This piece will be in reference to a new beginning many years ago...please read below Deuteronomy 11:10-24 (NKJV)..."10 For the land which you go to possess is not like the land of Egypt from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and watered it by foot, as a vegetable garden; 11 but the land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven, 12 a land for which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year.
13 ‘And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, 14 then I[a] will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil. 15 And I will send grass in your fields for your livestock, that you may eat and be filled.’ 16 “Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them, 17 lest the Lord’s anger be aroused against you, and He shut up the heavens so that there be no rain, and the land yield no produce, and you perish quickly from the good land which the Lord is giving you.
18 “Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 19 You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 20 And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21 that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth.
22 “For if you carefully keep all these commandments which I command you to do—to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, and to hold fast to Him— 23 then the Lord will drive out all these nations from before you, and you will dispossess greater and mightier nations than yourselves. 24 Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the River Euphrates, even to the Western Sea,[b] shall be your territory. (this bible verse is compliments of Biblegateway.com)
As we stand at the brink of a New Year, our hearts are filled with some anticipation and challenge. Only God knows what the future holds. As we cross over into the year of 2013, we do so with the same challenges Moses gave his people so long ago. As we cross over in to the New Year we are reminded of:
- God's Provision
- God's Presence
- God's Promise
- God's Protection
In reference to Deut 11:11, I believe what Moses is saying to Israel is, what God is saying...to us...He will meet our needs! He is our source. Like the land of Israel, our land will "drink water from the rain of heaven." How many times have we seen this across the years...when it looked like hope was almost gone? In those times when we began to feel our source was running out, "God would rain from heaven the blessing upon us."
Moses reminded the people that the land that they were about to possess was a land of "hills and valleys." God never promised us the way would always be easy. It is not a mountaintop experience all the time.
Like the Israelite's we walk through the valley. And often times we come face to face with a mountain along the journey which humanly speaking looks impossible to climb.
What they are preparing to enter...much like us..we face many "hills and valleys."
We should and need to thank God of the hills, the mountains. Often in the valleys we forget about the mountains. And, unfortunately, often when we are on the mountain, we forget about our valley experiences. Both ARE important!...If there were no valleys there would be no peaks. We never learn spiritual lessons on the mountain. Unfortunately...they are always learned in the valley where we are trusting, depending on God to get us through our trials and tribulation. Of course..we would choose the valleys...but His ways are not our ways. He is in fact the God of the mountains. He is also the God of the valleys.
Lets look closely at Deut. 11:11. "It is a land that drinks rain from heaven." That is, He provides for us supernaturally.
Now...for the children of Israel the land was quite a contrast from the past years of Egypt. Moses reminds them that the land which they were about to possess was "not like the land of Egypt...where you sowed your seed and watered it by foot" (Deut 11:10). What was the difference? The land of Egypt depended on human resources. There was not much rain. The Nile was their source and it overflowed once a year. Hard work was involved, by hand and by foot, they dug trenches, canals to irrigate the land. In Egypt it was all done by human effort. Work, work, work was the motto. In Egypt there was no need for God. Water was stored by artificial means and fields were irrigated by human sweat and tears. Egypt did not depend on God like Canaan did.
Let us take note of the contrast of the promised land. It "drinks water from the rain of heaven. " As you may remember...Canaan was and is totally dependent on God. Rain was His gift to them. In fact, this land has always been solely dependent upon His provisions. Perhaps that is why He chose this land and those people to train His church. As review 1Cor10:6, it reminds us that everything that happened to the children of Israel did so as an example to us in the dispensation of grace. How beautiful to know that He proves this with the season rains (Deut 11:14). He sends the early rain for seed time and the latter rain at harvest. Both are important for growing a good crop.
Remember..God is our source and He has a way of using us to accomplish his purpose. As we keep in mind of His Provision..we need to also be mindful of His Presence.
The year 2013 which we embark is a year that God cares for...and for us. He purposed it. He planned it. He knows the way through the wilderness and all we have to do is follow. There are no surprises to Our Lord.
Much as Moses reminds his people...allow me to remind, me including, us all...that as we share a covenant with Him, and we are His and He is ours..."from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year." As we cross over in a New Year, we are reminded that God is watching us, that His eyes are upon us.
