Deuteronomy
10:16-17 and 20-21 - Circumcise your
hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. For the Lord your God is God of gods
and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no
partiality and accepts no bribes.
….. Fear the Lord your God and serve him. Hold fast to
him and take your oaths in his name. He is the one you praise; he is your
God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw
with your own eyes.
Moses speech
to the Israelites before they crossed over the Jordan to possess the new land
God had promised was quite lengthy. Spanning several chapters…it repeats much
of what Moses has already told them. He may not get to go with the physically…but
he will leave with them what he hopes will be the words of encouragement and
strength to sustain them when they leave him.
He told them
that they would need to circumcise their hearts if they were to leave their
stubborn….’stiff-necked’ tendencies on this side of the Jordan. He told them
that serving God…holding fast to Him would be their only hope of survival in
this new land. We will hear these words again in Deuteronomy 30…and Joshua will
repeat them later as well.
Romans 2:29
tries to explain it further… “No, a
person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the
heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person's praise is not
from other people, but from God.” It sounds complicated…but it’s really
not. God just wants us to peel back the
layers of doubt and worldly influence in our lives…and let him have complete control.
I needed the reminder
that all I really need is God. My sweet granddaughter asked me this week what
my dream home would look like. Knowing deep down that there were a few things I
would love to change about the home God had given me…I chose instead to answer her
that I was already in it. Sure I would love to have more…but that is the world
telling me that. The spirit that God gives tells me that what I have now is all
he needs me to have to do his will. If I
need more…he will add it when I need it.
Father…thank you for the
reminder that I have everything that I need to love you and serve you with my
whole heart. Forgive me for the times that I allow that worldly skin to build
up around my heart. Help me to circumcise
my heart anew each morning….with praises to you...the one true God. Give me a
thankful heart that wants to serve you and love you more than anything else in
the world. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment