In today's reading of Deuteronomy 31-32 we find that it's finally time for Moses to pass the baton on to Joshua. But before he does this the Lord instructs Moses to leave Israel with a song, a song that will remind them of how He's lead, and also what will happen when they turn away from Him.
I was really inspired by this song... How it reminds us that God is our Rock... that He found us in the wilderness, in the desert wasteland and rescued us (that's where we all are before we give our lives to Christ), and how we become the APPLE of His eye. The song shares how He sustains us and carries us, and how we can draw honey and oil from the rock. Who ever heard of drawing honey and oil from a rock? :-) But God is the rock, and the sweetness of His Word like honey, comes from Himself, the Rock, the living Rock. The Holy Spirit comes from the Rock! In fact, in Deut. 32:18, we even find that it is the ROCK that begets us, that births us! So profound in so many ways? (Since when do rocks birth anything? They don't, accept one... the living Rock - 1 Pet. 2:4.) Sometime, I want to do a deeper study on all the times a Rock is used in Scripture to symbolize God/Christ. I think these illustrations are beautiful!
However, what I was intending to comment on today was NOT Deuteronomy, magnificent as the reading was. I was going to comment on Romans 8. Why? Because Romans 8 happens to be, probably my very favorite chapter in the whole Bible. I have held and clung to the promises in Romans 8 probably more than the promises of any other chapter (although there are many favorite chapters I hold on to... for example a few other favorites are Psalm 27, 34, 37, 91, Hebrews 11 etc.). But Romans 8 really is right at the top!
Let's consider some of the gold nuggets from Romans 8!
- There is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus! (That's right! As long as we are seeking to abide in Him, to walk after the Spirit and not the flesh, we can rest assured His righteousness covers us. Others may condemn us, may shun us, may misinterpret our motives or malign us, but Jesus sees all things as they really are! We can rest in Him!
- God sent His Son. What we could not do, He did! (And we could stop right there. Where would we be without His Son?)
- We are adopted! We are joint-heirs with Christ! (What a privilege. Do we recognize this privilege!?)
- Our Sufferings will be Rewarded someday! I love the promise that we can't compare sufferings to the glories to come! (How much hope this promise has given me when walking through difficult times!)
- We are saved by HOPE, but hope that is seen is not hope. But when we hope for that which we see not, then we wait for it patiently. (We are all hoping for something/Someone's return that we have not yet seen. And we hope for things today that we can't see... but even though we can't see, when our HOPE is in HIM, we have a firm foundation. And surely as our hope is in Him, we can trust that He will fulfill His Word. The reward is coming!)
- The Spirit takes our feeble prayers and makes them acceptable to the Father. (In fact, He takes our imperfect requests and prays them according to the will of God, such that the will of God is fulfilled. In the past I prayed that I would be a missionary nurse in the jungles of South America somewhere. But the Holy Spirit took those prayers and prayed them according to the will of God, because He knew it was God's will that I be a missionary somewhere else (right now here at the GC). Truly, there's no place I'd rather be than in the center of His will. How happy I am today that He's answered my prayers, not always as I've prayed, but always for my best good and for His glory. I love the path He's led me along--although it's not the path I would have expected or chosen for myself.
- All things work together for good for those who love God! (That doesn't mean all things ARE good... but that all things work together for good. Yes, even what the enemy has meant for evil, in tragedy, in natural disaster, in pain and suffering, God can and will turn to good, if we allow Him. He doesn't say SOME things work together for good, He says ALL things. If we truly believe this, how might our attitude change over difficult circumstances that He allows us to walk through.)
- If God is for us, WHO can be against us? (Seriously, the whole world may be against us... and someday they will be! But what does it matter, if we are living faithfully and with a clear conscience before God. If He's for us, no one can be against us. Remember, it's what God thinks that matters most, not what others think. May we live faithfully with our eyes solely on God, seeking His approval above all else. Someday, He will turn the tables and we will receive the reward for our faithfulness.)
- Who can separate us from the LOVE of Christ? No one! (Love love love this section! No matter what comes, no matter what difficulties or hardship or privation we must endure, nothing can separate us from Christ. And someday, we will be with Him forever! We need to remember this when the storms of persecution come...and they will come...but we can cling to His promise.)
Wow! How I love this chapter! Now you can see why... :-) So much gold here! God is good, His Word is good... and truly there is Honey in my soul today as I feast upon His Word.
Tomorrow's Reading: Final chapters of Deuteronomy 33-34 and Romans 9
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