While reading this morning I came across a very stirring theme in Deuteronomy. Through Moses, God repeatedly exhorts the Israelites to carefulness in their walk before God. In Deut. 4, as they are preparing to enter the promised land he says,
"Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live." v.9
"Therefore watch yourselves very carefully, so that you do not become corrupt and make for yourselves an idol..." v.15b-16
"Be careful not to forget the covenant of the Lord your God that he made with you... For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. v.23-24
"So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you..." 5.32
We can never underestimate the importance of carefulness in our walk with God. The enemy of our souls never takes a break. He is constantly looking to take us down through temptations, discouragement, suffering, or any other way he can. The bad news is that he doesn't play fair. He'll hit you when and where you're weak like he did to king David (2 Sam. 11).
The good news is that we can resist him and gain victory every time. "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in your faith, because you know that your brothers around the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings." 1 Peter 5.8-9
By being self-controlled and alert (i.e. careful) we can stand strong and remain faithful in the face of temptation and trial. So many times, because the Israelites weren't careful, they fell into worshipping other gods. Like a man driving down the road who ends up in a ditch because he was careless. Nobody wants to fall into a ditch. King David didn't want to become an adulterer and a murderer. Nobody really wants to destroy their lives and hurt the people closest to them. Carelessness is costly. How much could have been avoided by being careful?
Could some of the greatest failures in life ultimately be the result of a lack of carefulness?
Monday, March 19, 2007
Carefulness
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1 comment:
I am blessed to be married to a man who understands the importance of being careful to remember and apply what God has instructed us to do. Thank you for your example in this area, Mike.
Let us not forget that we are mere humans and the greatness of our capacity to forget, or even worse, to ignore God's clear standards and instructions never goes away.
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