Open the Bible UK Daily

But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation, that you may take it into your hands. PSALM 10:14Even though he knows that God sees everything, David spells out in this prayer what the wicked person is doing. He gives us a profile of the wicked person and shows us what wickedness looks like.Pride: “The wicked boasts of the desires of his soul... He says in his heart ‘I shall not be moved’” (Psa. 10:3, 6). The wicked make a virtue of whatever they do. Whatever they want is good because they want it. But this approach to life is wicked because it is putting yourself in the place of God. The wicked person says that he is secure: “Throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity” (10:6). The wicked are always saying, “There’s nothing to worry about!”Hostile speech: “His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue are mischief and iniquity” (10:7). What’s in the heart of the wicked comes out of their mouth in all kinds of cursing and lies.Greed: “The one greedy for gain curses and renounces the LORD... He lurks that he may seize the poor” (10:3, 9). This is how the wicked person plans to advance the purpose of his greed.Violence: “He lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket” (10:9). Maybe you know someone like this: Everything seems quiet and peaceful, but suddenly this person springs up and they’re in a rage. You wonder, Where did that come from?The wicked person is volatile, unpredictable, frightening, and destructive. Like a lion, the wicked know that they have power, and they always use it in a destructive way. Do you see traces of any of these in your own life? Rank them from 1 (no trace that I can see) to 4 (I see more than a trace).Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; call his wickedness to account till you find none. PSALM 10:15There is no doubt what this prayer is about. It is all about wicked people. It is about evil that seemed to David to be coming in like a flood. It is an outpouring of the grief and distress that a godly person feels when evil becomes rampant.When David sees evil multiplying in the land, he takes time to lay out the problem before God. This is important when we are praying about the darkness that is in the world. Don’t rush over the problem. Spell it out before God in detail.There are 18 verses in this psalm, and 11 of them are given to a sustained description of the character and activities of the wicked:In arrogance, the wicked hotly pursue the poor (10:2)For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul (10:3)In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him [God] (10:4)[The wicked’s] ways prosper at all times (10:5)He says in his heart “I shall not be moved” (10:6)His mouth is filled with cursing (10:7)He sits in ambush in the villages (10:8)This is what you do when you share a problem with a friend. You sit down together over lunch and you tell the story—in detail. Do the same with God. Tell Him the whole story. What problem do you need to spell out before God in detail?Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. MATTHEW 7:7-8Pray because when you seek Jesus, you will find Him. There will be times when you feel that nothing much is coming of your prayers. This is a promise to help you persevere. Ask and go on asking.Prayer is how you will guard against temptation. “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation” (26:41). If someone said to you, “I keep falling back into the same old temptation!” your first question should be, “Were you praying?” And your second question should be, “Were you watching?”It’s very easy to fall into being a “pseudo-Christian.” You say, “There’s this sin that I can’t get out of, but it’s ok, because there’s grace. Why worry about it?” But Jesus’ promise is clear: If you watch and pray, there is sufficient help for you not to fall into temptation. Do these things and you will be able to stand; ignore them and you will surely fall. Is there an area of life where you might have given up too soon in your praying?Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will. MATTHEW 26:39Another reason to pray is that this was the practice of Jesus. Jesus went to a solitary place to pray when He came to the hour of greatest trial (26:36-46).The Bible tells us that Jesus prayed the same thing three times. He was wrestling and so He went back to the Father again and again to find help and relief. If the Son of God did this, how much more should we do this in our weakness?Prayer is how you will receive help from God. “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16).Many people who call themselves Christians feel that they do not really receive help from God. If that’s the case, ask yourself: Am I really praying? It is through prayer that the help of God is received—you draw near to the throne of grace. When was the last time you prayed again and again to find help and relief?Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace. HEBREWS 4:16Prayer may be the most underused gift that God has given to His people. One reason to pray is that God invites you to come to His throne of grace.John Bunyan said, “God has more than one throne...”. The throne of grace is very different from the throne of judgment. God invites you to come to the throne of grace. How often would you want to pray if you knew you were coming before the throne of judgment?And when you come, remember that Jesus knows what life is like. “We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (4:15).You can’t bring anything to Jesus that will shock him. Nothing that you face is surprising to Jesus, so that means you don’t need to hide anything from Him. This is the beauty of the incarnation. Think about the humanity of Jesus: He worked in a shop. He grieved. He saw darkness unleashed like no one else ever has. Can you identify a time in the recent past where you might have received more help from God, if only you had prayed about it?Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

