Nougat 5

As we journey towards our land of eternal Promise, what preparation is needed? Here’s today’s Holy Nougat

““And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul.” ‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭10:12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Someone once preached that the forty-year journey in the wilderness was about getting Egypt out of the Children of Israel. When we consider their very vocalized frustration and grumbling while journeying through the wilderness, we are wont to agree. For at the first sign of any kind of trouble, danger, distress or disappointment; their default was to lament the ‘olde’ ways of Egypt! It seems incongruous to receive freedom and earnestly desire enslavement; but their minds were still shackled. And that’s where God’s command-request comes in; God demands their Love. Ironically, it’s Love that God prioritized, not trust.

I suspect that that is related to the fact that we can Trust without Love. Trust, as presented in Proverbs 3:5-6, is about obedience and recognition of God’s ability to fulfill God’s promises. The reward – direction for the journey. However, Love implies we have established a relationship with God.

When we truly Love, it usually isn’t about flash-in-the-dark moments of temporal (sexual) gratification and broken promises but derives from knowing the other and seeking the best for that person. That’s how God’s love extends to us. Seeking the best for God invites us to demonstrate with our actions that we prioritize God over the distractions that come our way. And usually it includes our spending time in God’s presence: in the Word, in prayer – both personal and collective. Then we can know God’s heart and respond to God’s desires for us.

Pleasing God begins with love. Love that prioritizes God, places our trust in God’s plans and is manifested in worship and obedience.

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May all we seek be found in Christ