The Lord Blesses Those Who Bless Others
Today’s Passage – Deuteronomy 15 – 18 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Galatians 1 – 3; Proverbs 6; Psalm 26 – 30)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Isaiah 51:11
Read the “0306 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read a previous post from this passage –
Have you ever hesitated to give because you worried about having enough left for yourself?
“Did You Write Your Bible Today?”
“1 At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release. 2 And this is the manner of the release: Every creditor that lendeth ought unto his neighbour shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbour, or of his brother; because it is called the LORD’S release. 3 Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it again: but that which is thine with thy brother thine hand shall release; 4 Save when there shall be no poor among you; for the LORD shall greatly bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it: 5 Only if thou carefully hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all these commandments which I command thee this day. 6 For the LORD thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee. 7 If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: 8 But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth.” (Deuteronomy 15:1-8)
In our reading today, God, through Moses, is continuing to prepare the Israelites for life in their new home. They are about ready to cross the Jordan River and possess the Land of Canaan. God promises them that He is going to bless them abundantly and that they would have way more than they needed; so much so, that God commands them to release anybody that owed them money of the debt that they owed every seven years. Every seventh year, all debts would be forgiven. The reason why the creditors could do this was because God was going to see to it that they would make so much in the first six years that the loss they took in the seventh year would not matter. The shrewd and selfish businessman might think that he would only lend out money in the early part of the six years so that he could make the most interest on the debt as possible, but God commanded them to make sure the poor people got the money they needed even if it was close to the seventh year. The fact is that God made sure that His people were very prosperous, though He acknowledged that there would always be a few poor among them.
The Blessings of Generosity
However, in a godless society there is more than just a few poor, there will be many who are poor and few that are prosperous. The blessings that God gave Israel made the whole nation prosperous with few exceptions, which allowed them to be very generous with the relatively small number of poor people who were among them.
“11 For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.” (Deuteronomy 15:11)
“7 For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.” (Mark 14:7)
How much is enough? When will you have enough that you finally get to the place where you can start giving some of the excess away to others that have a need? I am reminded of the conversation that Esau had with his brother Jacob. Jacob had prepared a valuable gift of livestock for his brother, but Esau said: “I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself” (Genesis 33:9). The problem with most of us is that we think that we will never have enough and that what we have will run out, and that fear keeps us from giving away anything. The truth is, however, that when we realize that God is the source of everything that we have and that God wants us to be generous to others, we can then let go; and when we finally let go, God blesses us with more. I have had this struggle my whole life. I worry about running out, but God keeps giving us more. God just keeps giving to us, but He expects us to keep giving back to Him by giving to the work of the Lord and by giving to people who have need.
Lessons from Proverbs
Consider the following verses from Proverbs:
“He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.” (Proverbs 14:31)
“He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.” (Proverbs 19:17)
“Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.” (Proverbs 21:13)
“He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.” (Proverbs 22:9)
“He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.” (Proverbs 28:27)
“The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: but the wicked regardeth not to know it.” (Proverbs 29:7)
Application
Our church has an “Others Fund” which is set up to be a help to people within the church who are struggling to pay their bills or keep food on the table. Giving to this fund is a way for people to be a blessing to those who are struggling. But, there are many other ways to help individuals. Offering them a ride to someplace they need to go; watching their kids for them so they can go to an appointment or to the store; having them over for a meal; etc. The key is for you and I to think of people other than ourselves, and consider what we can do to make their lives a bit easier.
This week, look for one person in need and bless them intentionally (a meal, a note, financial help if able).
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from Deuteronomy and tagged Biblical Generosity, Blessing Others, Cheerful Giving, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy 15, Generosity, Giving, Giving to the Poor, God's Provision, Overcoming Fear, Proverbs, Scarcity Mindset by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Stepping Out in Faith: God Clears the Path Ahead
Listen to today’s passage – Deuteronomy 9 – 11
Follow along on Blue Letter Bible – Deuteronomy 9
Second Milers also read – 2 Corinthians 5 – 8; Proverbs 4; Psalm 16 – 20
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 121
Read the “0304 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read a previous post from this passage – “The Choice is Yours“
I hate to admit it, but fear has been a constant companion in my life. New things, new people, rejection, failure—they all make my heart race. If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. That’s why a verse like Deuteronomy 9:3 brings me such comfort…
“Understand therefore this day, that the LORD thy God is he which goeth over before thee; as a consuming fire he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face: so shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the LORD hath said unto thee.” – (Deuteronomy 9:3)
In Deuteronomy 9, God is encouraging another group of fearful people. The people of Israel were about to enter into the land of promise and though the land was a wonderful place, it was also inhabited by some pretty big and mean dudes who were not too pleased about this new nation moving in. God reminded them here in this verse that they need not be afraid because he was going to go before them and pave the way for them. He was going to clear the land first, so that the Israelites would basically be able to move right in.
