The Moment of Truth

See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; - Dt 30:15

 

Picture this scene. After 40 years of wandering in the desert, God finally allows Moses to prepare the Israelites to cross over into the Promised Land. It is here where they must make a decision to move forward or resign to stay in the status quo of the wilderness.

 

We are no different than the Israelites in that we are all on a journey towards significance or happiness whether or not we consciously realize it. The interesting thing to me is the place we find ourselves when we intentionally decide to search for purpose or significance, to make changes in our lives and begin to glimpse our "promised land".

 

To clarify this point, I recently finished teaching a class on Life Purpose called Blueprint for Life. Throughout the class, each participant was tasked to draft their life purpose statement and set measurable and achievable goals for each main area of their life (spiritual, relational, physical, financial, career) to support their life purpose statement. In essence, each member defined their personal "Promised Land" as they currently saw it to be. This was an emotional and live-changing experience for many of the group members.

 

Something happens inside us when we finally uncover the purpose God has for our lives. Suddenly, we realize how much we need to redeem the time ahead of us. Looking at or defining our "promised land" also puts us in an interesting position because we put ourselves between the "here" and the "there". We know where we are and yet we see how things could be.

 

It is at the boundary between current reality and our "promised land" that we find our moment of truth.

 

It is at this boundary where we must ask ourselves:

• What will I do with what I now see?
• What will I do with what could be?
• What keeps me from entering in to the promised land?

Where are you in the journey? No matter where you are in the process of discovering your purpose, you have a choice between life and prosperity, death and adversity. The choice is yours. You CAN have your "promised land" with a little hard work (physically and spiritually) and trust in God.  What are you waiting for?

 

For more resources on life purpose, click here.

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Janna Rust is a Professional Coach and Speaker dedicated to encouraging others towards lives God intends for them.  For more information, visit her other blog at www.purposefulleadershipblog.com.

The Completed Tabernacle

According to all that the Lord had commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did all the work. Then Moses looked over all the work, and indeed they had done it, as the LORD had commanded, just so they had done it.  And Moses blessed them. (Exodus 39:42-43 NKJV)

Looking back on Exodus 35-39, we see an example of God's people carrying out God's instructions to the letter.   Not only did they construct the tabernacle, but they carefully made all of the furnishings, altar items, and priestly garments.  It is amazing to me how much work it takes to do things exactly as God wants.  God is very particular and desires quality rather than quantity.  The good news is that God provides us with the resources to do the job!  God gave Moses all that he needed to get the work done, including materials and skilled personnel.  Incredible!

As I think about the completed tabernacle, I think about the following principles we can apply to our lives:

1. God provided skilled workers - God stirred up the hearts of the specific people He needed to get the job done.
2. God provided materials - more than they needed.
3. Moses followed God's instructions to the letter - He gave God the quality God expected.
4. Moses inspected the work - A leader is responsible for the work of subordinates.

What task does God have planned for you?  What character does He want to produce in you? He will provide the resources you need in many ways.  No job is too big for God.  Keep seeking Him and watching for His plan to be revealed.  When it is time to move on the task, God will make the way.

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Janna Rust is a Professional Coach and Speaker dedicated to encouraging others towards lives God intends for them.  For more information, visit her at www.purposefulpartnerships.com.

Blessing, Cursing and Compassion

"Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the LORD your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. - Deut 28:1 NASB

"But it shall come about, if you do not obey the LORD your God ... that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:" - Deut 28:15 NASB

It seems so simple, doesn't it?  So cut and dried.  Obey and be blessed by God.  Disobey and be cursed by God.  These were the instructions given by Moses to the people of Israel, straight from the mouth of God.  Despite the clear instructions, however, throughout recorded history Israel cycled in and out of obedience, blessing and cursing.  I shake my head at them until I realize that I am oftentimes no less stubborn in wanting to pursue my own way rather than God's way.

Granted, my stubbornness doesn't get me into the same kind of trouble.  I've yet to receive a literal plague upon my home or person, and I have literally gone hungry or thirsty from a famine or drought because I failed to wholeheartedly pursue God's path.  But objectively as I look upon my life, I know I've received some "plagues" in a figurative sense and missed out of God's blessings as well.  No matter who we are, God's timeless principles apply.

The good news is that while God promises not to spare us from calamity if we disobey (note that he also might cause some distress to bring us back to him), he is also quick to forgive and return us to favor in his eyes.   

"So it shall be when all of these things have come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you ... and you return to the LORD your God and obey Him with all your heart and soul ... then the LORD your God will restore you from captivity and have compassion on you ... " - Deut 30:1-3a NASB

Our compassionate God will restore us and bless us again, no matter how far we've strayed from him if we sincerely come back to him.  His anger towards disobedience only exists because of his great love for us.  Is there something you need to run from so that you can run back to God today?  Are you being disobedient as a result of not doing what God has called you to do?  Don't wait.  A blessing awaits.

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Janna Rust is a Professional Coach and Speaker dedicated to encouraging others towards lives God intends for them.  For more information, visit her at www.purposefulpartnerships.com.

