Tuesday 18 Feb 2014

Tuesday Reading: Deuteronomy 31:24-29

Key Verse: Deuteronomy 31:29
For I know that after my death you will become utterly corrupt, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you. And evil will befall you in the latter days, because you will do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger through the work of your hands.”

Devotion:
These are some of the words that Moses said to the people of Israel before he passed the banner on to Joshua to lead them into the Promised Land. God had told Moses that he would not be allowed to do that and Moses had to come to terms with that. He also knew what the people were like because he had led them for some time now; so these words are a warning to the people to make sure that they do not turn away from God’s Word.

Sometimes you may well feel like Moses felt here thinking that as soon as you stop teaching the people or turn you back to do something else, the people will run off and turn away from God. It is very hard to leave a place and move on to do further work for God when you have feelings like that. I cannot pretend to think what was going on in Moses’ head at the time, but I know that this is a difficult position to be in. What we have to do in these cases is to trust that God has led you to the right place and in the right way ahead.

Quite often we cannot see the big picture like God can and we certainly cannot tell what is going to happen in the future; but God does and He alone is the one to guide us forward. Placing our full trust in Him can be difficult when all we see is doom and gloom, but that is what He requires of us. God has asked us to tell others about Him and to spread the Gospel. If we are faithful to do that, then He will be the one who sets the people’s hearts ablaze or not.

We may know, or think we know, that the people will turn away from God as soon as our backs are turned, but we have managed to plant the seeds. As long as we have tried to water them and nurture them to set hold, we have done what God has required. I love teaching young people about God because I can relate to them face to face even though I am getting old (or already old in their counting.) I know that I have to feed the youth, but I know that I also have to allow them to grow in their own ways too as God leads them forward.
 
Points to Ponder:
Do you worry about others?

Are you giving them up to God?