Week 11

I’m so behind! I did my devotional day on Monday, but I am now just getting around to writing about it. Work has been crazy from sun up to sun down, but I guess better busy than bored. Plus, I’m working on the next issue of my church’s newsletter, which is something I enjoy. I so love words!

For my text, I read Deuteronomy 8. I was struck by how much God has done in my life. My faith and belief in God are a huge part of my identity. People who don’t believe in God will try to call it luck, happenstance, etc., but I know it for what it is. It’s the fact that God’s Hand has been on me from the beginning.

I spent a lot of my life resenting the fact that my mom sent me to be raised by my aunt. This feeling of abandonment and being unwanted has plagued me a lot of my life as a result. But, if I take the time to consider how my life could have turned out if my mom had raised me that life doesn’t look anything like I have now. Yes, I am talking about the material blessings right now. But, I’m also talking about the amazing community that surrounds me with love and understanding.

Basically, what I’m trying to say is that I would be a fool to forget God’s Hand in all of this. It’s tempting to think very highly of my intelligence and brilliance, but if I look at some of the things that could have happened, I know it was God’s favor in my life. Like the fact that I could be HIV+ or dead by now. Like I could have ended up in an abusive relationship. There are so many things God has protected me from that it would take pages to fill.

In Deuteronomy 8, God is telling us that the best way to show appreciate for God is by keeping his statutes and commandments, which is not always easy. There are things that I want to do! I will be honest and say for example that there was a time I was not abstinent, and that is what it is. Then, I remember reading about Joseph and Potiphar’s wife. Joseph’s reason for not succumbing to her advances? He couldn’t do this sin against God. Now, I had read the story a million times, but over six years ago, I read it and it struck home. God has blessed me and protected me, yet I couldn’t sacrifice this area of my life? I realized that God wasn’t trying to keep from some great pleasure; God was trying to protect me from the consequences that can come from premarital sex. Pregnancy and STDs. Please pray that I am able to maintain my abstinence. Sometimes I don’t always want to do what is right!

But it’s not only the sins of adultery, fornication, murder, etc. There are also things like not showing love or being prideful that rear their ugly head. Plus, there are also things that we put in front of God. I can spend two hours watching a movie, but I find it hard to spend 15 minutes talking to God without getting distracted? This should not be!

How I can demand the blessings of God, when I am not willing to make any sacrifices. As we approach Easter or Resurrection Sunday, we are reminded that God so loved us that He gave His only begotten Son. A great way to show our love and appreciation is to keep His commandments.