EXPAND TO READ: DEUTERONOMY 8 (HCSB)
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verse 2): I don’t know if they were directly tests from You or just the complacency of life, but I do feel like there have been times in my life, since coming to faith, which kind of just levelled out similar to the 40-year journey described here. Was that a test of my heart and my faithfulness to You? I don’t know for sure, but what I do know is that I failed them most of the time if they were tests. I regressed frequently and quickly. I dipped back into my old ways often to the point that I became a worse off man than if I would’ve just stayed stagnant in my daily walk. Please forgive me for this, Father. I know I have made many mistakes, especially in the ”journey” periods of my life. Help me to be better in these moments. Remind me that You are always with me and that no matter what I am going through, that I should always be reaching out to You through it all.
PROMISE (verse 19): Your promise here can also be seen as a command. You tell Your people to never forget You and to never go after other gods to worship as we will surely perish if we do so. I have been known to place my focus and time on the things of this life instead of You. I am not proud of that, but I am grateful for the reminder here to always keep You as my top priority. Help me to live in this promise, Father, so that You are always number one in my life. Help me to live in this promise, Father, so that I do not perish. Help me to live in this promise, Father, so that I am a kingdom example to all those I encounter in my life, especially my family.
ATTITUDE (verses 14, 17): Pride is such a difficult thing for me to avoid and overcome. I do dip into my selfish pride quite often and that is not how You expect me to behave in this life. You say here to be careful that our heart does not become proud, causing us to forget the Lord our God who brought us out of slavery. Although this reference is tied directly to the slavery Your people under Moses experienced in Egypt, I feel it can also be referencing generic slavery to my flesh, the world, other idols/gods, etc. Help me to no longer live in my fleshly pride, Father. Help me to embrace an attitude of pride in my faith and in You, not myself.
COMMAND (verses 6, 11, 14, 19): You say this several times throughout this chapter, so it must be an extremely important command to follow. To summarize them, You are essentially telling us to ensure we never forget You or Your teachings and to always keep Your commands by walking in Your will for our lives. Even though I have known this command pretty much my entire faith life, I have struggled with abiding in this command fully. I often think that I can do this by myself or maybe that I’m too weak to do this. I often think that asking for help from others or seeking spiritual guidance is showing my weakness to the world, which goes completely against my worldly upbringing. Breaking old habits is tough, but I know it is worth it for You, Father. Help me to be better at following this command, so that I may always abide in Your will for my life and live in a way that is pleasing to You, Father.
EXAMPLE (verse 5): I find this one verse a great reflection of my relationship with You. It brings me closer to You, because You are directly showing us here how You are our Father and we are Your sons. I do struggle with the father-son relationship as a whole because I do not have one with my earthly father. The small bits of things I remember from my earthly father were almost entirely negative, unfortunately. I need to remember that I cannot use this bad example of fatherhood in my relationship with You, because You are a perfect Father which no person on this earth can compare to. The flaws of the earthly fathers are out of their own brokenness, but You have no brokenness. Why do I still struggle so much with truly embracing You as my Father instead of just my God, my Lord and Savior? Why do I struggle so much with truly experiencing what a perfect Father is like? Thank You for the lessons You’re teaching me as a father teaches his son in this life. Thank You for adopting me as Your son as I would be lost without You as my true, heavenly, perfect Father in this life.
*DAILY NOTE: This chapter definitely comes right at me. It speaks to commitment to my faith, obedience, fleshly pride, fully trusting in You, the relationship I have with You being a perfect Father to imperfect son relationship, and so much more. I really needed today’s conversation, Father. Thank You so much for speaking with me today and for helping me to abide in Your will for my life. I may not know what the next steps are, but I do know that if I remain consistent in learning from You, trusting You, and embracing a fear of disappointing You, then I will live my life in a way that is pleasing to You. Help me to truly hear You, Father, as I continue down my journey of spiritual maturity and righteous manhood. I know I am not perfect, but I also know that with You all things are possible. Help me to always live this and embrace this in my heart. Help me to no longer allow my fleshly pride to take over me, so that You are always what is being portrayed to those around me, Father.
EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES
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