We have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God. HEBREWS 4:14If we have an important conversation, we are often grateful to have someone else with us. Is there someone who can come with us who knows the person better than we do?This is how Moses felt when God sent him to speak to Pharaoh. God sent Aaron, the High Priest, with him. Who will go with us when we go into the throne room of Almighty God?Hebrews says, “We have a great high priest.” Think about this: Jesus Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father, and He is there for us. When you pray, you ascend by faith into heavenly places, where Christ is.Christ is next to the Father, and when you pray, you are next to Christ. He is there for you, and when you speak, He is there with you. He is there, endorsing what you’re saying, placing His name under what you’re asking.The Christian never prays alone. You pray to the Father, with the Son, in the Spirit. Bonhoeffer says, “He [Jesus Christ] wants to pray with us and to have us pray with him, so that we may be confident and glad that God hears us.”Come to the Father with Jesus beside you. He is there to support you in your prayer, to back you up in what you are saying, and to agree with your prayer, because it has already been His own. How does this motivate you or encourage you, personally, to pray?Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace. HEBREWS 4:16You have a direct audience with Almighty God every time you pray. Where can we learn this holy art of prayer? God has given us an entire book of prayers in the Bible—the Psalms. One reason we have been given the book of Psalms is to help us in our praying.The Psalms are a training manual for prayer. In the book of Psalms, there are model prayers for every circumstance of life. These prayers have been breathed out by the Holy Spirit. They show us how to pray in a way that is pleasing to God, and they are given for our instruction.There are 150 psalms. God has given us a manual on how to pray in every circumstance of life, and we should use it. We should use it to improve our praying. We should use it especially when we find it hard to pray.We should use the Psalms so that our prayers are shaped by the Word of God, so that they are more than a reflection of our own hearts. Bonhoeffer says, “If we are to pray aright, perhaps it is quite necessary that we pray contrary to our own heart... The richness of the Word of God ought to determine our prayer, not the poverty of our heart.” Which one is shaping your prayer life more right now: the poverty of your heart or the richness of the Word of God?Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

Draw near to the throne of grace. HEBREWS 4:16Spontaneous prayer is a marvellous gift, but when things are really important, we rarely trust spontaneity.If you work in sales, you try to understand your client’s needs in order to recommend a product that will be helpful to them. You research their website, you learn about their business, and you prepare a presentation that is adapted to the particular customer. Why? Because the meeting matters. So why would you not do the same with prayer?Suppose you had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of a direct audience with Almighty God. You could ask Him anything you want to and tell Him what matters to you. Now suppose your appointment with God was this coming Thursday for 15 minutes.You would prepare. You would say to yourself, “this is the most important conversation of my entire life! I have 15 minutes with God. What am I going to say? What am I going to ask? How am I going to make the best use of this immense privilege?”.There would be some things you would want to ask for yourself. What do you really need from God? If you are married, you would want to ask something for your spouse, and for your children, for other friends and loved ones. What do they need? What is really going to make a difference for them? You don’t want to waste your golden opportunity.When you meet with God, you will want to thank Him. You will want to confess and make some things right with Him. You will want to deepen and strengthen your relationship with Him. You don’t want to wing it on these things, so you prepare. Do you view prayer as the most important conversation of your life? How do you prepare?Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

