Deuteronomy 4:27-31 - The LORD will
scatter you among the peoples, and only a few of you will
survive among the nations to which the LORD will drive
you. There you
will worship man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell. But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him
with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress
and all these things have happened to you, then in later days
you will return to the LORD your God and obey him. For the LORD your God is a
merciful God; he will not abandon or
destroy you or forget the covenant
with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath.
Moses was on a roll now….the knowledge of
his death…..knowing these were his last words to the people he had directed for
the last 40 years of his life…he spilled out his heart along with all the
knowledge God had placed there for him to share. How precious to him it must have been to know
the future of these people…and with an unwavering faith reveal it to them
before his death. How completely a spirit of pure peace must have washed over
him as he told them about both the good and bad of life to come.
He wasn’t just talking about the Israelites
you know….he was talking about you and me as well. All of us that have chosen
to be his people are scattered from one end of the Earth to the other…and all
of us have fallen way short of the true worship God set up for us with those 10
original rules. We have been tricked into worshiping the idols of the world
like money….pride…..success….lust…just like he predicted. All of our lives are mixtures of good and bad
things…as God allows.
Even my own family is scattered….making
Christmas this year just a bit different.
Some chose to start new traditions with new family…some were unable to
travel because of recent injuries…and so Christmas celebrations will be done in
shifts…not on the traditional days I was used to. Just like God to make sure I read this chapter…when
I was struggling with missing some of my family this year….just like God to
remind me that the spirit of Christmas can travel many miles like those wise
men that visited Jesus at his birth.
Moses was telling us that wherever we are
this Christmas…if we seek God first…with our whole heart and soul….the gaps
created by tragedy …divorce …even death….will disappear in his sweet mercy and
grace. His compassion and love will
replace the sadness….loneliness…and bitterness…with a new passion to live for
him. Even if all is bad for the moment…all
will be good again….as he sees fit to reveal his goodness to us…..and allow us
to grown in knowledge of him and his love. God’s peace takes over and all is
good…even when it looks bleak and dark outside.
Father…I thank you for the goodness and
peace you give in my moments of sadness…and loneliness. I thank you for the family that is present in
body…for the family that is just a phone call away…and for the family that I will
be forever connected to in Heaven. Help
me to cling to the peace and love that you provide to help me accept the times
that I can’t hug my kids in person….and hug them for me today and every day to
come… protect them from any evil lurking close by. Bring about a need in every life to seek you
just a bit more as Christmas disappears in the paper we throw away…and the
decorations we pack for next year. Keep
your spirit around and show us how to celebrate your birthday…..every day of
the year to come. Amen.
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