by David Brenneman
"You should diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and His testimonies and His statutes which He has commanded you." Deuteronomy 6:17.
“Then it shall come about when the Lord your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you, great and splendid cities which you did not build, and houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and you eat and are satisfied, then watch yourself, that you do not forget the Lord who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery." Deuteronomy 6:10-12.
"for now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord." 1 Thessalonians 3:8.
"Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love." 1 Corinthians 16:13-14.
"Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil." Ephesians 6:11.
We, in the world today, actually have a whole lot in common with that passage in Deuteronomy 6:10-12. Most people don't consider that this is the way of most of the world. We aren't very prolific at building a house and developing the land for our use.
Most are buying or renting where others have already been. What we ought not to forget is the very same point as that passage and the other's you read this morning there.
The direct connection between diligence in the Lord and standing firm in the Lord.
It's incredibly important not to forget the tremendous blessings that the Lord Jesus has granted each of us and to not take them for granted or forget them altogether.
"The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it." Psalms 24:1.
We don't own anything. All things including ourselves belong to the Lord.
Being diligent and standing firm require us to remember to whom we belong. To whom we owe everything. Of how we shouldn't forget to bless as we have been blessed by Him. Of how we shouldn't forget to love as He first loved us.
In Deuteronomy where that passage comes from, Moses was taking time to remind the children of Israel before they went into the Promised Land of everything they were taught. That there would be consequences for turning away from the Lord's commands and blessings for remembering to adhere to them.
We, in our world of the Church age, likewise need to remember there's blessings and situations when we forget to stand firm in the Lord. When we allow self to creep into our thinking.
"Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 1:5-8.
Our still being alive in this world is both for our sanctification, growing in Christ, as well as to serve as a light to the world-showing them the way to salvation through Jesus Christ alone.
It's not for our comfort, fortune, or possessions. It's not for success or worldly acclaim.
So before you think you know what your day is or is going to be about...pray and ask Jesus to show you what He wants of you today. This is the day that the Lord has made and all that it contains. We know not if this is the day of His return. We always ought to be diligent and standing firm in our walk with Jesus especially if we believe that to be true.
Pray for you to be doing what you were called to be doing in Christ.
All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.
New American Standard Bible
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