From: takeaminute+noreply@googlegroups.com
Date: Mon, 10 May 2010 11:49:24 +0000
Subject: Take a Minute Digest for takeaminute@googlegroups.com - 1
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- -- Monday, 5/10/10/ -- WHAT DOES GOD EXPECT? -- Deuteronomy
10:12-13 [1 Update]
http://groups.google.com/group/takeaminute/t/8c94c395268534b5
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Topic: -- Monday, 5/10/10/ -- WHAT DOES GOD EXPECT? -- Deuteronomy 10:12-13
Url: http://groups.google.com/group/takeaminute/t/8c94c395268534b5
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From: "J.R. & Bonnie Ricks" <j-r-and-bonnie@dogwoodministries.org>
Date: May 09 03:17PM -0500
Url: http://groups.google.com/group/takeaminute/msg/2919c19ff698c501
Take a Minute is a daily devotional ministry of
Dogwood Ministries, Inc.
If you need prayer. contact our partners in ministry.
SJ <http://sjministries.co.uk/> Ministries - Ministry of Prayer
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All other requests, please see the end of the devotional
for Dogwood Ministries addresses
WHAT DOES GOD EXPECT? -- Deuteronomy 10:12-13 NIV
And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear
the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD
your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the
LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?
When I first became a Christian, I nearly worked myself to death trying to
please God. It was very difficult for me to understand the concept of
grace. I had a long list of preconceived rules that I just knew I had to
follow in order to please God. The harder I tried to follow the rules, the
longer the list became, and the more I realized I was fighting a losing
battle. Just when I got one thing "right," I failed in another area. I
remember one night falling to my knees and crying, "What do you expect from
me? I can't do all this! I can not keep up! I can not be perfect!"
It took me a while to learn that keeping the list of rules I had made up had
nothing to do with pleasing God. I was under His grace. Jesus' death on
the cross had set me free! All I had to do was keep my heart turned toward
Jesus and allow His Holy Spirit to mold me into a person who would be
pleasing to God. In other words, I needed to stop trying to do God's job
for Him.
Here, in Deuteronomy, Moses lists the real requirements of God - those
things He really expects from us. First, fear the Lord God. This means
respect Him, have reverence for Him. God is not a man. He is God, and has
been God for all eternity. If you think about His majesty, His power, His
awesomeness - the very thought will fill you with awe and respect and
reverence. Maintain that attitude toward Him at all times.
Walk in His ways. God gave us His Law so that we would know what sin is.
Through studying the Word, we learn what God considers sin and what is not
sin. There have been many times since I became a Christian that I learned
something I was doing was sinful. The world didn't consider it sinful, but
God does! By studying the Word, I learned how to walk in His ways.
Love Him. Wow. So very simple, and yet so very difficult. Love Him means
to put Him first. Love Him means to care more about Him than I do about
myself, or my husband, or my children, or my grandchildren, or my family, or
my friends.
Serve the Lord God with all your heart and with all your soul. This means
everyone. Every person who is a born again believer should be serving the
Lord in some way, some how, and with their whole hearts and souls. Imagine
how your church would be if every member took this tenet to heart. Imagine
how the world would be!
Observe the Lord's commandments. If you fear the Lord, if you follow His
ways, if you love Him, if you are serving him, you will observe (or obey)
what He commands. Jesus said, "If you love me, you will obey what I
command." (John 14:15 NIV)
Begin today to do what God expects from you: Respect, follow, love, serve,
and obey.
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General correspondence or to subscribe to Take a Minute:
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Personal correspondence to Bonnie Ricks: bonnie@dogwoodministries.org
Personal correspondence to J.R. Ricks: j-r@dogwoodministries.org
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