Deuteronomy 20-22
When man has no developed conscience to know right from wrong, it takes bunches of laws to teach him. So we continue with the “sundry laws,” concerning what to do with unknown murders, how to treat your neighbors’ property, and how to deal with sexual sin and rebellious children. Tough laws!!
When I’m reading through passages like this, I always like to find some “gold nuggets,” which enlighten me. These are bits of truth which encourage me concerning our Christian walk.
One of these nuggets is 20:1 and following. “When you go into battle against your enemies and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, don’t be afraid of them, for the Lord your God who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you.” Today we are not fighting against flesh and blood, but principalities and powers. In the natural, these enemies are greater than us, but they are small compared to our God.
As Christians, Holy Spirit is within us, and “greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” (I John 4:4). We are not to be afraid or dismayed by spirits of poverty, or infirmity, or spirits trying to destroy our families. They have to bow to the name of Jesus, when that name is used by a sold-out, faith-filled person.
Speaking of faith-filled brings me to another nugget in these chapters. Verse 22:9 says you are not to sow two kinds of seed in your field, lest the field become defiled. Today we know that the seed is the Word of God. (Mark 4) So we are not to sow mixed seed in our hearts.
What would that be? It would be sowing God’s Word and the words of doubters together. if we mix worldly wisdom and God’s wisdom, we will wind up with a heart full of thorns and weeds. Those weeds will defile the crop of faith we are seeking to produce.
So just exactly how does that happen? Suppose you are believing for your healing. You see in God’s Word that His will is for you to be healed and that Jesus paid the price for your healing. Then your friend comes around with, “Yeah, but what about Aunt Maxie? She was a good Christian lady and went to church every Sunday, and she never got healed.”
That’s mixed seed, and avoid it at all costs. if you have to stay away from that friend for awhile, do it. Don’t let mixed seed get into your heart. You will become double-minded, and not receive because the weeds will choke out your faith seeds.(James 1:6-7)
Faith is something we have to contend for. Next to love, faith is the most important attribute we have. We receive Jesus by faith, and everything we do for God we do by faith.
Mark 13:21-37
Stay alert! Those are the Words of Jesus as He shares about the end times. He says to learn from the Fig Tree. When its branch becomes tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things happening, know that the end is near.
There is much for us to do as Christians. There are so many we meet everyday who are lost and without hope. Do we notice them? do we see their despair? Do we bother to share God’s love? Are we alert?
When Jesus says to stay alert, He is not just talking about us at home aware of Him. He is talking about us staying alert to Him and to the needs of others, reaching out to them for Jesus.
Our goal as Christians is to have an affect on all around us. On the people, the family, the school, the culture in general. God wants His kingdom to be manifested to its fullest before He returns.
Let’s stay focused. Let’s stay faithful. Let’s stay full of Him.
When He returns how will He find us?