 

God's Loyalty

We all know that there are consequences to our decisions and actions, good and bad.  Sometimes we can turn from a bad decision and come out of it unscathed and sometimes it takes a long time before the consequences of our actions can be overcome.  I think of this as I come to the end of Deuteronomy where Moses is recapping God's words regarding His promises for Israel - blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience (Deut. 28).  God is faithful is in His promises, isn't He?  As I think back on my own life and the decisions I've made at times, He has blessed me and cursed me rightly as well. 

However, again I see the longsuffering of God and in it the love He has for His children - the nation of Israel and for you and for me.  In Deuteronomy 30:1-4, we see again the "second chance" God gives to those who return to Him:

Deut. 30:1 When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come upon you and you take them to heart wherever the Lord your God disperses you among the nations, 2 and when you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today,  3 then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you.  4 Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the Lord your God will gather you and bring you back. (NIV)

He will bring us back.  No matter where we've been.  Isn't that incredible?  God will change our hearts to make us love Him.  It may be painful, but the change will be worth it.

The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and that hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live. (Deut. 30:6)

Think about that for a minute.  God will figuratively cut away the outer part of our hearts so that He can get inside and work on us deeply.  He works to change us through prayer and His word.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (NKJV)

Yes indeed, the words of God have a way of penetrating even the hardest of hearts, impacting them for good.  However, we must be reading our bibles for the most change to take affect.

Questions to ponder:

1) How is my quiet time with God?  Is it something I just check off of my "to do" list or am I really thinking about how I can apply the bible passages I read to my life?

2) Am I spending enough time with God so that He can make an impact on me, renewing my mind day by day?

3) When was the last time I memorized scripture so that it could cut deep into my heart?

Chosen...just because

The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples.  But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of the Pharoah king of Egypt.  Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.  (Deuteronomy 7:7-9 NIV)

Did you ever stop to realize that God chose to love you not because you were the best, not because you were the brightest, but because you are you?  I love this passage because it says so much about God's character and what He looks for in a relationship. God chose us, like He chose the people of Israel just because... How incredible. 

He is faithful to keep on loving us through any circumstance.  Sometimes we get angry at Him.  Sometimes we forget about Him.  Sometimes we flat out disobey Him.  But He loves us still.  He performs miracles for us still.

Take some time today to really ponder the truth today in the verse I've posted above.  May you come to realize just how much you are loved.

Israel's Testimony

I can't seem to get away from the testimonial these days. But I can say that I am glad mine is finished for the purposes of this blog anyway.  I have learned throughout the past week that it is harder for me to assemble thoughts about my own life than to comment on the lives of those bible characters. Hmmm...what does that say about me?  Anyway, to all of my fellow bloggers out there that share their stories day in and day out, I commend you.

I'm back in Deuteronomy now and through the first four chapters we see Moses give a historical summary of Israel's recent past.  As I've just done with you here in sharing some of my history, I believe this kind of exercise is a very helpful one to go through periodically.  To get where we are going, we must know from where we have come so we can be more acutely aware of the history we do not want to repeat.  Most importantly, remembering how God has gotten is through trying times before gives us assurance that He will come through for us again.

A lot of passages stood out to me in Deuteronomy 1-4, which I shall share briefly here: 

1) Deut. 2:7 For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand.  He knows your trudging through this great wilderness.  These forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing. (NKJV)

How many times do we forget that God has been with us, feast or famine, wilderness or green pastures?  God forgives our failings and never forsakes us.  Remember, that the Israelites had not been the perfect "children".

2) Deut 3:21-22 "And I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, 'Your eyes have seen all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings; so will the Lord do to all the kingdoms through which you pass.  You must not fear them, for the Lord your God Himself fights for you. '" (NKJV)

Joshua was afraid but still willing to go forward into the promised land.  If we remember that we are not fighting our battles alone and that God has given us His power supply, we will have no reason to fear.

3) Deut 4:7 For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the Lord our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him?

God is here for us just as He was for the nation of Israel.  We may call on our Creator for whatever reason.  Oh, how incredibly priviledged we are as sons and daughters of the King.

What wonderful promises God has for us in His word if we only just look through its pages.  I'm so looking forward to being back posting about my passion.  In conclusion, I'll leave you with this great short summary of who God was in his heart for Israel.  It is long, but worth the read. As you read it, pretend that Moses is speaking directly to you.   

Deuteronomy 4:32 “For ask now concerning the days that are past, which were before you, since the day that God created man on the earth, and ask from one end of heaven to the other, whether any great thing like this has happened, or anything like it has been heard. 33 Did any people ever hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and live? 34 Or did God ever try to go and take for Himself a nation from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?

35 To you it was shown, that you might know that the LORD Himself is God; there is none other besides Him. 36 Out of heaven He let you hear His voice, that He might instruct you; on earth He showed you His great fire, and you heard His words out of the midst of the fire. 37 And because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them; and He brought you out of Egypt with His Presence, with His mighty power, 38 driving out from before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in, to give you their land as an inheritance, as it is this day.

39 Therefore know this day, and consider it in your heart, that the LORD Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. 40 You shall therefore keep His statutes and His commandments which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which the LORD your God is giving you for all time.”  (NKJV)