Deuteronomy 30:16: “in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess.”
March 17th, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotionalThis is a beautiful scripture that summarizes what it means to live a life with God here on planet earth. It’s a simple formula: love + walk + keep = bless. It starts with the word love.
Love: We are to love the LORD our God. Love is a choice, but we can’t love someone very well if we don’t know them. The better we know God the easier it is to love Him since He is perfectly good in character. When we spend time seeking Him, spending time with Him, enjoying His presence, we fall more in love with Him.
Walk: We are to “walk in His ways,” not our own. His way is one that is others-centered. The world teaches us to be self-centered, and much of modern advertising points us back to ourselves and what we need. God’s way points us toward others, so we can watch carefully for the needs of our neighbors and do what we can to help lighten their loads.
Keep: We are to keep His commandments to love God and to love our neighbor. The more time we spend in His word the more we come to understand what His commandments are and what it means to love Him and our neighbor.
Bless: The result of living life God’s way is that He can then “bless you in the land.” He desires to bless our lives so that we can then be a blessing to others. We receive His blessings as a result of living a life of love, walking in His way, and keeping His word. God’s blessings are simply the natural outcome of His being in our hearts as we walk the road of life, blessing others.
“LORD, we desire to live in the center of Your will for us this day.”