Draw near... HEBREWS 4:16Prayer is a holy art that is better caught than taught. The best way to learn to pray is to start praying. But there are some things that can be learned.Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote a little book called Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible, in which he said, “It is a dangerous error... widespread among Christians, to think that the heart can pray by itself... Prayer does not mean simply to pour out one’s heart. It means rather to find the way to God and to speak with him, whether the heart is full or empty.”Many of us have been brought up in a tradition of prayer that emphasises the wonderful truth that we can come to God in the name of Christ at any time. You don’t need an appointment. You don’t need a priest. You do not need to have a special gift with words to speak to God. Through Christ, you can come to God, and you can say to Him whatever is on your heart.You can shoot an arrow prayer to the Lord in a nanosecond. Arrow prayers are like sending a text message to the Lord. It’s marvellous to be able to do this as you walk into a difficult meeting, a hard conversation, or other situations where you don’t know what to do.Just as texting is not the only form of communication, arrow prayers are not the only form of prayer. There is much more to praying than instant, “top of the head” requests to God. How much of your prayer life would you say is made up of “arrow” prayers? 10%? 25%? 50%? 95%?Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

This is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the people of Israel before his death. DEUTERONOMY 33:1Chapter 33 gives us the last recorded words of Moses. The whole chapter is full of blessing. Moses was raised in the palace of Egypt. He was surrounded by opulence and wealth. Is that what it means to be blessed?Around age 40, everything changed for Moses. He had to leave Egypt, and for the next 40 years he scratched out a living as a shepherd in the desert. For 40 years he experienced life at its best in this world, and for 40 years he experienced life at its hardest in this world.Then everything changed again. God called Moses to confront Pharaoh, to lead the people through the Red Sea, to climb Mount Sinai, and to stand in the presence of Almighty God. For 40 years, Moses experienced God as nobody else had known Him.After all that, here is Moses’ conclusion: The greatest blessing in life is to know God Himself. He says to God’s people: I’ve seen life at its best, and I’ve known it at its worst, and I am telling you, nobody else has what you’ve got!“Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD?” (Dt. 33:29).Here’s why you are blessed: You are saved. Let that sink in. Saved! Not being saved, not hoping to be saved. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.Not only are you saved, but you are saved by the Lord. He has seen your plight. He has come down to deliver you. He has committed Himself to you forever.The greatest blessing in life is to know God. Jesus said: “This is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3).How does this help shape your thinking about what it means to be blessed?Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeishwww.openthebible.org.uk

“The things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever.” DEUTERONOMY 29:29How do you make your way in a world where God has kept so much secret? You live with what God has kept secret by trusting what He’s revealed. Here are seven promises that belong to you.1. The future of your children: You don’t know your child’s future, but you know that God has been faithful to you. “The promise is for you and for your children” (Acts 2:39).2. The reason for your suffering: You don’t know all the reasons for your suffering, but you do know that “the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed” (Rom. 8:18).3. The manner of your death: You don’t know how you will die, but you do know that “to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21).4. The salvation of your loved ones: You don’t know if your unbelieving friends and loved ones will be saved, but you do know that it’s not the sheep who go looking for the shepherd; it’s the shepherd who goes looking for the sheep.5. The events of tomorrow: Don’t live your life consumed by things you don’t control and cannot change. Instead of worrying about tomorrow, “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matt. 6:33).6. The outcome of your ministry: You don’t know all that God will do through your ministry, but you do know that “in the Lord your labour is not in vain” (1 Cor. 15:58).7. The progress of your Christian life: “When he appears we shall be like him” (1 John 3:2). You are not what you used to be. And you know that you’re not yet what you hope to be.The things that are revealed belong to us, so obey God in what He has made known. Which of these promises do you need to hold onto today.Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

