Scripture Nugget 3.11.2016

“Moreover, the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, in order that you may live. … See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, that I am commanding you today, by loving the LORD your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the LORD swore to give your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” Deuteronomy 30:6, 15-20

A Lenten assessment faces us/me in this passage. In which direction am I facing? Where is my heart’s desire? Do I love God first, with all of my being; or is there something(s), someone(s) that divert my attention? Is my focus on life or death? Am I found or lost? This affects more than just me, but my family, my children and their children and all who follow after me. It affects my Brothers and Sisters in Christ, the Spiritual family I am a part of. O Lord, that I would always choose you, choose life so that all who follow me may live with you in the land you choose!

Scripture Nugget 3.10.2016

“All these curses shall come upon you, pursuing and overtaking you until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the LORD your God, by observing the commandments and the decrees that he commanded you. They shall be among you and your descendants as a sign and portent forever.”

Good News! Obedience brings blessings. Bad News! Disobedience brings curses. Good News! There is a remnant left that can choose obedience. Where there is a remnant there is hope- where hope is realized – restoration and rebuilding will occur. Where hope is not realized – destruction, despair and further ruin lead to desperation. Where sin abounds – grace is sufficient, thanks be to a merciful God! May I and no one else reach the point of desperation, but when we do let us cry out to God who is merciful and provides grace enough to cancel out all our sins.

Scripture Nugget 3.9.2016

“You shall not withhold the wages of the poor and needy laborers, whether other Israelites or aliens who reside in your land in one of your towns. You shall pay them their wages daily before sunset, because they are poor and their livelihood depends on them; otherwise they might cry to the LORD against you, and you would incur guilt. … You shall not deprive a resident alien or an orphan of justice; you shall not take a widow’s garment in pledge. … When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be left for the alien, the orphan, and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all your undertakings. When you beat your olive trees, do not strip what is left; it shall be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow. When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, do not glean what is left, it shall be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow.” Deuteronomy24:14-15, 17, 19-21

                                                        Wesleyan – Life

Application Topic - Caring for the Poor and the Stranger

In seeking to recover the model of the earliest Christians, John Wesley was drawn to the loves of the poor. As he began to live in the grace of God, he found this grace most fully present among those who were utterly dependent on God: the marginalized of his society. The law is clear in reminding us that gifts of creation are not for our sole use (Deuteronomy 24:18-21); they are to bless the rich and the poor, each a recipient of grace, each deserving of basic human dignity (Deuteronomy 24:13, 15). (Wesley Study Bible, pg 246)

                                                                                     Wesleyan

– Core Term - Poverty

Understanding poverty in all its dimensions (economic, political, cultural, physical, and spiritual), Wesley took the command of Jesus, to minister to and live with the poor, with utter seriousness. For Wesleyans, aiding the poor means making them more capable to fulfill their God-given gifts; it does not mean making them dependent. Simply giving money, however important, will not release people from poverty unless the other dimensions of poverty are addressed. This means of course, that the systems causing impoverished conditions must be changed. But is also means that disciples of Christ must be intimately related to the poor so that the poor can be fully brought into life-giving community. One of the most distinctive aspects of Wesley’s teaching was that, while one cannot earn one’s salvation, one’s experience of the joy of salvation is to be found in the midst of what God is doing in and with the poor. (Wesley Study Bible, pg 247)

O God help me to see the big picture, to be aware, to advocate change, to find ways to assist others; more than just give money. Let me be part of your plan to transform lives. Show me what I can do, show me what our congregations can do; give us bold outlooks to step into that which you call us to.