A new day, a new year...brings a fresh vision, hope and encouragement of new opportunities. What a blessing to cross over in a new year with the very presence of God Himself. The eyes of the Lord are upon us! He is watching us all...watching a dear mother who faces the year raising children without a husband, watching the dad's who's under tremendous pressure to provide while underemployed...unemployed...and He's watching the teenager with all the pressures of adolescence...watching the youth...while they return to school...He's watching each of us. "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him" (II Chr. 16:8-10). You know...much like the children of Israel, He did not bring them nor us out, except to take us in. We go into a New Year with God's provision and God's presence. We also, as the bible states over and over and over....God's Promises.
As Moses shared in Deut 11:13-15...if we obey His commandments...he will give us and provide for us...our needs. The single most important thing we can do as we cross over in the new year is to love the Lord our God, obey His commandments...and serve Him with all of our hearts. As I mentioned...note that his promise is conditional...verse 13 begins with "if" and verse 14 follows with "then". This promise is for those whom love the Lord their God and serve Him with all their heart and soul. The only thing...like the people of Israel...keeping us from God's blessings...is disobedience. In short...you are either in obedience or disobedience...you cannot be both.
Moses reminded the children of Israel, and us, what is of utmost importance...loving God.
As we enter a new year we do so with God's promise. What is our primary purpose? It is to love Him. It is to love God and serve Him with all of our hearts, souls and mind.
We cross over into the new year of 2013, with God's provision. We are reminded that He is our source. We cross over with God's presence. We are reminded that His eyes are upon us from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. We cross over with God's promise. If we love Him and serve Him with all of our hearts, then His blessings will be upon us.
Now being mindful of God's provision,presence, promise...lastly...I find comfort...with God's "Protection".
God's Protection is reflected in the verses Deut. 11:16-24.
Moses is reminding the people, as well as us today...that the Lord will go before us and drive out our enemies. His protection carries with it a warning. "Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other god's and worship them, lest the Lord's anger be aroused against you, and He shut up the heavens so that there be no rain, and the land yield no produce, and you perish quickly from the good land which the Lord is giving you" (Deut 11:16-17). Note...the repetition of the importance of loving our God. "For if you carefully keep all these commandments which I command you to do - to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to hold fast to Him" (Deut 11:22).
Moses knew the only way his people could love the Lord with all their heart was to saturate themselves with a conscious awareness of His word. That is why Moses as indicated in Deut 11:18-19 reminds and challenges God's chosen people...how they and we need to lay up all of these words in our hearts, soul, mind, and bind them as a sing on the hand...all awhile constantly speaking and teaching our children...all day long..when we rise up to when we lie down...all of God's words, faithfulness, provision, protection, promises and presence.
Then Moses went on to tell them that "Then the Lord will drive out all these nations from before you, and you will dispossess greater and mightier nations than yourselves. Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the River Euphrates, even to the Western Sea, shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand against you" (Deut. 11:23-25)
It was a long continuous journey for the children of Israel through the decades of wilderness wanderings. Moses led them all the way. And now...he comes to the end of his own life and states, "The land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from rain of heaven, a land which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year." (Deut 11:11-12) Now...as we cross over to this new year Moses stands to remind us that as we go, we too will need God's provision. To depend on our own human effort is sheer folly. We will need God's presence. There will be times when we, like the children of Israel, wonder where God is. But find comfort...His eyes are upon us. We cross over with God's promise. There may be times that this is all we have to hold. And, we go with His protection. There may be times when we will be without help or hope unless God supernaturally intervenes.
We, too, have been and are on a journey. Now...like the children of Israel. we are crossover people ourselves. We are crossing over into a new year with hope, refreshed and clean slate, new opportunities and a new beginning. Yes...He brought us out from there that He might bring us into a land of blessing. As we enter the new year of 2013, let us, like those who have gone before, love God...walk in his ways...keep our heads up...Looking up...raise our heads up...instead of looking down...God is up...Jesus is up...Lets hold fast to him.
Will end with this piece, by Zinzendorf,
The year 2013 which we embark is a year that God cares for...and for us. He purposed it. He planned it. He knows the way through the wilderness and all we have to do is follow. There are no surprises to Our Lord.
Much as Moses reminds his people...allow me to remind, me including, us all...that as we share a covenant with Him, and we are His and He is ours..."from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year." As we cross over in a New Year, we are reminded that God is watching us, that His eyes are upon us.