“The secret things belong to the LORD our God.” DEUTERONOMY 29:29Faith lives with unanswered questions. Grasp this and it will help you when you are having trouble making sense of life. Here are seven secrets that belong to the Lord.1. The future of your children: Will they marry? Will they be happy? Will they prosper? These questions were surely in the minds of those who heard Moses on the verge of the Promised Land.2. The reason for your suffering: Maybe the question “Why?” is a painful one for you. Why was I born into this family? Why do I have this illness? Why did that awful thing happen to my child? You ask the question, but you don’t have an answer.3. The manner of your death: How long will you live? How will you die? An illness? An accident? Will it be painful?4. The salvation of your loved ones: You have unbelieving family and friends. You’ve been praying for them and sharing the gospel with them, but they have no interest in God. Will they be converted? You don’t know. But God knows.5. The events of tomorrow: “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town...’ – yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring” (James 4:13, 14). You don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow either, whatever you have planned.6. The outcome of your ministry: There will be times when you ask: “Am I doing anything of real and lasting value?” You pray and you wonder if it is making any difference.7. The progress of your Christian life: If you are a Christian, you will sometimes feel alarmed by your own lack of progress. There is progress. But it is not always obvious.The secret things belong to the Lord, so trust Him with what you do not know. Which of these “secrets” do you find hardest to trust God with?Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” DEUTERONOMY 29:29All of life is divided into two parts. There are things that God has kept secret, and things that God has revealed.God keeps some things secret: You should expect to face questions you cannot answer. Don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know.” You don’t need to pretend that you have an answer for every question. Part of living by faith is accepting the limits of revelation. We normally emphasise what God has revealed, but it is equally important to affirm what God has kept hidden.God reveals some things: God has kept some things secret. They belong to Him. But there are also things God has revealed. They belong to us. The revealed things are given so that you will follow the Lord even when you find yourself perplexed by things you don’t understand. The revealed things are given so that we can stand firm in every circumstance of life.The Bible says, “We walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7). A day is coming when faith will be turned to sight. But until that day, faith bows before the mystery of what God has kept hidden, and stands on the promises that God has revealed. How might you move forward in faith based on what God has revealed, even if there are some things that remain hidden?Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” JOHN 10:27When you know who Jesus is, you will see what it means to follow Him.1. Jesus is the true prophet. Following Him means believing His Word. To be a Christian means that the words of Jesus define truth for you. You give up the right to say, “Jesus says this, but I think that.” You place yourself under the authority of the Word of God.2. Jesus is our great high priest. He came to offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sins. To be a Christian means that you trust in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who gave Himself to make atonement for your sins.3. Jesus is the judge of all people. We must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. To be a Christian means that you accept Christ’s judgment. What does it mean to accept Christ’s judgment? “Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1). Through faith in Jesus, you have peace with God.4. Jesus is the King of kings. Christ is the King, and He says to His redeemed people, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Do you struggle most to follow Jesus as prophet, priest, judge, or king? Why? Ask God for grace to help you in this area.Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

“He has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” REVELATION 19:16Even the greatest king in the Old Testament, David, failed in his calling and found himself hanging on the mercy of God. This is the position every true Christian leader is always in.So, in the fullness of time, God sent His Son. Because He is “God with us,” He carries all authority in Himself. In His humility, Jesus does not come riding into Jerusalem on a great horse; He comes into Jerusalem riding on a donkey. And this king, because He is God, is also the priest who, on the cross, makes Himself to be the sacrifice for our sins to reconcile us to God. And because He is God with us, He rises from the dead. Death cannot keep a hold on Him.Jesus is the prophet, the priest, the king, and the judge. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Mat. 28:18-19).We are to call people from every nation to become followers of Christ because all authority belongs to Him. He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. How do you feel about calling others to follow this Jesus?Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

“It shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes.” DEUTERONOMY 17:19The king will have his own political philosophy. He will have his own vision and values. He may lean to the left, or to the right, but he must allow the Word of God to rebuke him and correct him. The Word of God will always be shaping his thinking and challenging his ideas.This is why one of the great cries that describe the Reformation was Semper Reformanda—“Always Reforming!” The reformers did not say that since we have understood justification by faith, everything is nicely sorted out. Rather, Luther said, “My mind is captive to the Word of God.” That means Christian leaders are always being challenged by this Word, always humbled by it, always learning from it. We are not to pose as people who have it all figured out, but as people who are always seeking to follow the Word of God.Spurgeon made this comment about John Bunyan: He had studied the Bible “till his whole being was saturated with Scripture.” Then Spurgeon says about Bunyan’s writing, “You [read it and you] want to say, ‘This man is a living Bible! Prick him anywhere and you will find that his blood is Bibline, the very essence of the Bible flows from him. He cannot speak without quoting a text, for his soul is full of the Word of God.’” When was the last time the Word of God challenged and reshaped your thinking?Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

