Thur.’s Devo - Love the Lord

Read: Deuteronomy 5:1-6:25; Luke 7:11-35; Psalm 68:19-35; Proverbs 11:29-31 God had made a covenant with the children of Israel at Horeb. He emphasized that he made it with them and not their children. He gave them the ten commandments which sum up all the other commandments. God himself wrote them and did it amidst fire, the cloud and thick darkness. All of them had drawn near and had seen the glory of God and heard his voice. The people agreed to obey the Lord and he heard their promise. God lamented that he wished they would always have a heart to hear him and obey him so that it would always go well for them. *** God commanded them to continue to love him with all their heart, soul and might and to teach their children to do the same. When they enter the land he promised them and live in prosperity and wealth, they are not to forget the Lord who did all this for them. They are not to be tempted to worship the gods of the inhabitants of the land. *** When asked by their children, why they follow the laws of the Lord, they are to tell them how he delivered them from the bondage of the Egyptians with great signs and wonders and brought them to this land. He commanded them to keep his laws so that he could preserve them and keep them safe. *** In Luke, Jesus went to Nain with his disciples and the crowd that were now following him. They came to the gate of the city where a man was being brought out who had died. The man was his mother’s only son. Jesus had compassion on the mother and told her not to weep. He touched the bier that the man was in and told the man to arise. He woke up from his death and was returned to his mother. The people saw this and feared and worshiped the Lord. They believed Jesus to be a great prophet and his fame spread. *** The disciples of John reported to John what Jesus was doing. John sent them to Jesus to ask him if he was indeed the Messiah or should they keep looking for him to come. Jesus told them to tell John all he was doing - the blind were seeing, the lame walking, the lepers were cleansed, the deaf were hearing and the dead were raised. Then he added blessed are those who are not offended in me. I wonder if he didn’t add this last statement because John was offended that he was still in prison when the scriptures say that the Messiah would open the prison doors and set the prisoner free. Jesus wanted him to rejoice in what God was doing, and not in what he was not doing. This is a great word for us. When we don’t see what we are praying for answered, we should rejoice at all the prayers God has answered. We don’t understand God’s total plan and neither did John. *** Jesus then spoke to the people about John praising him as being the greatest prophet of all time. His calling was to prepare the people for the coming of the Lord and he had done just that. The same people that had a hard time accepting John because he wasn’t what they had expected, were the same ones who were having a hard time accepting Jesus because he wasn’t what they had expected. *** Lord, may we give you all our expectations of how you are supposed to be working right now. May we accept your ways and thank you for the things we do see and help us have faith to keep believing in you when we don’t understand.