-October 9, 2020-
Good morning, happy Friday,
-Following And Obeying The Lord-
“You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.”
(Deuteronomy 13:4).
The Lord God gave Israel the Ten Commandments and many other commandments covering all aspects of how they should live their lives. In particular, He warned them against idolatry. The Lord knew their hearts and how prone they were to stray from Him. It is in this context Moses gives them today’s verse to show them how to follow and obey Him in order to please Him. We, like them, are prone to wander.
Moses gives them six things to do that will keep them on track spiritually and walking in God’s will. We as believers in Jesus Christ should take heed to these things in our lives today. This verse was one we memorized in our Bible memory class at church. If you haven’t memorized it already, I highly recommend it.
Walk after the Lord your God – It is so important to follow Christ. Jesus said, “…I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life” (John 8:12). Each time Jesus called someone to Himself, He said, “Follow Me.” He is the way and leads us in the way we should go.
Fear Him – To fear the Lord is to reverence Him, honor Him, and want to please Him in all things. Solomon wrote, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10). It is not be afraid of Him, but respecting and having the right attitude toward Him.
Keep His commandments – When one of the scribes asked Jesus which commandment was the foremost of all, our Savior told him to love the Lord with all one’s heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love one’s neighbor as himself. Those two commands summarize the whole law. If God says do it we should do it and if He says not to do it, we shouldn’t do it.
Obey His voice – We should listen to the Lord’s voice as He speaks to us and guides us along the path of life. Jesus said in John 10:27-28, “ My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. Since Jesus is our Shepherd and we are His sheep, we listen only to His voice.
Serve Him – Our highest calling in life is to serve the Lord. Joshua told the Israelites to choose whom they would serve, the false gods of the past or present or the Lord God of Israel. He said, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). serving the Lord is not just doing our ministries at church, but involves everything we do for the Lord and in His name at home, work, school, or wherever we go. It is a way of life. It is doing anything and everything for the Lord.
Hold fast to Him – Holding fast to the Lord is clinging to our Lord, taking a stand for Him, and not compromising our principles no matter what others say or do. Revelation 2:5 says, “But hold fast what you have till I come.” The Lord Jesus is our Rock and we hold fast to Him in times of adversity and prosperity.
Let us then walk after the Lord, fear Him, keep His commandments, obey His voice, serve Him, and hold fast to Him. It comes down to following the Lord and obeying Him. It is a choice we make and a path we take.
Have a blessed day following the Lord and obeying Him in all things. Stay safe and healthy.
Dean
Dean Allen's Daily Devotional 