“When he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law.” DEUTERONOMY 17:18Nobody else in Israel was required to write out the book of the law by hand. But the king was given such great trust and such great responsibility that when the king was crowned, his first task was not to rule the nation, but to learn how to rule, and he was to begin by writing out the entire book of Deuteronomy—by hand!“It shall be with him” (17:19). This handwritten copy of God’s Word was to be on the king’s nightstand and in his study. He was to take it with him wherever he went. Have the Bible on your nightstand. Put one on your desk. Bring yours to church. Take it with you on the train. Have one with you when you are in meetings. This book is always to be with you.“He shall read in it all the days of his life” (17:19). As you read the Bible, it will shape your thinking. It will form your character. It will energise your life. Read the Bible with faith and with repentance and keep reading it “all the days of your life.” Fill your heart with God’s promises. Shape your will with God’s commands. Guard your heart with God’s words.King David had many failings in his life. He tells us how he learned to stand against temptation: “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Psa. 119:11). That’s the kind of leader we want. Aim to be that kind of leader. Aim to be that kind of parent. Aim to be that kind of Christian. Is reading and studying the Word of God a priority in your life?Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

“Let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” 1 CORINTHIANS 10:12If God has given you a position of authority and responsibility, you must be particularly aware of these temptations, because these are temptations that all leaders face:1. Power: “He must not acquire many horses for himself” (Dt. 17:16). Most leaders would like to have more power. But God says to be very careful about that. All kings have horses—but do not acquire great numbers of horses for yourself. Don’t try to become a power.2. Sex: “He shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away” (Dt. 17:17). It was common in those days for a king to have not simply a wife, but a harem. Wives from different royal families were often a means of sealing political alliances. Inevitably, with the many wives came the worship of many gods into the royal court. This is what happened to Solomon. In a culture saturated with pornography, Christian men are surrounded by many women. God says, “This leads the heart astray.” Beware of the lure of this temptation.3. Money: “Nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold” (Dt. 17:17). Being the king would give a man the opportunity to gather vast personal wealth. God says that you are not to do this. Don’t use your position of trust for personal gain.Human nature never changes! The temptations God’s people faced more than 3,000 years ago are the same temptations we face today. In which of these areas do you need to be more vigilant?Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

“The man who acts presumptuously by not obeying the priest who stands to minister there before the LORD your God, or the judge, that man shall die. So you shall purge the evil from Israel.” DEUTERONOMY 17:12God’s people are to hold their leaders in honour. If a person shows contempt for leaders in the church, we don’t put them to death, but it may be necessary to put them out of the church. The Scripture says: “As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him...” (Titus 3:10).God’s people are to appoint leaders who are worthy of honour, and they are to give these leaders the honour they are due. “We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labour among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves” (1 Thes. 5:12-13).“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you” (Heb. 13:17). Ask God to help you see where you might be holding one (or more) of your spiritual leaders in contempt, or where you might be stirring up division.Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

“You may... set a king over you whom the LORD your God will choose.” DEUTERONOMY 17:15Leaders are to be qualified in character and ability. Moses gives us seven marks of a godly king, and all of them are reflected in the New Testament qualifications for deacons and elders.1. The king must be anointed by God (17:15). “Pick out from among you seven men... full of the Spirit” (Acts 6:3).2. The king must be from among God’s people—not a foreigner (17:15). “Pick out from among you seven men...” (Acts 6:3).3. The king must exercise faith—he must not put his trust in horses (17:16). “They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 6:5).4. The king must be loyal—he must not have many wives (17:17). “An overseer must be... the husband of one wife” (1 Tim. 3:2).5. The king must not be greedy—he must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold (17:17). An overseer must not be “a lover of money” (1 Tim. 3:3).6. The king must be a student of Scripture—he is to read the law all the days of his life (17:18-19). Deacons “must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience” (1 Tim. 3:9).7. The king is not to consider himself better than his brothers (17:20). Elders are to serve, “not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock” (1 Pet. 5:3).Do you see the wonderful unity of this? God is looking for a particular character in those who are given responsibility for His church—in every generation and in every place. Reflect on the qualities of your spiritual leaders and give thanks to God for them.Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession. 1 PETER 2:9We live in a fallen world where even the best leaders are sinners in the process of being redeemed. So, when God gives authority, He spreads it out. No one person could hold all four offices of leadership. The priest could not be a king. The prophet could not act as the judge.Christopher Wright, in his commentary on Deuteronomy says, “The clear distinction and separation of the different kinds of authority can be seen as a significant precursor to some of the principles of democratic government, especially the separation of powers. No single person could hold all four offices. None of the authorities is given supreme authority over the others.”You might wonder how this works out in the church. What does this look like among the people of God? On a practical level, this will likely look different from church to church. When there are cases of discipline, they come to the elders who are called to act as judges. The church board is called to act in a kingly role. The pastors have a prophetic role: they are to speak the word of God publicly and privately into the lives of God’s people. Then who are the priests? All of God’s people are priests who stand and minister in the Lord’s name always.God distributes authority so that it never resides in one person. That principle is wisely applied in the way that the church is governed, and we should be thankful for it. Give thanks to God for the elders, board, pastors, and people in your church.Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. ROMANS 13:1God gives leaders to His people. Here are four offices that God established for His people—judges, kings, priests, and prophets—and what He expects from each one.1. Judges: “You shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the LORD your God is giving you... You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous” (Dt. 16:18-19). This is about the corrupting power of money. Even wise people can lose the ability to see clearly.2. Kings: The king “must not acquire many horses” (17:16). If you were planning for war in those days, you acquired horses. Do we have nations in the world today that are building military power, threatening the stability of the world? When God speaks about kings, this is for us.3. Priests: “For the LORD your God has chosen him out of all your tribes to stand and minister in the name of the LORD” (18:5). Do we have any religious leaders in the world today who abuse trust and bring pain to vulnerable people? When God speaks about priests, this is for us.4. Prophets: “I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command... But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak... shall die” (18:18, 20). Do we have any pastors today who communicate their own message rather than speaking God’s Word? When God speaks about prophets, this is for us.We live in a sinful, fallen world of biased judges, abusive priests, false prophets, and tyrannical kings. We need to hear these words from God in every culture and in every generation. Pray for a leader that God brings to your mind.Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

“You shall keep the Feast of Booths seven days.” DEUTERONOMY 16:13The Feast of Booths reminded God’s people that when they came out of Egypt, they lived in tents or booths in the desert for forty years. You’re living in a wonderful house in the Promised Land, so live in a booth for one week a year to remind yourself that this earth is not your home: “You shall dwell in booths for seven days” (Lev. 23:42).One day this tent, which is your body, will be destroyed, but that won’t be the end of you. Paul says, “If the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Cor. 5:1).John Bunyan spent twelve years in prison for preaching the gospel. When he was finally released, Bunyan had much to teach about how to endure difficulties. This is what he wrote in 1685: “Sometimes I look upon myself and say, ‘Where am I now?’ I give myself this answer: ‘I am in an evil world, a great way from heaven.’ But then I turn the tables, and say, ‘But where shall I be shortly? I shall see myself with Jesus.’”The Feast of Booths reminds us that this world is not our home. It points to the second coming of Jesus, and the great inheritance that will be ours on that day. Christ will bring you home, and when He does, “you will be altogether joyful” (Dt. 16:15). That’s worth celebrating! Are you treating this world as if it’s your permanent home or your temporary home?Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

We ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. MATTHEW 5:6In New Testament times, the Feast of Weeks was known by another name. If you count forward seven weeks from the Passover (forty-nine days), the following day (the fiftieth day) was known as Pentecost.“When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place” (Acts 2:1). Luke says that “there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven” (2:5). They had come to celebrate the Feast of Weeks.On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit fell, not just on the Apostles, but on all the believers. This was the beginning of the harvest that would come through Jesus’ death and resurrection. In Romans 8, Paul takes up this theme, saying the Holy Spirit is given to us as the “firstfruits.”The Holy Spirit gives us a sample of the life to come—a taste of the love of God, a glimpse of the glory of Christ, a beginning of the new life that will be ours forever. That taste, that glimpse, that beginning is the pledge or promise of all that is to come.The Feast of Weeks (or firstfruits) points us both to the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ great promise ties these two together: “I will not leave you as orphans [the promise of his resurrection]; I will come to you [the promise of the Holy Spirit]” (John 14:18). Christ is with us. That’s worth celebrating! How does understanding the Holy Spirit as the “firstfruits” strengthen your hope?Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

“Begin to count the seven weeks from the time the sickle is first put to the standing grain.” DEUTERONOMY 16:9The Feast of Weeks was the day when people brought the first sample of the harvest as a gift to the Lord. In Exodus 23:16, it is called, “the firstfruits of your labour.”In the New Testament, Jesus is described as the firstfruits: “Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Cor. 15:20). The firstfruits was a sample, a taste, a pledge of what was to follow in the harvest.When Jesus rose from the dead, He was the first of many who would also rise from the dead. Just as the first basket of fruit gives you a taste of what is coming from the whole tree, so the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the first glimpse of the day when all His people will be raised: “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ” (1 Cor. 15:22-23).This Feast of Weeks (or firstfruits) points to our glorious hope of resurrection. Jesus is the firstfruits. He is the hope of resurrection for you. As you look back on the resurrection of our Lord, take time to anticipate the day of your resurrection and drink in the hope God intends for you to have.Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

And when the hour came, [Jesus] reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, ‘I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer’... And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you...’ And likewise, the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.’” LUKE 22:14-15, 19-20When Jesus gathered with His disciples for the last time before He went to the cross, He said these words to them. Do you see what He was saying? “The mighty intervention of God in the exodus that we are celebrating today is only a shadow of what God is about to do: My body will be given. My blood will be shed. I will become the sacrifice by which you will be redeemed from divine wrath and set free from sin’s power.”When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we don’t roast a lamb because the sacrifice has already been made. We take the cup and remember that the blood of Christ was shed, and that by faith His blood is applied to our lives. You are delivered from the wrath of God and brought into the freedom of a new life with God, in which He says to you, “You are mine, and I am yours.”This is what God says to us in the cross: “You are no longer a slave. You have been set free by the blood of Christ. Sin will always be your enemy, but it is no longer your master.” Jesus Christ redeemed us. That is something to celebrate! Has the “Lord’s Supper” become mundane for you, or are you celebrating it with this kind of joy in your heart?Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

“Observe the month of Abib and keep the Passover to the LORD your God.” DEUTERONOMY 16:1The story of the Passover is in Exodus 12. God’s people were slaves in Egypt, and it had been like that for over 400 years. They were oppressed by a cruel tyrant who defied God and abused His people. God said, “Let my people go,” but Pharaoh cared nothing for God.So, God came down in judgment and mercy. His judgment broke the power of Pharaoh, and His mercy protected His people. The wages of sin is death, and death came to every home in Egypt on that night of God’s judgment. But God told His people to sacrifice a lamb, and to paint the blood of the sacrificed lamb on the door frame of their house. Then God said, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you” (Ex. 12:13). That’s where the Passover comes from.The people were to celebrate the Passover by eating unleavened bread and by sacrificing and eating a lamb (16:3, 6-7). This celebration served as an annual reminder of how God had saved them from His judgment that fell on the land. It reminded them how God brought them out of slavery through the blood of a sacrifice. It also reminded them of God’s words: “You will be my people and I will be your God” (Ex. 6:7). Now Moses is saying: “That’s worth celebrating!” Reflect on the mercy that God has poured out for you at the cross, and His promise to all those who believe in him to “pass over” their sins.Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