Scripture Nugget 3.8.2016

“So you shall purge the evil from your midst.” Deuteronomy 22:21d, 22d, 24c

This isn’t the first time we encounter this command in Deuteronomy, God is serious about our worship, serious about our focus of worship – God also knows we are a people prone to give in to temptation. That which threatens exclusive worship of the Lord we are to treat with utmost seriousness, without hesitation we are to eliminate distractions/temptations/threats immediately so as to protect the body of faith. This is another measure of our faith journey. What is it in my life that distracts me from loving God first, loving others and myself as Jesus loves? Awe but there is a tension built in to this thought. While we welcome sinners as Jesus does, we are welcoming the person there sin. We are to love others not that which they do, we are not to judge but must be discerning. Welcoming all, Holding each other accountable in love, but dismissing those who will not join in the covenant of faith. O Lord that I get the balance right, that I assess myself correctly in comparison to you, that I love others, that I hold you up to them, that I receive correction from others faster and more readily than I correct. Always looking to you, praising and glorifying you Lord!

Scripture Nugget 3.7.2016

“You must not move your neighbor’s boundary marker set up by former generations, on the property that will be allotted to you in the land that He LORD your God is giving you to possess.” Deuteronomy 19:14

God, our ultimate neighbor, the one who says, “I am here with you”, then asks, “will you be with me?”, set the boundaries for us in the beginning, before any of us were who we are now. Here, today, in this season of Lent, let’s ask ourselves – Have I moved an of God’s boundaries, do I reach out and take that which God has said isn’t for me? Do I love God first, do I love others as Jesus loves me, do I love myself as God does? O Lord show me where I’ve pushed the limits to please myself, and in doing so have separated myself from you.

Scripture Nugget 3.6.2016

“If there is among you anyone in need, a member of your community, in any of your towns within the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your needy neighbor. You should rather open your hand, willingly lending enough to meet the need, whatever it may be. … Give liberally and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and I all that you undertake. Since there will never cease to be someone need on the earth, I therefore command you, ‘Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.’” Deuteronomy 15:7-8, 10-11

Just think, when each of us cares for our neighbor, gives to fill their need, with a loving and generous heart, then there will be no need unmet, no need for governments to create bureaucracies to do what we are commanded to do. O Lord, show me where I am missing the mark, help me always to have a generous giving spirit as you do. Help me be as loving to others as you are loving Father to all.

Scripture Nugget 3.5.2016

“You shall love the LORD your God, therefore, and keep his charge, his decrees, his ordinances, and his commandments always. . . . Take care, or you will be seduced into turning away, serving other gods and worshiping them, for then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you and he will shut up the heavens, so that there will be no rain and the land will yield no fruit; then you will perish quickly off the good land that the LORD is giving you”. . . . “If prophets … say ‘Let us follow other gods’ … you must not heed the words of those prophets.” . . . . If anyone secretly entices you – even a close relative, brother, sister, son, daughter, spouse or intimate friend – saying, ‘Let us worship other gods,’ … you must not yield to or heed any such persons. ... If you hear it said about one of the towns that the LORD your God is giving you to live in, that scoundrels from among you have led the inhabitants astray, saying, ‘Let us go worship other gods,’ if after thorough investigation the charge is found true, you shall put them to sword. Do not let anything devoted to destruction stick to your hand. Deuteronomy 11:1, 16-17, 13:1-3, 6-8, 12-15, 17

                                                                  Wesleyan

Core Term – Yielding to Temptation Deuteronomy 13 describes temptation on a large and public scale, with whole communities forsaking the living God for false Gods. It hints at the subtlety of temptation by portraying its sources as objects of trust; prophets, family, and neighbors. Sin usually approaches us as something common and acceptable; it comes as something practiced by people whom we like and trust. Very few of us are tempted to overt acts of great wickedness. It is more likely that we will fall into the sins that those around us participate in, because they will not appear to be sins. For us, it is fairly easy to avoid the worship of idols. Much more difficult is to avoid the sins that, because they are so common, appear normal. With these sins, yielding to temptation does not seem like yielding. Rather, it seems natural. Deuteronomy 13 warns us to be especially careful regarding the influence of those who surround us. (Wesley Study Bible, pg 234)

O Lord, that I not be enticed, that I not be an enticer of others to anyone but you and the life you desire us to live. That my living be your normal, not follow the “normal” of the world around me. That I not be afraid to enter in the world around me, that as I do I share you, your thoughts, your values and desires for all of your creation. Reveal to me that which I have been enticed by, so I may confess, give to you and return to life with you.

