Obey (March 22)

The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your soul and live.

But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed.  You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.

Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.

And the Lord said to Moses: "You are going to rest with your fathers, and these people will soon prostitute themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering.  They will forsake me and break the covenant I made with them...And I will certainly hide my face on that day because of all their wickedness in turning to other gods.
                              From Deuteronomy 30 &31 NIV

Webster tells us that the word circumcise has three meanings, one of them is to purify spiritually.

Man may perform a circumcision as an outward sign of the covenant made by God with Abraham (Genesis 17:10).  God however promises an inward circumcision, a circumcision of the heart, so that we may love him with all our heart and soul and live.  Notice that the heart, not the mind is the organ God discusses here.  With God's work, the Israelites would be able to obey God's decrees and commands and live.  Disobedience, a heart turning away, is sin and we are told here and in Romans 6:23 that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.-NIV

God encourages us to be strong and of good courage, however he knows that his covenant will again be broken and broken soon by this "stiff necked" people.

Is it not encouraging that God kept his promise and knew that there would be a remnant to carry out his plan. Once more a remnant of the house of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above.  For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors.  The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.-Isaiah 37:31-32 NIV

As we soon embark on the history of Israel, keep a watch out for what happens to the kingdom when an evil or a good king is on the throne. 

Can others tell that the Spirit has circumcised your heart? 

How do you feel strengthened by God today?


Pray for wisdom and discernment in leadership of: the Church, the world, the nation, the state, and the community.


In Christ,


David P