January 9, 2014 – Thursday

Start Time: 6:18 A.M.

End Time: 7:07 A.M.

Title: The Lord’s Provision in the Desert

Scriptures: Deuteronomy 8:1 – 20

God’s Message / God’s Promises / God’s Commands:

→ Moses told the Israelites to remember to keep all God’s commandments carefully so they may live, increase in number and go in and occupy the land the Lord Promised to their ancestors.  They must remember the whole journey which God has brought them for 40 years thru the desert so that God might, by humbling them down, test them to see if they have it within them to keep His commandments or not.  So God humbled His people by making them hungry and feeding them with unfamiliar manna.  He did this to teach them that humankind cannot live by bread alone but also by everything that comes from the Lord’s mouth.  Their clothing did not wear out nor did their feet swell all those 40 years.  So they are to be keenly aware that just as a parent disciplines his child, the Lord their God also disciplines them.  They are to keep His commandments according to His standards and revere Him for the Lord their God is bringing them to a good land a land of brooks, springs, and fountains flowing forth in valleys and hills; a land of wheat, barley, vines, fig trees, and pomegranates, of olive trees and honey, a land where you may eat food in plenty and find no lack of anything; a land whose stones are iron and from whose hills you can mine copper; they will eat their fill and then praise the Lord their God because of the good land He has given them.

NOTES:

Ø God is a God who disciplines and blesses!  Even God’s disciplinary actions towards us are acts of blessings at countless times.  God disciplines us to bring the best of us and the outcome of this result to amazing rewards or blessings.  We must see the lesson in the times God reprimands us! 

Ø God is a God who wants us to be dependent on Him!  Total Dependency to God – this is His goal in us when He disciplines us!  God made sure that during their journey in the wilderness, He is the only source of His people’s needs – in their food, clothes and shelter.  When God disciplines His people, He brought them to the wilderness; they thought they were led out of Egypt to die but God provided them manna, food that is not familiar to them, so they cannot boast that they can make it or they know where it is from except that it came from God.  The same is true with their clothes, it did not wear out all those years – which is really impossible if you come to think of it, without the Grace of God.  And their shelters were provided for them every day by a pillar of clouds and fire.  Everything they needed were provided but the awesome part is that these needs were provided in miraculous ways that they cannot imaging producing on their own.  So they were taught to be dependent upon Him. 

Ø Moses compared God like a parent in this passage but in reality He is far beyond what a regular or normal parent does because HE is a RIGHT parent.  His intentions of disciplining His children are right and to bring out the right attitude from us.  The Israelites were disciplined for 40 years in the wilderness, with the purpose of humbling them down so that they can keep His commandments.  With God’s grace, I believe that the filtered Israelites (meaning the new generation or those who were left living who entered the Promised Land) were humble and able to keep His commandments.  That’s why they were commanded by God to enter and possess the land.

→ Moses continued by telling them to be sure that they do not forget the Lord their God by not keeping His commandments, ordinances, and statutes.  Moses said that whenever they eat their fill, when they build and occupy good houses. When their cattle and flocks increase, when they have plenty of silver and gold and when they have abundance of everything – they are to be sure they do not feel self-important and forget the Lord their God who brought them from the land of Egypt, the place of slavery and who brought them thru the great, fearful desert of venomous serpents and scorpions, an arid place with no water.  He made water flow from a flint rock and fed them in the desert with manna so that God might by humbling them, test them and eventually bring good to them.  They are to be careful not to say that it is thru their own ability and skill that they have gotten this wealth for themselves.  They are to remember the Lord their God, for He is the One who gives ability to get wealth; if they do this, God will confirm His covenant that He made by oath to their ancestors, even as He has to this day.  But if they forget the Lord their God at all and prostrating themselves before them, Moses testified to them that day that they will surely be annihilated – just like the nations the Lord destroyed from their sight so He will do to them because they would not obey Him.

NOTES:

Ø God is a God who wants to be remembered at all times!  He made sure Moses told the people to remember Him whenever the people eat their fill, build and occupy good houses.  Clearly God knows us so well and He knows that we have the tendency to forget and think of ourselves more valuable than we should, which ends up being selfish and proud.  So He wants us to remember all His works in us and how everything good and perfect comes from Him.  The power of our testimonies breaks pride and selfishness!  Wow!  Our thankful hearts and thanksgiving eliminates us of becoming proud and selfish! 

Ø God is a God who is the source of everything that is good in our lives and He has all of it in abundance! He is willing to give it all to us and to keep it pouring upon us but we are to recognize that it is not by our own ability or skill.  Wealth is produce thru our hands but the ability to do so, comes from God Himself.  So let us not forget that!  This is very true so always have a thankful heart to God because when we start possessing the land, we increase our wealth and our land and our financial capacity but all these comes from the Lord.

Application / Realization:

Ø God is a God who disciplines us and His disciplinary actions bring the best out of us!  His purpose for disciplining us is to bless and make us total dependent to Him.

Ø Total dependency is what God wants from us for His provisions and blessings never run out and it lasts forever

Ø God is a God who wants to be remembered at all times as the source of everything good in our lives!  He wants to bless us in abundance but He wants us not to forget Him.

Ø Our thankful hearts to God breaks the strongholds of pride and selfishness!  So always be grateful to God and proclaim your testimonies of God’s unending Grace, Love, and Favor!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, my Lord and God.  The Lord of abundance of Grace and Love.  Father, I welcome and embrace your discipline because I want to be the best of myself according to Your standards.  I want to be in total dependence on You Lord.  Holy Spirit, create in me a thankful heart every day.  Show me Your hands working daily so I may see Your love, grace and favor poured out in my life and my mouth will never stop praising You.  Give me the power to overcome selfishness and pride by the power of my thanksgiving testimonies proclaiming Your goodness, Your love, Your grace, Your mercy, and everything that is everlasting good about You.  Show me Your ways in my life Lord.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen!