The Bible in 90 Days
Day 14: Deuteronomy 8:1-23:11 || Read the CEB online.
I remember my very first foray into computer programming as a child, making a turtle (a green dot) move around the screen by typing in commands. Soon, I was learning basic computer languages, and encountered for the first time the “If…Then…” command. Simply put, you ask the computer to evaluate the conditions (“If”) and, assuming the conditions were met, perform a function (“Then)”. One of the simplest yet most necessary functions.
I think about writing those “If-Then” commands as I read through Deuteronomy. While in some places, God indicates the eternal nature of his loving presence, in many cases, the benefits of life with God are conditional upon fulfillment of a certain set of instructions. Over and over again, the link between obedience and blessing is reinforced, involving all of us in the process of making decisions. We are knit into the very fabric of God’s kingdom by living God’s way. But God does not intend for us to be outside the work of salvation; as Saint Augustine wrote, “God, who made us without ourselves, will not save us without ourselves.”
What is the connection between salvation and our obedience?
What is God asking from you right now?
Share your thoughts in the comments below,
and don’t forget to pray for our U.M. ARMY team in West Monroe, Louisiana!
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