This echoes what Moses says later to Joshua:
“7 And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. 8 And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.” (Deuteronomy 31:7–8)
The reason why verses like this one comfort me is because I’m afraid to try new things, meet new people, face rejection, or fail. I am sometimes scared to death to step out by faith and do the Lord’s will for my life. God sometimes asks me to do things that I am not naturally comfortable with. I remember the first time that I was asked to do a devotion. Even though the group that I was addressing was only a small group of junior aged boys, I was terrified; but I knew it was something that God wanted me to do, so I did it. Praise the Lord, It turned out well. God went before me, and He went with me. Soul-winning still fills me with dread sometimes. I am scared to death of rejection. The thought of somebody slamming the door in my face or berating me is almost enough to keep me from going. But, again, I know God wants me to “preach the gospel to every creature” and He always goes before me and provides me with wonderful opportunities to share Christ with the lost or to encourage the saved.
Paul admonished Timothy:
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)
We need to claim that promise as well.
What has God been asking you to do that you are afraid to do? Remember, He will not ask you to do something that He will not equip you and empower you to do. God will go before you. He will pave the way and then after the road is clear, He will go in with you to help you along the way. You know, every time I overcome my fears and do the thing that the Lord has called me to do – without exception, He blesses me, and I walk away overflowing with joy and fulfillment that’s hard to describe.
Take a moment right now: Write down one thing God might be nudging you toward. Then pray, “Lord, go before me as a consuming fire. Help me trust You and step out.” I promise—He’ll meet you there.
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from Deuteronomy and tagged 2 Timothy 1:7, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy 31:8, Deuteronomy 9, Encouragement, Faith Over Fear, Fear Not, God Goes Before Us, Overcoming Fear, Soulwinning, Stepping Out in Faith by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Wait… What!? – Three Surprising Lessons from Moses’ Call in Exodus 4–6
Listen to today’s passage – Exodus 4 – 6
Follow along on Blue Letter Bible – Exodus 4
(Second Milers also read – Mark 13 – 14; Proverbs 21; Psalms 101 – 105
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 John 4:7 & 8
Read previous posts from this passage – “Expect Opposition,“ and “What’s Your Excuse?”
Read the “0121 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by Charles Spurgeon.
I don’t know how many times I have said those words to myself while reading this book. Exodus is fascinating. It is full of unbelievable stories played out by some very interesting characters. If you read the Book of Exodus like a novel that you’re interested in, and not just out of good Christian duty, it really brings the stories and characters to life.
The main character of Exodus is Moses, and the first few chapters really give an insight into God developing him first as a believer, then as a leader.
In Chapter 3, God tells Moses that He is going to do something big, and that Moses is the man He has chosen to do it through. This came as a shock to Moses. By this time, Moses was already getting up there in years, and was probably pretty set in his ways with a good life. What God was asking him to do now was going to change everything.
In Chapter 4, God begins to teach Moses some things that I believe we can learn from:
- If God asks you to do something for Him, He will give you everything you need.
“And he said, Certainly I will be with thee…” (Exodus 3:12a)
“And the LORD said unto him, What is in thine hand? And he said, A rod. And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent;…” (Exodus 4:2 – 3a)
“Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.” (Exodus 4:12)
2. Sometimes, He will ask you to do something that scares you.
“And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail…” (Exodus 4:3 – 4)
Wait…what!? Moses was my kind of guy! It says that when he saw the snake, he fled! And if you know anything about snakes, you know that you don’t try to catch them by the tail. This was something that scared Moses. But God was teaching him to just trust Him. It might scare you, and it might not make sense, but if God is asking you to do it, trust Him.
3. Sometimes, He will ask you to do something that might be painful.
“And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.” (Exodus 4:6)
Wait…what!? Leprosy was a horrible, painful disease that would cause people to have to separate from their friends and family.
Can you imagine being Moses in this moment? Going about, minding your own business, then God shows up and things go crazy. God would continue to have to teach Moses many more lessons on trusting Him. Moses was not yet convinced, and came up with excuse after excuse about why God has chosen the wrong man. But Moses was God’s man, and God would use him in a mighty way. Moses’ life had many ups and downs. Happy times and great victories, and sad times and regrets. But that was Moses life, and that is your life. There will be many times in your Christian life where you scratch your head and say, “wait…what!?” And God is saying, “Just trust Me.” None of us know what all God has in store for our lives, but we can know that He knows, and that He loves us. Sometimes it will scare us, sometimes it will hurt. But He will always give us exactly what we need, when we need it. We just need to trust Him.
Has God ever given you a ‘Wait… What!?’ assignment that scared you or felt painful at first? Share below—I’d love to hear your story!
Phil Erickson Jr. and his wife, Katelyn, serve the Lord at the First Baptist Church of Cottondale, TX. They have four sons – Jaxon, Caleb, Philip III, and Kade.
Posted in Devotions, Guest Posts, Thoughts from Exodus and tagged Burning Bush, Christian Growth, Daily Devotion, Exodus, Exodus 4, Faith in Trials, God's Call, Moses, Overcoming Fear, Phil Erickson Jr., Suffering for Christ, trusting God by Phil Erickson Jr. with 9 comments.