deu06-10

21 January 2007

“THE GREAT CATASTROPHE”

Deuteronomy 6:10-15

This sixth chapter of Deuteronomy is of the most important work in the Hebrew Scriptures.   Come to know it, spend time there.  Here, the divine expectation to love God and God alone is clearly stated in poetic brilliance. 

Let’s do a little review:

Love God with everything you’ve got.

Tell that to your children

                Wear it on your hands

Wear it on your heads

                                                Put that on the doorposts of your home

In other words, people ought not to guess you love the Lord.

Received the Law PERSONALLY

Teach the Law DILIGENTLY

Live the Law COMPLETELY

With all of that said and all that God has done for us, is it possible to live outside of that reality?  Said differently, here is the expectation, the demand of God and yet we are more often than not using our successes and personally prosperity as an opportunity to take God out of our lives. 

Of all the sins in the world, the most egregious is the sin of ingratitude.

To not be grateful for what God and/or someone else has provided for me.

We lie in a culture of entitlement.  We believe that just because we are, somebody owe us something.

People do not owe you anything but a bad time.

If you and I are living in a day that is just ordinary, uneventful, we should thank God.

Could have been dead and gone

Could have been killed by someone driving DWI

Could have been sick, terminally

Could have lost my job

Could have been homeless

Could have been

But by the grace of God…here I am

Some reminders (friendly) about your and my life.

1.                    You Just did not arrive at success

God made this promise to your ancestors.  Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

God’s promises have no expiration date.

2.                    God provided you with both opportunity and resources to achieve. 

WE did not build, plant or    but God has given us access to these things to God’s glory.

Remember from whence you came.  If you got any smidgen of color in you, and even some of us who do not, if you are on this continent, you descended from slaves

3.                    Don’t forget to give God thanks.

I was taught to give credit where it is due.  And the end of the awards shows, actors and performers come to a stage.  We are sometimes bored by their incessant droning but what they are really trying to do is give credit to all the people who made their achievements possible.

Why don’t you get out a piece of paper right now and see how hard it is to do.  Who are all the people who poured into your life and made you a better person, put you where you are. Showed you the ropes?

You can’t do it.

Give glory to God saints.