Verse of the Day 6/14

Through the Bible-Ezra 8-10, Acts 1:12- 2:13

 

Good morning,

Over the weekend my wife Jean and I watched a news program about a tragedy where 3 people lost their lives, dying  in a "sweat box" led by a "spiritual guru".  He was to lead them to a higher spiritual understanding which would help them find themselves and bring fulfillment to their personal and business lives.  They found something completely different.

 

I read the following in Deuteronomy 13 the next morning.  Moses told the people if someone else came along, directing them to follow other gods, dreamers or guru's if you will.... " you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. 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.  Deut 13:3 NIV"

 

As Christians, we realize that the Bible, both Old Testament and New, calls us to follow God, follow Jesus Christ.

For today's verse we'll go back to an Old Testament passage that carries New Testament advice for us.

Deut 8:3 So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.    NKJV

Verse 2 starts out with " you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart"   Looking back in our lives we should be able to identify a time when we hungered and thirsted for God.  We should also be able to identify how He fed us, lead us, and brought us to where we are today.

 

Commenting on verse 3, John MacArthur writes, "God sustained the people in the wilderness with a food previously unknown to them.  Israel's food in the wilderness was decreed to them by the Word of God.  They had manna because it came by God's command; therefore; it ultimately was not bread that kept them alive; but God's Word (Matt. 4:4, Luke 4:4)."

 

Luke 4:4 But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'"   NKJV

John 4:34 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.   NKJV

What is it that sustains you?

 

Let us remember and be sure to praise Him for what He has given us.

In Christ,
Mike
mikevw@bellsouth.net
http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com
Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace  NIV
Deut 8:1-10

 

8 "Be careful to obey all the commands I am giving you today. Then you will live and multiply, and you will enter and occupy the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors. 2 Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. 3 Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. 4 For all these forty years your clothes didn't wear out, and your feet didn't blister or swell. 5 Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the Lord your God disciplines you for your own good.

 

6 "So obey the commands of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and fearing him. 7 For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land of flowing streams and pools of water, with fountains and springs that gush out in the valleys and hills. 8 It is a land of wheat and barley; of grapevines, fig trees, and pomegranates; of olive oil and honey. 9 It is a land where food is plentiful and nothing is lacking. It is a land where iron is as common as stone, and copper is abundant in the hills. 10 When you have eaten your fill, be sure to praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.  NLT