Scripture Nugget 3.4.2016

“So now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you? Only to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD your God and his decrees that I am commanding you today, for your own well-being. Although heaven and the heaven of heavens belong to the LORD your God, the earth with all that is in it, yet the LORD set his heart in love on your ancestors alone and chose you, their descendants after them, out of all the peoples, as it is today. Circumcise, then the foreskin of your heart, and do not be stubborn any longer. For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who is not partial and takes no bribe, who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing. You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. You shall fear the LORD your God; him alone you shall worship; to him you shall hold fast, and by his name you shall swear. He is your praise; he is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome things that your own eyes have seen. Your ancestors went down to Egypt seventy persons; and now the LORD your God has made you numerous as the stars in heaven.” Deuteronomy 10:12-22

Deep in the Lenten season, a time where we take a long intentional look at our relationship with God this passage gives us pause, something to chew on like a gristled piece of steak. Am I, do I walk with God, do all He requires of me; is my heart like the heart of God? Do I worship fully and completely – only God? Do I love and serve God with abandon? Do I bare my soul to God? Am I searching for opportunities to and do I extend justice and mercy to widows, orphans, homeless and hungry? O that I live the way God desires and I intend! Forgive me Lord, for I have sinned!

Scripture Nugget 3.3.2016

“You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.” Deuteronomy 5:11

In this season, Lent, which is smack in the middle of an election cycle for our country, it is a good time for me and all to assess how we “throw” the name of God, the idea of God and God’s followers i.e. Christians, around. The thought expressed in “for the LORD will not acquit anyone who misuses his name” is clear; as is “whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven” (Luke 12:10b). Misrepresenting God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), rejecting Christ and creating then worshiping idols all seem very prevalent in our society at this time. Let us, those who profess belief in and claim to be Christ followers be cognizant of how we represent our God, our Lord and Savior. O that I will assess myself only, will aid others as opportunity arises but will leave judgment of others to God. O Lord God lead us all into the resurrection life, revive us to enter in to eternal life with you. Continue to lead your people, may we all be a part of your people, may we follow where you lead, may we worship you. “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”!

Scripture Nugget 3.2.2016

“At this time, too, I entreated the LORD, saying: ‘O Lord God, you have only begun to show your servant your greatness and your might; what god in heaven or earth can perform deeds and mighty acts like yours! Let me cross over to see the good land beyond the Jordan, that good hill country and the Lebanon.’ But the LORD was angry with me on your account and would not heed me. The LORD said to me, ‘Enough from you! Never speak to me of this matter again! Go up to the top of Pisgah and look around you to the west, to the north, to the south, and to the east. Look well, for you shall not cross over this Jordan. But charge Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, because it is he who shall cross over at the head of this people and who shall secure their possession of the land that you will see.’ So we remained in the valley opposite Bethpeor. So now, Israel, give heed to the statutes and ordinances that I am teaching you to observe, so that you may live to enter and occupy the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors is giving you.” Deuteronomy 3:23-4:1

“Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”, how many times have I prayed this line? Does my faith back up my prayer? Moses, selected by God to lead Israel out of slavery, through the wilderness, to the edge of but not into the Promised Land. “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. Moses requests to enter, so he can see, God says no, hush. “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. God directs Moses to place where he can take it all in, with his eyes; it is only through his vision he enters. “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. God directs Moses to prepare his number 2, Joshua, to lead the people in. (Good lesson for United Methodist congregations to learn and remember, God can and does provide new leadership to continue the journey - “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”.) A lesson for each of us, we know Moses crossed over another Jordan, into heaven, into eternal life with God. So while God was angry with Moses for striking the rock, God also obviously forgave Moses for that sin. Forgiven by God, Moses again is holy, righteous and able to be in God’s presence. “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. In this season of lent, in all my days, do I remain faithful, do I continue to journey with and serve God as God asks, even when God says, “Enough from you, hush”? God’s no in the present, is His business, mine is to trust and obey and have faith that the greater reward is beyond the Jordan of God’s choosing….. O that I remember the greatest good, eternal life with God. “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”!