Inspired by Deuteronomy 32:44-47
“This is no trifling matter for you, but rather your very
life; through it you may live long in the land that you are crossing over the Jordan to
possess.” Deuteronomy 32:47
How seriously do you take the words of God? Even those of us who try to remain steadfast
in our faith and live accordingly, how seriously do we really take his laws and
his commandments, his promises and his warnings?
God knows when we will stray from him and be disobedient,
but his foreknowledge does not mean we are predestined to follow that
path. Just before the Israelites crossed
the Jordan
to enter the promised land after wandering in the desert for forty years, God
told them through Moses that they would abandon the Lord their God and worship
foreign idols. And God told them what
would happen to them if they did that.
His warning was so that they would remain diligent in observing his
words, teaching them to their children so that generations to come would be
faithful to the Lord, and not be taken in by those foreign idols. The word of the Lord was not simply a
suggestion, but an explicit commandment for how to live faithfully in their new home. Failure to live faithfully carried with it
dire consequences, so obedience to the law of the Lord was quite literally a
matter of life or death for many of their progeny.
Following the law of the Lord is in many ways easier
today. We no longer need to follow
strict dietary or agricultural laws; we are called to love one another as
Christ loved us, seeking justice and mercy for all in the world, and trusting
in the grace and the love of the Lord our God.
Failure to do that does carry dire consequences—the natural consequences
of living in a world without selfless love, without justice, and without
mercy. This is no trifling matter; it is
your very life.
Let us pray. God of
justice, your will is for us to live according to your laws. Inspire us to live according to the love,
grace, mercy, and justice you desire for all your people, that we may live
lives pleasing to you. Through Christ
our Lord, Amen.
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