Growing up, I fought a persistent battle with fear, especially fear of death. As an atheist, my life was the mere result of random chance. I thought I was the master of my own fate, and I knew I was not a very good master. I was just one of five billion people in the world, weak in both the physical and moral sense of the word.
Fear is a completely natural by-product of a lack of faith in a good, all-powerful God.
As God prepares Joshua for his new job as leader of the Israelite nation, God is so kind to remind Joshua that He is going with him and that He is a promise-keeping God.
Friends, if you are a child of God, God is with you, too. He will not leave you or forsake you. He is with you WHEREVER you go. But you need to be strong and courageous to do the things He has called you to do.
If he wants to reach the Promised Land, Joshua will have to step into the rushing Jordan River. Likewise, if you want to follow God, you will have to take that first step of obedience.
That first step is often the scariest. Speaking up when it’s easier to be silent. Knocking on a new neighbor’s door. Saying goodbye to a boyfriend who’s no good for you. These are hard things, but if we never take that first step we will never see where the road leads. And taking that first scary step is much, much less frightening when you know that the Lord has called you to it, and that He is with you.
I’m praying for you.
Heavenly Father, please help us to take that first step of obedience, to strike out into the unknown. Help us to be strong and courageous, believing without a doubt that You will never leave us or forsake us, that You are with us wherever we go. Please guide us by Your Holy Spirit. Convict us of our sin, our sins of unbelief, cowardice, and complacency. Help us to love You with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. For the glory of Your Name, and in the power of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Deuteronomy 33-34
Sixteen years ago my youngest son was born. He is the “son of my old age” 😂 and the source of great joy in my life. Watching him grow to a man before my very eyes has truly been a treasure. Reading Deuteronomy 33-34, I was reminded that Moses never knew these twelve sons of Israel. They’d all passed into eternity before Moses has even been born – as had Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob themselves – yet God remained faithful to His promises for their offspring.
“…This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, ‘I will give it to your offspring’…”
Deuteronomy 34:4 ESV
I want to take this page today to offer up a prayer for my son, along with my other children, and to the offspring that the Lord will give me through each of them.
Heavenly Father, Being a mother is a high calling and privilege. It is an honor to carry a child in the womb, to birth a helpless little baby, and to bring it up day after day in the fear and knowledge of the Lord. I have often fallen short, so I ask You to cover my shortcomings with Your grace and wisdom.
Bless my children. Bless the spouses that You have provided (and will provide) for them. Bless the children that they will bear, along with their children’s children, the children I may never see with my own eyes or hold in my arms, but who will walk in the legacy that my husband and I are leaving behind.
Father, I don’t ask for financial or physical blessings. Rather, I ask You for spiritual blessings – the blessings of faith, wisdom, righteousness, peace, and joy – founded on their trust in You. I ask for deep and abiding relationships between the mothers and their children, the fathers and their children, and especially between the husband and his wife, because these relationships point to You – Your faithfulness, Your kindness, Your integrity.
I pray that my family line will be full of servant-leaders, humble men and women willing to sacrifice their own comfort for the good of others and for the glory of Your Name. May the light of Christ shine out of them, that others will be drawn to You through their life and testimony.
In the Name of Jesus Christ, Our Perfect Example and Perfect Savior, I pray. Amen.
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Deuteronomy 31:14-32:52
And the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers. Then this people will rise and whore after the foreign gods among them in the land that they are entering, and they will forsake me and break my covenant that I have made with them. Then my anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide my face from them, and they will be devoured. And many evils and troubles will come upon them, so that they will say in that day, ‘Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?’ And I will surely hide my face in that day because of all the evil that they have done, because they have turned to other gods.
“Now therefore write this song and teach it to the people of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the people of Israel. For when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me and break my covenant. And when many evils and troubles have come upon them, this song shall confront them as a witness (for it will live unforgotten in the mouths of their offspring). For I know what they are inclined to do even today, before I have brought them into the land that I swore to give.”
So Moses wrote this song the same day and taught it to the people of Israel.
