Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
October 24, 2022
Read Deuteronomy 26:1-11
1 Once you have entered the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you take possession of it and are settled there, 2 take some of the early produce of the fertile ground that you have harvested from the land the LORD your God is giving you and put it in a basket. Then go to the location the LORD your God selects for his name to reside. 3 Go to the priest who is in office at that time and say to him: “I am declaring right now before the LORD my God that I have indeed arrived in the land the LORD swore to our ancestors to give us.” 4 The priest will then take the basket from you and place it before the LORD your God’s altar. 5 Then you should solemnly state before the LORD your God: “My father was a starving Aramean. He went down to Egypt, living as an immigrant there with few family members, but that is where he became a great nation, mighty and numerous. 6 The Egyptians treated us terribly, oppressing us and forcing hard labor on us. 7 So we cried out for help to the LORD, our ancestors’ God. The LORD heard our call. God saw our misery, our trouble, and our oppression. 8 The LORD brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, with awesome power, and with signs and wonders. 9 He brought us to this place and gave us this land—a land full of milk and honey. 10 So now I am bringing the early produce of the fertile ground that you, LORD, have given me.” Set the produce before the LORD your God, bowing down before the LORD your God. 11 Then celebrate all the good things the LORD your God has done for you and your family—each one of you along with the Levites and the immigrants who are among you.
Good Morning, How great is our God!
Let us bow down and praise God for the great things that he has done. The Book of Deuteronomy records three major speeches of Moses. This passage is near the end of the second speech in which Moses relays God’s messages regarding how the Israelites should respond to the blessings that God has provided to them. In this case, they are learning how to celebrate the Festival of Weeks (the first harvest) during which they lift up to God an offering that is proportional to the blessings bestowed upon them.
In this passage, Moses gives the template for their service of thanks and celebration. Within this recitation, the Israelites learn how to present their offerings to God and the appropriate words to commemorate the festival. They are told to place a basket of first fruits upon the altar and then recite the story of how God brought them from their struggles to this place, the land of milk and honey.
What does this mean to us today? It is easy to read the Old Testament and think that this is an account of a different time and different people. God’s plan for us did not begin with the arrival of Jesus in the New Testament. The roots of the Gospel began in the beginning. We too are people in need of saving. Our struggles may not be enslavement to Egypt, but we are enslaved to the conventions of life in the 21st century. God is waiting to save us when we are ready to give our lives to him.
We are called to mirror or imitate Christ. We are called to act or advocate for the powerless: the homeless, the weak, and the outcast as Jesus taught us. We are redeemed by God’s grace and as children of God, we are to share our abundant blessings with all those in need so that all might be redeemed.
Gracious God, Thank You for loving us. Help us to walk as Jesus walked and take care of those in need. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: I give praise and share my abundance because of what God has already done.
Share and Give Thanks! Pastor Liz
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