365 Reflections

Deuteronomy 7 works as a whole. It begins with God's instructions for His people to totally destroy the nations they are entering. It ends with a reminder not to desire or keep any of these nations' objects of value. In the middle of the chapter, God tells them why. In the second verse: Deuteronomy 7:2 (ESV)   and when the Lord your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them. And the end: Deuteronomy 7:25–26 (ESV) The carved images of their gods you shall burn with fire. You shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, lest you be ensnared by it, for it is an abomination to the LORD your God. 26 And you shall not bring an abominable thing into your house and become devoted to destruction like it. You shall utterly detest and abhor it, for it is devoted to destruction. Why are they to totally destroy these ...

Psalm 31:3–5 (ESV)   For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me; 4 you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge. 5 Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord , faithful God. There is a modern Christianity obsessed with the idea of self-fulfillment. The "Hole in my Heart" Gospel that makes Jesus the answer to all my needs and hopes, the key to unlocking my dreams and potential. While it is true God in Christ is all you need, and is your hope, and in Christ you can do incredible things... they may not be the things you imagined or planned at all. They may not center on you and your wants. They may ask you to decrease and let others increase all around you.  The Psalmist has it right. To be committed in Spirit to the Lord is to let your life resonate for the sake of His name and not your own. To understand our redemption means to comprehend our being as a possession of...