Staying on Track with God - Deuteronomy 11-13 and Mark 12:1-27
Our church has begun to promote a simple process for becoming a mature Christian. This process applies to every member of the church. It is stated in three phrases: Stay Focused, Stay Connected, and Stay on Track. We are to stay focused on God by having a daily "unhurried" time with the Lord and a weekly time of worship with our church family. We are to stay connected with other believers and with non-believers by building relationships through our Bible Study classes and other small groups. Then, we are to stay on track with God by learning to be a missionary to our culture and practicing what we learn. I see it as a progression. If a person does not stay focused on God, he will not stay connected with others, and if he is not connected with others, he can't be a missionary. I firmly believe that it is God's will for every believer to be a missionary to his or her culture, just like an international missionary is sent out to relate the Gospel to a different culture.
Now, take these principles and consider them as we read these passages from God's Word. God was telling the Israelites how to stay on track, and He was showing the Jewish leaders how far off track they had gone. Meditate on these truths and let them sink into your heart.
Deuteronomy 11 starts off with the admonition to love the Lord and keep His commandments. Love must always be our motivation in our relationship with the Lord. If it is not, we will fall into practicing a religion. God hates that. He had revealed Himself to Israel in His mighty miracles, and now He was calling on them to trust Him as they entered the Promised Land. They were to love Him and to live by faith. If they did, He would give them the Land. However, there was a serious situation. Everyone was doing what they thought was right in their own eyes. (12:8) God told them that this must cease. They had to worship God in unity in the place He was to set aside. Then, they were to resist all efforts to be drawn away to worship other gods. They were to be the missionaries to their world. They were not to allow the world to influence them. Doesn't that fulfill that simple process? They were to stay focused on God, stay connected with each other, and stay on track by being the missionaries of God to those around them.
Now, look at Mark 12. Jesus told a parable against the Jewish leaders. It was a sad story of how they had killed God's prophets and they would soon kill His only Son. How could this happen? They had lost their focus, and they were way off track. They were doing what they thought was right in their own eyes. They were so far off they killed Jesus instead of worshiping Him. The questions about taxes and the wife in heaven show how confused they were. They were just trying to prove how much they knew. They were trying attack Jesus. They were rejecting God's truth, but they thought they were right. Jesus had to set them straight. So, what about you and me? Are we on track with God? Are we being His missionaries, or have we gone so far from His will that we are just doing what we want to do in our own way? The answer to this question is easy to see. When was the last time you influenced a person to become a Christian? Even more specifically, when was the last time you reached out to a person who was not interested in Christianity, and you led them to faith in the Lord, and you helped disciple them to be a mature Christian? That is what God calls every believer to do. That is the Great Commission, and it is for all of us.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Deuteronomy 14-16 and Mark 12:28-44.
Now, take these principles and consider them as we read these passages from God's Word. God was telling the Israelites how to stay on track, and He was showing the Jewish leaders how far off track they had gone. Meditate on these truths and let them sink into your heart.
Deuteronomy 11 starts off with the admonition to love the Lord and keep His commandments. Love must always be our motivation in our relationship with the Lord. If it is not, we will fall into practicing a religion. God hates that. He had revealed Himself to Israel in His mighty miracles, and now He was calling on them to trust Him as they entered the Promised Land. They were to love Him and to live by faith. If they did, He would give them the Land. However, there was a serious situation. Everyone was doing what they thought was right in their own eyes. (12:8) God told them that this must cease. They had to worship God in unity in the place He was to set aside. Then, they were to resist all efforts to be drawn away to worship other gods. They were to be the missionaries to their world. They were not to allow the world to influence them. Doesn't that fulfill that simple process? They were to stay focused on God, stay connected with each other, and stay on track by being the missionaries of God to those around them.
Now, look at Mark 12. Jesus told a parable against the Jewish leaders. It was a sad story of how they had killed God's prophets and they would soon kill His only Son. How could this happen? They had lost their focus, and they were way off track. They were doing what they thought was right in their own eyes. They were so far off they killed Jesus instead of worshiping Him. The questions about taxes and the wife in heaven show how confused they were. They were just trying to prove how much they knew. They were trying attack Jesus. They were rejecting God's truth, but they thought they were right. Jesus had to set them straight. So, what about you and me? Are we on track with God? Are we being His missionaries, or have we gone so far from His will that we are just doing what we want to do in our own way? The answer to this question is easy to see. When was the last time you influenced a person to become a Christian? Even more specifically, when was the last time you reached out to a person who was not interested in Christianity, and you led them to faith in the Lord, and you helped disciple them to be a mature Christian? That is what God calls every believer to do. That is the Great Commission, and it is for all of us.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Deuteronomy 14-16 and Mark 12:28-44.