“Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.” Deuteronomy 32:46-47
You’ve heard it said, “Not just a hearer, but a doer be.” When God provided His word to the Israelites, He urged them to take them to heart – to heed them and obey them – for they were “your very life.” Their future depended fully on their observation of God’s commandments.
John Stott states, “We must allow the Word of God to confront us, to disturb our security, to undermine our complacency, and to overthrow our patterns of thought and behavior.” This statement makes many of us uncomfortable. We’re quick to claim God’s promises but wary of His admonishments. We shy away from those Scriptures that press us and convict us to change our ways.
The challenge is to avoid cherry-picking verses according to our beliefs, our convictions, or whatever gratifies us. “We can get into the Bible seeking what pleases us, or we can get into the Bible seeking what pleases him. We must have a genuine desire to know God as he is; including the things we may find confusing, challenging, and even disturbing. We must diligently maintain an openness to see ourselves in the revealing light of his truth. We cannot simply rely on how we feel about these issues, because scripture warns that the heart is deceitful above all things. We desperately need the Bible to speak truth to us.” 1
Prayer: Lord, may we take to heart all of your words and not just the ones that make us feel happy. Speak truth to us. Help us to read your word with open minds and receptive hearts so that we may grow and become more like you. Disturb us out of our complacency, overthrow our faulty beliefs, and teach us how to live in a way that is honoring and pleasing to you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
1 https://testeverything.blog/2019/12/23/the-danger-of-cherry-picking-the-scriptures/