- Look down from your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless your people Israel and the ground that you have given us, as you swore to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey. Deuteronomy 26:15 – The image being set up here by Moses is a man who faithfully obeyed all that God had told him to do with his offerings. He gave his offerings in the right way, at the right time, to the right people, and didn’t take any back for himself. He did according to all that God commanded him. Now it appears in our verse that he is demanding God to bless him for his obedience. Is that alright? Can we “demand” God to bless us? No, I don’t believe that our holy living gives us a position to demand blessing from God as if we have earned some sort of payment. Yet I do believe God longs for His faithful followers to live in expectation of blessing for He promised to give such blessings so those who follow His word. That’s the image we are getting in this verse, a faithful follower of the Lord in prayer telling God he remembers the Lord’s promises of blessing and desires them. That sort of heart is pleasing to the Lord. One that serves faithfully and one that remembers the Lord’s promises and waits expectantly for them. In your life don’t foster a relationship with God that mirrors that of a vending machine, where you put in the right amount of holy living and it dumps out the blessing you want. That’s not the image in scripture we get of a relationship we are to have with God. Instead live holy, for God has already blessed you abundantly, knowing that even though He doesn’t have to bless you anymore than He has, because He loves you He will still shower you with more blessing as you follow Him. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 3464
- And behold, now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, which you, O Lord, have given me.’ And you shall set it down before the Lord your God and worship before the Lord your God. Deuteronomy 26:10 – Out of the abundance of our blessing God asks us to remember what He’s done for us and show Him our gratitude for it. Notice that it wasn’t a we give first then God blesses. God flooded His people with blessing, gave them the land He promised long ago to give them, then once they were in the promise He asked them to remember what He had done for them and show their gratitude. Let’s not only today remember all the wondrous things God has done in our story, but let’s seek out ways to show our gratitude for them. Let the way you live your life demonstrate to God you realize He’s the one who provided for you and you want to say thank you for it. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1321
- Deuteronomy 26 – Pastor Mac Daily DEVO When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance and have taken possession of it and live in it…Deuteronomy 26:1 – Moses was directing the people how to demonstrate their gratitude towards God and how to show they acknowledgment God as the one who provided this Promise Land. They were to give God the first of their harvest and declare when they do all that God had done for them up to that point. Yet what is striking to me is the first word here, “When.” This is something only a God who sees all and is over all can say. When you come into the land and have your harvest and have your abundance, then… Not if all this works out or if I’m able to provide, but when. So much changes when the “if” becomes a “when.” Think about how your life would be different if many of the “when’s” from the Lord were “if’s.” IF you make it into Heaven, IF I’m able to provide for you, IF I see you. Thankfully that’s not our story with God. Like the Israelites walking into their promise land, we’re walking in the “when’s.” When we all get to Heaven, when the Lord provides, when the Lord sees. Know our God is fully able and fully present for you. When God says something will take place you can be assured it will take place. When God says He’ll be there, He’ll be there. This is the God we serve. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2451
Daily DEVO 