As I was reading today, I was amazed by the number of times the people repeated the same sins. The high places were not removed. The pagan people lived among of the children of God. The Israelites were reminded not to follow the pagans in their worship or their gods. The children of God would follow most of Gods commands, but not whole heartedly or completely. The cycle continued from generation to generation. The people would partially comply, do better for a while and then fall back into the bad choices because they were so easy to access.
I wonder how many times God has felt the same thing about me. The never ending cycle of bad choices I make, or my repeated stumbling over the same sin. I wonder if I am listening whole heartedly or only partially to the direction He is giving me.
But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul - Joshua 22:5
Obedience: to comply with someones wishes or orders or acknowledgement of their authority. Submission to a law or rule.
Hold fast: to hang on firmly or attach. Of friends, close and loyal.
All: used to refer to the whole quantity or extent of a particular group or thing.
Heart: regarded as the center of a person's thoughts and emotions, esp. love or compassion
Soul: the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal.
We are supposed to submit completely to each of His directions, hold tightly on to Him with both hands and serve him with all that we are.
It sounds like a tall order, but there is more:
We may not always know why God is giving us instructions. The Bible tells us that He will work everything out for our good if we follow Him. If we turn to Him when we don’t understand and have faith that He is up to something good, we will not be disappointed.
We may not always have the strength, but God said He would provide that too! We cannot fight temptation on our own, but if we ask for help, He will give it to us.
We must be willing to listen and follow each of His directions. God only wants the best for us, so if He is moving us away from something it is because He has a better way in mind.
Maybe if I was completely obedient the first time, I wouldn’t keep stumbling over the same obstacles. Maybe if I turned to Jesus instead of fighting on my own, the stumbling blocks would actually become stepping stones.
Lord, I know you want the best for me. I want to be an obedient child, but I confess there are times that I listen to my emotions rather than following You and Your Commands. Teach me how to follow the rules the first time, rather than repeating the same mistakes over and over again. Help me to move forward and grow rather than repeating and never learning. Please help me to be more like Jesus today. Amen.
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