Deuteronomy 31:16-22 ESV
In reading Deuteronomy 32, the song of Moses, don’t forget these words from Deuteronomy 32. This song has purpose, as all songs do. Songs have the power to drill words deep into hearts. I can recite word for word songs from my childhood and my teenage years even though I haven’t heard them for years. How about you?
What songs are your kids listening to?
What songs are you listening to?
What music is playing in your car? In your home? In your mind?
What songs do you sing at church on Sunday mornings? Are they rich? Are they lovely? Do they draw your heart to worship the Lord and do they teach timeless truths?
If you’ve been reading my blog regularly, you’ll know how often I share a song to go with the scripture for that day. I’m so very thankful that the Lord gave us the gift of music – that we can give it back to Him, but also that we can have a song reverberating in our own hearts and minds as we go throughout our day.
Heavenly Father, Thank You for giving us the gift of music. We want to give it back to You. We want to worship You in song. With words and with musical instruments, we pour out our praise and our griefs before You. Help us pay careful watch to the music that we’re putting in our mouths and our minds. We want to memorize whatever is true and lovely and good and excellent and praiseworthy. We don’t want ugly songs stuck inside our heads. Please, Lord, prick our hearts with these words from Your Scriptures today and help us to be careful how we walk. In the Name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Come Thou Fount (Above All Else) – Shane and Shane
There is a Fountain Filled with Blood
1 There is a fountain filled with blood Drawn from Immanuel’s veins; And sinners, plunged beneath that flood, Lose all their guilty stains: Lose all their guilty stains, Lose all their guilty stains; And sinners, plunged beneath that flood, Lose all their guilty stains. 2 The dying thief rejoiced to see That fountain in his day; And there may I, though vile as he, Wash all my sins away: Wash all my sins away, Wash all my sins away; And there may I, though vile as he, Wash all my sins away. 3 Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood Shall never lose its power, Till all the ransomed ones of God Be saved, to sin no more: Be saved, to sin no more, Be saved, to sin no more; Till all the ransomed ones of God, Be saved to sin no more. 4 E’er since by faith I saw the stream Thy flowing wounds supply, Redeeming love has been my theme, And shall be till I die: And shall be till I die, And shall be till I die; Redeeming love has been my theme, And shall be till I die. 5 When this poor lisping, stammering tongue Lies silent in the grave, Then in a nobler, sweeter song, I’ll sing Thy power to save: I’ll sing Thy power to save, I’ll sing Thy power to save; Then in a nobler, sweeter song, I’ll sing Thy power to save.
First Moses told all Israel, “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 ESV
Next, Moses immediately summoned Joshua to tell him personally, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” (Deuteronomy 31:7-8)
Several months ago I deleted my Facebook account. I don’t miss it much. I’ve gained more than I’ve lost. But one thing I do miss is reading Sunshine Meister’s beautifully written testimonies of God’s daily sustaining grace in her life after her son Nahum’s traumatic brain injury in 2021. This morning I woke up thinking about her and tried to find a way to follow her somewhere other than Facebook, and I stumbled on this testimony on YouTube.
Her words will encourage you more than mine. To God be the glory. Do not fear or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you.
Sunshine Meister – Finding Comfort in God’s Presence
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Deuteronomy 29-30
And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: “You have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders. But to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear.”
Deuteronomy 29:2-4 ESV
These people were eyewitnesses to numerous unexplainable miracles, yet they didn’t understand. Like Jesus who spoke with such wisdom, yet many didn’t understand.
Each of us need the Lord’s tender hands to circumcise our hearts and our children’s hearts, so that we will love the LORD our God with all our heart and soul, that we may live. (Deuteronomy 30:6)
Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, I have seen You work with my own eyes, yet I am so quick to forget. I’m quick to go astray, to wander away from You. Please, open the eyes of my heart, that I might truly see and believe. Please, circumcise my heart, though it’s painful, I need it. I have grown calloused. Break my heart for what breaks Yours. Strengthen me to obey You, loving You with all my heart, soul, strength, and mind, and loving my neighbor as myself. In the Name of Jesus Christ, my perfect example and my Savior, Amen.
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Deuteronomy 27-28
In Deuteronomy 27:14, the Levites (the priests) were told to declare a series of curses to all the men of Israel in a loud voice. After voicing these curses for disobeying God’s commands, then they were to share the blessings for obedience, followed once again by more pronouncements of God’s judgment on their disobedience.
No one likes to tell others about the hard things going on in life. It’s so much more fun to just talk about the happy stuff – the joys of marriage, the highlights of homeschooling, the achievements of our children. Likewise, our churches are full of messages about HEAVEN and BLESSINGS and GOOD NEWS!
But, the thing is that only telling half the truth is really deceptive, and the GOOD NEWS is really so much sweeter when you know the bad news.
The bad news is that you are a sinner through and through.
The bad news is that on your own you can’t do anything good.
The bad news is that you deserve God’s wrath.
The bad news is that (apart from the saving grace of God) you are destined for eternity in hell.
The bad news is just as true as the good news.
The good news is that Jesus became a curse for me.
The good news is that Jesus delivered me from my path straight to hell.
The good news is that Jesus paid the price for my sin by His death on the cross.
The good news is that Jesus is my Savior and my Friend.
We have to tell the good news and the bad, the curses and the blessings. They’re both true and they both need to be proclaimed.
“This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
The Lord has brought the people out of their slavery in Egypt, and now He is bringing them into this blessed land flowing with milk and honey. The commanded response, as well as the logical response of gratitude, is to offer back to God some of the fruit of this land – and not just any of the fruit, but the first fruits. Giving first fruits demonstrates faith and dependence on the Lord.
But, if I’m honest with myself and with you, I have to confess how stingy I am with the many gifts that the Lord has given me, whether with my time, my talents, my treasures, or my testimony. I treat these things as though I have earned them myself rather than recognizing that they are gifts from God, given to me to give back to Him and to share with others.
Heavenly Father, I pray that I would have a heart overflowing with gratitude for all that You have given me. Truly, what do I have that I haven’t been given? Where would I be today if You hadn’t brought me by the hand every step of the way? Now, today, I offer back to You the first fruits of my labor. My children, my home, my work, my mind and mouth and money, are Yours. I give them back to You as an offering of praise. They are Yours. They were given to me by You, and now I again give them back to You, laying them down, prying my fingers off of them, leaving them on the altar of Your Holy presence. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Deuteronomy 24-25
Again and again the Lord makes special provision for the sojourner , the fatherless, and the widow. Reading through my Bible today, and not getting much out of these chapters of “various laws,” my eyes feel upon a note in my Bible’s margin from the last time I read it cover to cover.
Sojourner – God is my resting place.
Fatherless – God is my father.
Widow – I am His bride.
Sisters, write notes in your Bible that you can find next year. Leave reminders to yourself of how the Lord turns your heart while you read His Word. Let these remind you – and those who come after you.
As members of God’s kingdom, we’re all sojourners, wanderers, aliens in this world. Our true citizenship is in heaven. God has called us to be His ambassadors.
As members of God’s family, we’re His children and He is our Father. We can come to Him with confidence, knowing that He loves us dearly and cares for us tenderly, as a Father loves and cares for his children.
As the bride of Christ, we are called to be shining lights for Him, His hands and feet on earth, humbly depending on Him for strength, comfort, and guidance.
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Deuteronomy 22-23
I’m prone to losing stuff. Usually the items are lost in my home. At least once a week, I can’t seem to find my keys, my purse, my sunglasses, or whatever. But sometimes I lose something when I’m out somewhere, most often my purse. When I was younger – like less than 40 ☺️ – I forgot my purse in the grocery cart with remarkable regularity. (I’d like to say I’m not so forgetful anymore, but I’m afraid that the real reason I no longer do that is that I rarely go shopping anymore, preferring the convenience of grocery pickup or delivery.)