A new day, a new year...brings a fresh vision, hope and encouragement of new opportunities. What a blessing to cross over in a new year with the very presence of God Himself. The eyes of the Lord are upon us! He is watching us all...watching a dear mother who faces the year raising children without a husband, watching the dad's who's under tremendous pressure to provide while underemployed...unemployed...and He's watching the teenager with all the pressures of adolescence...watching the youth...while they return to school...He's watching each of us. "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him" (II Chr. 16:8-10). You know...much like the children of Israel, He did not bring them nor us out, except to take us in. We go into a New Year with God's provision and God's presence. We also, as the bible states over and over and over....God's Promises.
As Moses shared in Deut 11:13-15...if we obey His commandments...he will give us and provide for us...our needs. The single most important thing we can do as we cross over in the new year is to love the Lord our God, obey His commandments...and serve Him with all of our hearts. As I mentioned...note that his promise is conditional...verse 13 begins with "if" and verse 14 follows with "then". This promise is for those whom love the Lord their God and serve Him with all their heart and soul. The only thing...like the people of Israel...keeping us from God's blessings...is disobedience. In short...you are either in obedience or disobedience...you cannot be both.
Moses reminded the children of Israel, and us, what is of utmost importance...loving God.
As we enter a new year we do so with God's promise. What is our primary purpose? It is to love Him. It is to love God and serve Him with all of our hearts, souls and mind.
We cross over into the new year of 2013, with God's provision. We are reminded that He is our source. We cross over with God's presence. We are reminded that His eyes are upon us from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. We cross over with God's promise. If we love Him and serve Him with all of our hearts, then His blessings will be upon us.
Now being mindful of God's provision,presence, promise...lastly...I find comfort...with God's "Protection".
God's Protection is reflected in the verses Deut. 11:16-24.
Moses is reminding the people, as well as us today...that the Lord will go before us and drive out our enemies. His protection carries with it a warning. "Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other god's and worship them, lest the Lord's anger be aroused against you, and He shut up the heavens so that there be no rain, and the land yield no produce, and you perish quickly from the good land which the Lord is giving you" (Deut 11:16-17). Note...the repetition of the importance of loving our God. "For if you carefully keep all these commandments which I command you to do - to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to hold fast to Him" (Deut 11:22).
Moses knew the only way his people could love the Lord with all their heart was to saturate themselves with a conscious awareness of His word. That is why Moses as indicated in Deut 11:18-19 reminds and challenges God's chosen people...how they and we need to lay up all of these words in our hearts, soul, mind, and bind them as a sing on the hand...all awhile constantly speaking and teaching our children...all day long..when we rise up to when we lie down...all of God's words, faithfulness, provision, protection, promises and presence.
Then Moses went on to tell them that "Then the Lord will drive out all these nations from before you, and you will dispossess greater and mightier nations than yourselves. Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the River Euphrates, even to the Western Sea, shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand against you" (Deut. 11:23-25)
It was a long continuous journey for the children of Israel through the decades of wilderness wanderings. Moses led them all the way. And now...he comes to the end of his own life and states, "The land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from rain of heaven, a land which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year." (Deut 11:11-12) Now...as we cross over to this new year Moses stands to remind us that as we go, we too will need God's provision. To depend on our own human effort is sheer folly. We will need God's presence. There will be times when we, like the children of Israel, wonder where God is. But find comfort...His eyes are upon us. We cross over with God's promise. There may be times that this is all we have to hold. And, we go with His protection. There may be times when we will be without help or hope unless God supernaturally intervenes.
We, too, have been and are on a journey. Now...like the children of Israel. we are crossover people ourselves. We are crossing over into a new year with hope, refreshed and clean slate, new opportunities and a new beginning. Yes...He brought us out from there that He might bring us into a land of blessing. As we enter the new year of 2013, let us, like those who have gone before, love God...walk in his ways...keep our heads up...Looking up...raise our heads up...instead of looking down...God is up...Jesus is up...Lets hold fast to him.
Will end with this piece, by Zinzendorf,
He leads us on by paths we did not know;
Upward He leads us, though our steps be slow,
Though oft we faint and falter on the way,
Though storms and darkness oft obscure the day;
Yet when the clouds are gone,
We know He leads us on.
He leads us on through all the unquiet years;
Past all our dreamland hopes, and doubts and fears,
He guides our steps, through all the tangled maze
Of losses, sorrows, and o'er clouded days;
We know His will is done;
And still He leads us on.
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