TVCC Students,
We continue to be encouraged to see you all every Wednesday night. It's always refreshing to worship with you guys! Last night we made the switch to Deuteronomy from Hebrews. We will most likely be jumping back into Hebrews once we get a good overview of Deuteronomy and God's heart towards His people then and now. Here is a recap from last night...
~Before jumping straight into Deuteronomy, it's a good idea to find out how the Lord had been dealing with Israel in the past. When we look at Genesis 12, we see that the Lord chose Abram out of all of the people in the world to make a great nation out of him. God promised to give Abram land, a great name, and innumerable descendants. Just as with our salvation, God's choosing of Abram was not based on his good works, nor could Abram sustain the promise. The Lord made this promise and the Lord would keep it! While we often fail to keep our word, the Lord never does! He is faithful!
Q: Have you spent time lately looking through the Word at the promises of God? We encourage you to look through the Psalms this week and throughout the Word to meditate on His promises.
Deuteronomy 1:1-8
~1:1-3: As we saw last week, the journey that should have taken Israel only 11 days ended up taking them 40 years because of their disobedience! Though God never abandoned His people and continued to provide for them throughout their wilderness journey, their disobedience and lack of faith prevented them from being used by the Lord to take the promised land. Instead of enjoying His presence in the land flowing with milk and honey, they wandered aimlessly for years in "survival mode" with the Lord still providing for and sustaining them. We are often in a similar situation as the Israelites. We are offered as much of the Lord as we want. We can enjoy the fullness of His presence here on earth- a spiritual land flowing with milk and honey- or we can just "survive" with the Lord if we choose not to trust and follow His leadership.
Q: What does it look like on a daily basis for you to be resting in the "promised land" of the Lord, enjoying His presence? Do you find yourself walking in obedience to the Lord, ready to be used by Him, or would you say that He could easily see you as one who could be "passed over" as He waits for trust and obedience to come from your children or grandchildren?
~1:3: The book of Deuteronomy is an account of Moses' words to the Israelite nation before they would head into battle with foreign nations to claim the land God had promised to give them. This overtaking of occupied lands would not be easy. Instead of Moses discussing war strategies, He is calling the people to renew their faith in the Lord and walk in obedience to Him. Moses knew Exodus 14:14 really well, "The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent." Battles are not won by the most advanced armies. Battles are won because the Lord allows them to be won! Moses knew this and was calling the people to seek the Lord's favor as the battles approached (Psalm 20:7).
Q: Are you someone who trusts in the Lord to fight on your behalf or are you constantly trying to defend yourself? Remember that we are called to obey and trust Him and let Him be the one that defends and provides for us.
~1:3: While Moses was calling the Israelites to renew their trust in the Lord, he also reminded them often of the past generation that had chosen disobedience over trust. Though that generation was still God's chosen people, He spent their lives disciplining them as a nation just as He often does with us as individuals for a season. When we look at Hebrews 12:4, we see that the Lord disciplines His children for their good. When we find ourselves under the Lord's disciple, let us spend time meditating on that disciple and find out how the Lord is trying to change us. Learn from discipline. Don't get angry or exhausted... repent and change. He wants an intimate relationship with His children.
Q: Can you recall the last time you felt the Lord's discipline? How did you respond to it? Did you find yourself rebelling against Him or ready to repent and change so that you could enjoy a more full and intimate relationship with Him?
~1:3: One thing that we must not look over is the fact that though Israel had walked for a time in disobedience, the Lord was still speaking to them through Moses. The callings of God are irrevocable (Romans 11:29). Once we are the Lord's through faith in Christ, nothing can change that!
~1:4-8: Moses ends this section with some strong action words! He calls the Israelites to "go," "turn," and "set their journey." He was calling them to stop wandering and to take what the Lord had promised to give them! We can look at our calling as believers in Christ and see a similar charge in Romans 12. Let us be transformed by the Lord and walk in a manner that pleases Him! Let us not settle for being mediocre. Let us not just wander aimlessly through life! Let us throw off anything that hinders us from having an intimate relationship with Jesus and enjoy the fullness of His presence. He died so we could walk in intimacy with Him!
Q: What is hindering you from walking in an intimate relationship with the Lord? By His Spirit, we encourage you to throw that off this week and walk in freedom with Christ!
Dear students,
We love you all so much. We are so honored to get to walk with you in this journey to know, love, and glorify Jesus. We pray that this week you will meditate on Jesus. Spend time enjoying Him through His Word and spend time thinking on His promises that will never fail. We are praying for you!
With hope,
~Sonny and Casi
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