Morning by Morning, October 9 -
“Live and Increase” in the “Good Land”
Good
morning, Lord Jesus. Draw me near in prayer, as I begin my day focusing first
on You alone. ...
“This
entire commandment that I command you today you must diligently observe, so
that you may live and increase, and go in and occupy the land that the Lord
promised an oath to your ancestors. Remember the long way that the Lord your
God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, in order to humble you,
testing you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His
commandments. He humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with
manna, with which neither you nor your ancestors were acquainted, in or der to
make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word
that comes from the mouth of the Lord. The clothes on your back did not wear
out and your feet did not swell those forty years. Know then in your heart that
as a parent disciplines a child so that the Lord your God disciplines you.
Therefore keep the commandments of the Lord your God, by walking in His ways
and by fearing Him. For the Lord your God is bring you into a good land, a land
with flowing streams, with springs and underground waters welling up in valleys
and hills, a land of wheat and barely, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates,
a land of olive trees and honey, a land where you many eat bread without
scarcity, where you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron and from
whose hills you may mine copper. You shall eat your fill and bless the Lord
your God for the good land that He has given you” (Deuteronomy 8:2-10).
You are
the same yesterday and today and forever. And throughout all Your Scripture,
both Old Covenant and New, You are teaching us to trust You and obey You.
You’re teaching us to learn to love -- to love You, to love one another, to
love ourselves. You’re teaching us to choose to believe You know what’s best
and to choose to believe You want what’s best for every one of us. You want us
to “live and increase,” to “go in and occupy” the fullness of inheritance as
children of God.
Some
would say obedience is old-fashioned, Old Covenant. Some would say trust is for
children, but we’re supposed to be all grown up now to trust in ourselves, no
longer needing anyone to teach us. Some would say it’s about love, not laws;
it’s about freedom, not following some words in a Book written a long time ago.
Yet the
words of Your New Covenant still affirm Your words of the Old Covenant: “By this we know that we love the children of
God, when we love God and obey His commandments. For the love of God is this,
that we obey His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome, for
whatever is born of God conquers the world. And is this the victory that
conquers the world, our faith. Who is it that conquers the world but the one
who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:2-5).
Lord
Jesus, You are the Word made Flesh. You are the fulfillment of every law and
commandment, every promise and blessing of God. You are love. And You model for
us a life fully trusting the Father, completely obeying the Father. You show us
the way of obedience and love, saying, “If you keep My commandments, you will
abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His
love. I have said these things to you so that My joy may be in you, and that
your joy may be complete. This is My commandment, that you love one another as
I have loved you” (John 15:10-11).
By the
power of Your grace, I want to “live and increase.” I want to love You and
trust You and obey You. I want to believe in You and choose to live my life
believing You know what’s best for me. Thank you for every way You’ve humbled
me and tested me and taught me to be able to trust You more every day. And I
know You’ll keep giving me Your grace for the times of humbling and testing and
teaching to come all along my journey into the good land You’ve prepared for me
-- the land where I live and increase through obedience to You. All of this is
so that Your joy may be in me and my joy may be complete. In Jesus’ name I
pray. Amen.
