the law. These were the children who had seen all the things God did for them in Egypt but were children at the time. Their parents had made a covenant with God and now they needed to make a covenant with him. *** God reminded them of all he did for them in the wilderness and of the evil gods that the Egyptians worshiped. He warned them not to worship the gods of the people whose land they were about to possess, but to keep his laws. If any of their tribes turn from his laws, they will receive the curses and the land and all in it will become sick. *** When they see the consequences of the blessings and the curses they are to return to the Lord with all their heart. Then, he will restore their fortunes to them and have mercy on them. He will then bring them into their land and make them prosperous and multiply them. God will give them and their offspring a circumcised heart to love him. Then the Lord will put the curses on their enemies who persecuted them, but, God will then abundantly prosper and bless his people. *** So, the choice was theirs to make. They can choose to obey the Lord and his commands and live in the blessings and greatly prosper, or they can turn their hearts away from him and worship other gods. If they do, they will not live long in the promised land. The choice was death or life. *** In Luke, Jesus was invited to the home of a Pharisee. He did’t go through the ritual hand-washing that they did, and the man asked Jesus about it. Jesus told him that it was a farce to try to look so clean on the outside when their hearts were full of greed and wickedness. They tithed, but neglected to administer justice and love. They could be found sitting in the seats of honor in the synagogue and marketplaces. They did everything to look important and holy, but were actually instruments of spreading death. *** A lawyer spoke up and said he was insulted by what Jesus said. He should have kept his mouth shut. Jesus nailed his profession also. He told him the lawyers put burdens on the people that were too hard for them to bear. They built tombs of the prophets who their fathers killed. They even agreed with their fathers that they should be killed. Their generation would be charged with these deaths. By their actions they robbed the people of the key of knowledge. *** Thousands were gathering to see and hear Jesus. The Pharisees tried to give Jesus questions that would provoke him and cause him to sin so they could discredit him. Jesus warned his disciples about the leaven of the Pharisees. Their leaven was their hypocrisy - the fact that they did not practice or even believe what they taught. They may have the power to kill a person, by they didn’t have the power to decide how that person would live in eternity. Only God had the power to cast the wicked into hell. *** Jesus gave the example of sparrows who were sold for pennies and yet God took notice of them. His children are worth so much more than sparrows and he cares for every detail of their lives. *** Lord, thank you that you love and care for us. We are so privileged to be your children. May we daily renew our covenant with you to love you with all our heart, soul and mind.

Sun.’s Devo - The Blessings and the Curses

Read: Deuteronomy 28:1-68; Luke 11:14-36; Psalm 77:1-20; Proverbs 12:18 Reading the blessings makes you smile and feel so loved and protected. You see the desire of a loving Father to give the very best he has created to his children. I’m not going to list all the blessings of obedience, but they are enough to make you scratch your head and ask, “who would not want to obey the Lord and enjoy these blessings?” *** When I read the curses, I see how we have fallen into that category as a nation. But, I am seeing and feeling the shift away from the curses and onto the road that leads to the blessings. *** We know that Israel did not continue to follow the Lord and all these curses fell on them. We also know that scripture assures us that they will return to the Lord and enjoy the blessings in the end. We pray that is soon. *** In Luke, Jesus cast out the demon that had made the man mute. The religious leaders had to have an explanation of how he could do this, so they said he did it by the power of Beelzebub, a prince of demons. *** Jesus explained that a kingdom divided against itself would not be able to stand. He asked them how their sons cast out demons. Their sons would grow up and one day judge them. But, if he cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to earth. That would mean that someone stronger than who is over the earth had come to earth to take over. Satan was prince of the world until Jesus came and began knocking down his wall of defense. Jesus took away Satan’s protection and had begun ravaging his stronghold. *** Jesus explained that when demons were cast out they would roam the earth looking for a body to occupy. If they couldn’t find one that would go back to where they were cast out and see if it was still unoccupied. If that person had’t filled the evil with good, then the demon could reenter and bring seven more demons with it. Then the person would be worse off than it was before. *** Jesus reminded them of the way the Gentiles (the people of Nineveh, and the queen of Sheba) repented when they heard the truth. They would one day judge the Jews for rejecting The Truth when it came to them. *** Jesus talked to them about how they “saw.” If they were opened to truth, then it lit up their hearts to receive more truth. If they were closed to truth, then their hearts would have not light. *** Lord, may we have hearts full of light and discernment. May we see the truth and embrace it. May we see Satan’s kingdom crumble and your kingdom established on earth.

Sat.’s Devo - Amen!

