6 Minute Read
Prepare Your Heart
To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.
Read God’s Word
A Verse for Today
Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.
Deuteronomy 10:12-13 (CSB): “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you except to fear the LORD your God by walking in all his ways, to love him, and to worship the LORD your God with all your heart and all your soul? Keep the LORD’s commands and statutes I am giving you today, for your own good.
Reflecting on God’s Word
I’m a guy who doesn’t like to work to figure out what someone wants. I don’t like when they hint all around the point. I like it when they get right to the point and tell me exactly what they are thinking. Then, I know what is expected and can determine my appropriate response and course of action.
That being said, I love verses like Deuteronomy 10:12-13. In those two verses, God tells us exactly what He wants, three necessities for His desire to be achieved, the way in which we are to carry it out, and how it affects us. It’s so clear and to the point!
So, let’s quickly look at each of these components of God’s request.
God’s Desire
Deuteronomy 10:12 (CSB): “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you except to fear the LORD your God …”
The best way I’ve come to understand what it means to fear the Lord is to relate it to a trip I took with my family in the summer of 2017. We drove to Denver, Colorado, where we helped a church planter serve his community. Then, we drove over the Rockies and then south to the Northern Rim of the Grand Canyon. As I stood on the edge of that massive, rugged, beautiful place, I couldn’t help but gawk. I could have stood there for hours! It was huge, dangerous (many people fall to their death), and beautiful. I felt so small in the presence of something so massive … and I LOVED IT!
This is how I understand the fear of the Lord. It is the growing awareness that our God, the God of Heaven, is massive, dangerous, and beautiful! We feel so small in His presence … and we love it!
The fear of the Lord is certainly more than this, but it is not less than this.
Three Necessities of Fearing the Lord
Deuteronomy 10:12 (CSB): “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you except to fear the LORD your God by walking in all his ways, to love him, and to worship the LORD your God …”
The way we can show our “fear of God” is, first, by “walking in all his ways.” That means we must discover what God has commanded us to think and do … and then do it as a way of life.
Second, we are to love Him. Imagine that I told my wife: “Kim, I’m going to act like a good husband from now on, but I just don’t feel any love for you.” That would hurt her, right? She doesn’t just want my actions; she wants to know that I care for her in my heart. It is this way with God. If we don’t have any warmth for Him in our hearts, then we have embraced a dry religion that does not ultimately satisfy us. Learn to love the Lord your God from your heart.
Finally, we are to worship/serve Him. This means that we realize our life is not our own. It belongs to God. So, we worship and serve Him as happy, grateful servants. We find our delight in doing what He desires of us.
How We Carry Out Those Three Necessities
Deuteronomy 10:12 (CSB): “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you except to fear the LORD your God by walking in all his ways, to love him, and to worship the LORD your God with all your heart and all your soul?”
In other words, God doesn’t want a half-hearted effort. Some “Christians” are about as committed to God and a life of holiness as a kamikaze pilot on his 50th mission. They just aren’t committed.
So, God wants to know that our pursuit of Him and holiness aren’t merely superficial. Those things are what our heart desires! We are giving it our all!
How Our Obedience Affects Us
Deuteronomy 10:12-13 (CSB): “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you except to fear the LORD your God by walking in all his ways, to love him, and to worship the LORD your God with all your heart and all your soul? Keep the LORD’s commands and statutes I am giving you today, for your own good.”
God isn’t sitting in Heaven thinking up rules to make our lives miserable. Instead, He has set up rules (boundaries) within which we can and should live. If we stay within those boundaries, we won’t have to live with the consequences of bad choices, and we are free to experience God’s blessings however He chooses to define “blessings.”
Spend Time in Prayer
- Ask God to help you assess if you are complying with all of Deuteronomy 10:12-13.
- Ask God to help you repent and make the adjustments where necessary.
Going Deeper
If you want to dig a little deeper into the truth of Deuteronomy 10:12, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:
“What does Deuteronomy 10:12 tell us God requires of us?”
Sharing
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Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com)
Matt’s Musings 