Well, anyway, it seems I’ve passed on my forgetful genes to my youngest son (and at least one of his siblings). Last Saturday, my son was playing basketball in our church parking lot. He took his wallet out of his pocket and set it carefully on the cement light pole for safe keeping, fully intending to replace it in his pocket when the game was done. You know how the story ends, don’t you? Several hours later, when he went to put his wallet in his pocket before heading to work, he couldn’t find it and, in fact, couldn’t even remember where it was. Thankfully, I recovered said wallet from the church parking lot without a hitch. Not a dollar missing. 🎉🎉🎉
“You shall not see your brother’s ox or his sheep going astray and ignore them. You shall take them back to your brother. And if he does not live near you and you do not know who he is, you shall bring it home to your house, and it shall stay with you until your brother seeks it. Then you shall restore it to him. And you shall do the same with his donkey or with his garment, or with any lost thing of your brother’s, which he loses and you find; you may not ignore it. You shall not see your brother’s donkey or his ox fallen down by the way and ignore them. You shall help him to lift them up again.”
Deuteronomy 22:1-4 ESV
What a perfect reading for me this week! I prayed, “Father, help me to do to others as I’d have done to me, to go the extra mile to restore whatever was lost!”
And suddenly I thought of the parables that Jesus told as recorded in Luke 15, the parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son.
“Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Luke 15:8-10 ESV
Friends, as much as we should help restore to our neighbor a lost wallet, how much more should we seek diligently to restore a lost soul. A lost human being is of infinitely greater worth than a thousand lost sheep or a million lost wallets.
What is more valuable to you, your neighbor’s stuff or your neighbor’s soul?
Heavenly Father, You are my greatest treasure. You are worth more to me than all the money in the world. Help me to love my neighbor as myself. Help me to love my neighbor’s children as I love my own. Help me to be faithful to love what You love, to be about my Father’s business of seeking and saving the lost. Please forgive me, Lord, for not making the most of every opportunity because of my own selfishness. Lord, break my heart for what breaks Yours. I love You, Lord. Thank You for Your love for me, for chasing me down and running to me with open arms. In the name of Jesus Christ, my Savior and Redeemer I pray. Amen.
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Deuteronomy 20-21
And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance.
Deuteronomy 21:22-23 ESV
The Hebrews understand thisnot of putting to death by hanging, but of hanging a man up after he was stoned to death; which was done more ignominiously of some heinous malefactors.
We have the examples of Rechab and Baanah, who, for murdering Ish-bosheth, were slain by David’s commandment, their hand and feet cut off, and then hanged up. 2Sa 4:12; See also Jos 8:29; Jos 10:26.
So Num 25:4; we read, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Take all the heads (chief men) of the people, and hang them up before the LORD against the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel.”
Among the Romans, in after ages, they hanged, or rather fastened to the tree ALIVE; and such was the cruel death of our blessed LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ.
“Treasury of Scripture Knowledge” — accessed via Blue Letter Bible
And in reference to the phrase, “a hanged man is cursed by God,” the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge has this to say,
That is, it is the highest degree of reproach that can attach to a man, and proclaims him under the curse of God as much as any external punishment can. They that see him thus hanging between heaven and earth, will conclude him abandoned of both, and unworthy of either.
Bp. Patrick observes, that this passage is applied to the death of Christ; not onlybecause he bare our sins and was exposed to shame, as these malefactors were that were accursed of God, but because he was in the evening taken down from the cursed tree and buried, (and that by the particular care of the Jews, with an eye to this law, Jhn 19:31,) in token, that now the guilt being removed, the law was satisfied, as it was when the malefactors had hanged till sun-set: it demanded no more. Then he, and those that are his, ceased to be a curse.
And as the land of Israel was pure and clean when the body was buried, so the church is washed and cleansed by the complete satisfaction which Christ thus made.
“Treasury of Scripture Knowledge” — accessed via Blue Letter Bible
Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your mercy. Thank You for Your Son’s sacrifice on my behalf, for taking on the death that I deserved, for becoming a curse for me. Thank You that You are just, and that my account has been marked “paid in full,” that it is indeed finished, that Jesus has already satisfied the penalty for my sin. And now all I can say is Thank You. Father, help me to live a grateful life, a redeemed life, the life of a death-row criminal who has been set free and given a second chance at life. I want to walk in JOY and FREEDOM. Give me the strength, please, by Your Holy Spirit at work in me. I pray in the name of Jesus who took my place. Amen.
Teach What is Good 
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