WHO DO YOU...

 10 12 12 Who Do You…?   

Deuteronomy 13:4 It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him.

NOTE FROM DAVID: I know today's verse of Scripture is taken out of context. It is taken out of context when you consider the surrounding text of the chapter in which it is found. It is not out of context when placed in the Bibles revelation as to how God wants his people to relate to him. Any Godly characteristic that is used in explaining God's will for his creation is always in the proper context. Any time you use words that reflect God’s character they are always true regardless of the context in which they are found. Words such as love, merciful, forgiving, 

redeemer, truth when referring to God are never out of context wherever they appear in scripture The verse of scripture used in this devotional is one such example. It may mean one thing in the context quoted here in Deuteronomy but it is also acceptable in the way I am using it for this devotional.

The people of God in the Old Testament were under a different covenant, the covenant of law. Christians today are under the covenant of grace. This covenant was put in place by Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Even though the Jews were under a different covenant God's desire for them was the same as it is for his followers today; to follow him, to revere him, to keep his commands, obey him, serve him and hold fast to him and him alone. All universal spiritual truths apply to all who believe in Jesus Christ, Jews and Christians alike. That is the case in this passage of Scripture for today. Hopefully, you notice I entitled this devotion, "Who Do You." With that phrase in mind let's look at the text and together generate questions that would reveal God's will for us. Our answers to these questions would also reveal to us how faithful we are following God and that is of the utmost importance.

1. Who do you follow?

2. Who do you revere?

3. Whose commands are you obeying?

4. Who do you serve?

5. To whom are you holding fast?

The next part of this devotion is an opportunity for you to answer these questions and reflect upon your answers. Take a sheet of paper and one by one list the questions above, giving yourself several lines of space between each question for your answer.

1.Who do you follow? We all follow something or someone. Whatever we follow is not difficult to identify because we spend the majority of our time pursuing it. Am I pursuing the Lord my God? Am I being guided by his Holy Spirit; am I studying the Word of God; am I growing in my love for God and in the knowledge of His love for me or is the majority of my time spent in worldly pursuits?

2. Who do you revere? To revere someone means to show them devotion and respect. In our text the object of our reverence is a person, the Lord God.  Reverence is seen in the following ways: worship, love, adoration, and respect for God. Do I revere the Lord my God? If not, who (or what) do you revere?

3. Whose commands are you obeying? All of us knowingly or unknowingly live by a code of conduct; the rules and directions that define our understanding of what is right and wrong. In the process of submitting ourselves to these guidelines, our lives are being transformed and conformed by them. That which we do, that which we live by, is what we become. Is the Lord God visible in your life? What are you becoming?

4. Who do you serve? This is a very important question because we all serve someone or something. We serve self primarily. We serve others, husband, wife, children, friends, and our work. We also serve various causes. Who is number one in your life; the one to whom you are the most devoted? Can you honestly say the person you serve is the Lord your God?

5. To whom are you holding fast?  Again our text reveals this to be a person. Are you holding fast the Lord your God or to your bank account, your position in life, your abilities?

If you were put on trial for being a Christian would there be enough evidence to convict you? I pray so!

These questions and answers should reveal to you one very important truth that needs to be recognized. Humanly speaking we all want to be in control. We want to chart our own path and be obedient to our own understanding; to do things our way. It is this part about us that needs to be crucified with Christ. We are to take up our cross daily, dying to self so that we can live for Christ. We are not given the option of how we are to live out our relationship with Christ. We are to obey and keep his commandments; we are to serve Him and depend upon Him for our daily lives. In other words we are to be a people of faith, a people of Great Faith.

Did the Lord speak to you today?  Why not write it down and claim it for His Glory.

Prayer:  What do you need to pray to the Lord today? Listen to your heart. He loves you!