Read: Deuteronomy 26:1-27:26; Luke 10:38-11:13; Psalm 76:1-12; Proverbs 12:15-17 When they came into the land God promised them and harvest their first fruits of the land, they were to bring them in a basket. They were to tell God who they were and where they came from starting with Abraham. They were to acknowledge all God did for them and how they lived in Egypt till they grew into a mighty nation. When they cried to the Lord for deliverance he brought them out with signs and wonders and brought them to this place. Then they were to set there basket down before the Lord. *** The third year was the year of tithing and all they gave would go to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless and the widow so that they would have plenty to eat. They were to ask God to bless them. *** Moses and the elders told the people to keep all the commandments that God gave them. They set up large stones and plastered them to write all the words of the law on them. They were set up on the side of the Jordan River in the promised land. *** Moses told six of the tribes to stand on Mt. Ebal and read the curses of the law and six of the tribes to stand on Mt. Gerizim and read the blessings of the law. *** First they read the curses. They would evoke a curse if they made metal images to worship, dishonored their parents, moved their neighbor’s landmark, mislead a blind man, perverted justice, lay with their father’s wife, an animal, or any relative, committed murder, took a bribe, or disobeyed the law. After every curse they were to agree with an “Amen.” *** In Luke, we read about how Martha complained about Mary who wanted to sit at Jesus’s feet leaving her with all the busy work. Jesus explained that Mary had chosen the part that no one could take from her. Mary had chosen the spiritual over the natural. *** One of the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray and Jesus taught them the prayer he must have prayed every day. In it he first glorified God and prayed for his kingdom to come. Then he asked for daily needs, forgiveness and help to walk in righteousness. *** Then he told them a parable explaining how we can pray for others. The parable about the man who needed something for someone else. He went to his neighbor who represented God and kept on asking for help until he got it. Jesus explained that we must be like him when we are praying for others and keep praying till we get the answer. God is faithful and will answer our prayers. God is our Father and wants to bless us with gifts even more than we want to give gifts to our children. His greatest gifts are Jesus and the Holy Spirit. *** Lord, may we desire eternal things that will last past our lifetime. May we seek your kingdom, your gifts and your righteousness first. Thank you that you hear and answer our prayers.

Fri.’s Devo - Practical Laws

Read: Deuteronomy 23:1-25:19; Luke 10:13-37; Psalm 75:1-10; Proverbs 12:12-14 God gave them commands about the different people they encountered. No eunuchs, nor their descendants to the tenth generation were allowed in the Lord’s assembly. No Ammonite or Moabite were allowed in the Lord’s assembly for the same amount of time. They hired Balaam to curse Israel and refused to let them pass through their land when they came out of Egypt. God turned Balaam’s curse into a blessing and did not allow him to curse Israel. But, they were not to hate the Edomites because they were their brothers. They were also not to hate the Egyptian because they lived among them. After three generations, their children could enter into the assembly of the Lord. *** God had rules for their hygiene to keep them from sickness. God had rules for honoring one another, taking care of escaped slaves and fair business practices. It was important that they made promises only if they could carry them out. *** Divorced people could not marry again if they had married someone else in between that time. People were not to be kidnapped and trafficked. Laws to protect the dignity and rights of the poor were to be observed. Everyone was responsible for their own actions. They were to treat the foreigner, the orphan and the widow with the same laws and respect they did for others. They were to always remember that they were once slaves in Egypt. *** They were to share their produce with the poor. When a person was condemned in court, his penalty was to be swift and in front of the judge. *** Only if brothers are living together and one dies without an heir was his brother to take his brother’s wife as his wife, so that the offspring could carry on the name of the dead husband. If he doesn’t do this, he is to be publicly shamed. *** God reminded them of what the Amalekites did to them when they came out of Egypt. They were to make sure their memory was blotted out of the earth. *** In Luke, Jesus cursed the different cities that he performed great miracles in. The ones who didn’t repent would receive no mercy in the Judgment. *** The seventy-two that Jesus had sent out came back joyfully reporting how the demons were subject to them. Jesus knew because he had seen Satan falling from heaven like lightning. Satan was being unseated. They had power over all the powers of the enemy and the demons would not hurt them, but the more powerful thing was that their names were written in heaven. *** Jesus rejoiced greatly that his disciples were beginning to do the things he taught them. This was the kingdom of God coming to earth shaking up the status quo in the spiritual realm. *** Jesus was asked by a lawyer what he could do to receive eternal life. He told him to love the Lord with all his heart and others as he loved himself. When the man told him he did this, Jesus gave him the story of the good Samaritan to show him that maybe he wasn’t loving all others as himself. It wasn’t just the people in his circle he was the love, he was also the outcast and the Gentile. Jesus told him to go and show mercy to these people. *** Lord, may we set our affections on what and who you set your affections on. May we walk in the authority you gave us and not be afraid of the devil and his small power. Thank you that you are the God of the impossible.

Thurs.’s Devo - God’s Laws

Read: Deuteronomy 21:1-22:30; Luke 9:51-10:12; Psalm 74:1-23; Proverbs 12:11 God’s laws were given to keep the land pure. If a dead body was found and no one knew how he died, the elders of the nearest city were to offer a heifer that had not been yoked. He was to be brought down to a valley with running water and break its neck. Then the priest were to come forward and wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley. This was their testimony that they didn’t shed his blood and didn’t see who had. By doing this they were removing any guilt from the people of Israel and atoning for his death. *** In this act the heifer stood for the man who died in a valley or veiled in secrecy. They washed their hands over him washing away the guilt of his death. *** If a man married a virgin captive from war and then decided he didn’t want to be married to her, he had to set her free to go wherever she wanted. He could not sell her or use her as a slave because he had humiliated her. *** If a man had two wives and loved one more, he could not take the right of the first born from the son of the wife he loved the least. *** If a man has a son who is a drunkard and a glutton and will not obey his father, he is to be brought before the elders of the city. They were to stone him and remove the evil from their land. *** If a man is punished by hanging on a cross, he must be taken down and buried on the same day because a hung man is a cursed man. To keep him hanging to the next day would defile their land. God’s mercies are new every morning. *** They were to restore any lost animals they found of their neighbors and help their neighbor in times of need. *** God hates mixture so women were to dress like women and men like men. They were not to sow two kinds of seeds together, or wear two kinds of materials together. God will not bless hybrids. *** They were not to kill both the young bird and the mother. Generations must not pay for the sins of their past generations. They were to take care to build with safety of others in mind. *** If a man accuses his wife of not being a virgin when he married her, and there is no evidence of her innocence then she was to be brought to the door of her father’s house and the men of the city would stone her to death. If her father can prove she was a virgin when she married then the husband was to be whipped, fined and could not divorce her all his life. *** The last line gives us a glimpse into what happened with Noah and Ham. To have relations with your father’s wife was to uncover his father’s nakedness. *** In Luke, we see Jesus becoming extremely determined and aware that he only has a short time left on the earth. He makes some statements that show how serious it is to follow him. Then he sends 72 believers ahead of him to tell the people that the kingdom of God has come near to them. Those who received the news would be blessed, those who didn’t would not fair well on Judgment Day. *** Lord, we know that you came near when you came to earth and you are near to us, even in us now. May we live the kingdom in a way that others would want to join us.

Wed.’s Devo - God’s Family

Read: Deuteronomy 18:1-20:20; Luke 9:28-50; Psalm 73:1-28; Proverbs 12:10 The Levite was set apart in every way. His inheritance came from the Lord. He was welcomed to enjoy the offerings for the priests and Levites any time he was near the place of worship. *** When they come into the land the Lord promised and they possess it, they were to rid it of all evil occult practices. God would not speak to them through the evil ways of their enemies. He would speak to his people through a prophet like Moses. A true prophet’s words will come to pass. *** They were to set apart three cities for cities of refuge to protect the innocent wrongly accused of murder. As they continued to be faithful to the Lord and continued to take more territory, they were to designate three more cities of refuge. *** When the Levites were deciding a case, they were to make their decision on the testimony of at least two witnesses. If a false witness is found, then he will receive what he wanted the man accused to receive. *** When they went to war, they were not to compare the size of their enemies armies, because the Lord was on their side. The priests were to encourage the army before they fought and remind them not to be afraid. It was the Lord who would give them the victory. *** The officers were to ask the soldiers if they had any unfinished business at home, or if they were afraid to fight. If any of this was true, they were excused from serving. *** When they came to the city outside the promised land, they were first to offer it the right to surrender. If they surrendered, they were to make slaves of all the people in the city. If they didn’t want to make peace, then they were to kill all the males and take the women and children and livestock as plunder. In the cities within the promised land, they were to kill everyone in the city and leave nothing alive so that they could not teach them their abominable ways. *** They were to leave all the trees that produced fruit and use the others for siegeworks. *** In Luke, Jesus took Peter, James and John up on a mountain with him to pray. It was the eighth day which refers to the “new millennium.” Jesus transformed into his glory before them. They watched in awe as Jesus talked to Moses and Elijah. *** As Peter was preparing them to stay with them on earth, God spoke and told them to listen to Jesus, he was God’s son. Then, Jesus was there alone, and Moses and Elijah were gone. *** The next day, Jesus cast out an evil spirit from a man’s son. Jesus called them a faithless and twisted generation. When the demon manifested through the son, Jesus rebuked the spirit and healed the boy. He gave him back to his father. *** The crowd marveled at what Jesus did, but he told his disciples he was soon going to be handed over to the hands of men. They didn’t understand what he was telling them. Instead, they argued about who would be there greatest in his kingdom. Jesus brought a child before them and said that whoever receives a child in his name receives him and the one who sent him. The least among them will be the greatest. (I’m sure they didn’t get that one either.) *** John told Jesus that there was a man casting out demons in his name and wanted to stop the man because he wasn’t part of their following. Jesus told him not to stop him because if he is not against him, he is on his side. *** We can learn a lot from today’s reading. We are part of a big family of God’s. The Levite from another city and the believer from another group are all part of the same company of believers. Thou we are in the presence of the greatest prophets that lived like Moses and Elijah, the one we are to hear the most is Jesus. Jesus is the one who links us all together as one big family. *** Lord, may we not compartmentalize ourselves because we don’t go to the same church or believe quite the same. May we see other believers as our family and love and accept them as fellow workers in your kingdom.