“You shall rejoice before the LORD your God... at the place that the LORD your God will choose.” DEUTERONOMY 16:11What we celebrate says a great deal about us. You can tell a great deal about a family, a church, or even a nation by what they choose to celebrate.When someone sends you a birthday card, they are celebrating your life. We celebrate anniversaries because we value marriage. All over the world Christians celebrate Christmas (the birth of God’s Son) and Easter (the death and resurrection of Christ). Celebrations matter because they identify what we value.Right in the middle of the book of Deuteronomy, Moses told the people, “When you get into the land, rejoice. Celebrate! Enjoy what God is giving you.” He told them to “rejoice in your feast... so that you will be altogether joyful” (16:14-15). Moses was telling God’s people to observe specific occasions and events with the single purpose of cultivating joy.There are other feasts and festivals in the Old Testament, but Moses picked out three to talk about: the Passover, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Booths. These feasts were a big deal because they were a massive gathering of God’s people in one location (16:5-6, 11, 15). They were tied to specific events that had special significance for the people of God, and celebrating these events every year strengthened their faith and increased their joy. What you know can leave you unaffected; what you celebrate can shape your life. What celebrations have impacted your faith most deeply? Why?Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

“For there will never cease to be poor in the land.” DEUTERONOMY 15:11Our Lord referred to these words when Mary poured an expensive jar of ointment over Him. Judas protested, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold, and the money given to the poor?” And Jesus said, “The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me” (John 12:8).Some have misinterpreted these words to mean that since there is nothing we can do to solve the problem, we don’t need to do anything. But it is important to read this in context: “For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore, I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land’” (Dt. 15:11, emphasis added).God is not saying, “There will always be people in need, so do nothing.” God is saying, “There will always be people in need, so learn to be generous.”This is a distinctive calling for the church today. Christ has released us from our debt to God that we had no means to repay, and His Spirit lives in His people. So, helping those who are in great need should be a distinctive mark of Christ’s church. While kindness is to be shown to all, there is a special priority given to the family of God: “Let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Gal. 6:10). Think about a time in your life when someone in the body of Christ helped you and showed you a practical kindness. It is a wonderful thing to see the body of Christ in action. As God (and others) have shown kindness to you, so practise kindness to others.Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

“I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’” DEUTERONOMY 15:11Moses gave two commands: first, to grant a release from debts at the end of every seven years (15:1) and second, to be openhanded toward the needy and poor (15:11). In these commands, God is calling the people to live with a right heart. He warns us about four dangers.1. A hard heart: “If among you, one of your brothers should become poor... you shall not harden your heart” (15:7).2. A closed hand: “You shall not... shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be” (15:7-8).3. A wicked thought: “Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing... and you be guilty of sin” (15:9)4. A grudging spirit: “Give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him” (15:10). In the New Testament, Paul says, “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7).The fact that Moses says so much about the heart reminds us that the law has its limits. Even the best law has loopholes. Here is the law of God, and Moses says, “If you have a hard heart, you will sin against God—even while you are outwardly keeping the law!” Which of these do you need to be especially on your guard against in your giving?Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

“At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release. And this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release what he has lent to his neighbour.” DEUTERONOMY 15:1-2God cares about the needs of the poor. This Sabbath law of cancelling debts is a flagship, leading the way for many other Old Testament laws that were given to alleviate poverty and to help God’s people in times of need. Think about the practical effects of these kind laws:Restraint for lenders. Under this law, no loans were longer than seven years. Lenders would be restrained from giving loans that were larger than people could reasonably expect to repay in a seven-year period. This did not apply to home mortgages. The homes were given by God to His people, and if a person became so poor that they had to sell their home or land, there was another law by which it had to be returned at the Jubilee, once in a lifetime, every 50 years.Discipline for borrowers. Since loans were cancelled every seven years, the repayment of loans would be scheduled over a maximum of 84 months. In most cases, a loan would be scheduled for repayment much quicker. There is a restraint and a discipline here. God allows His people to borrow money, but He does not want them living on credit.God did not give this law so that borrowers should default on their loans. This was the kindness of God for the relief of the poor. The principle here is very simple: Borrow if you need to but borrow as little as you can and repay as fast as you can. This is wisdom from God’s law that is transferable across cultures and across time. Do you need to exercise more restraint or discipline in your finances? If so, how?Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

“But there will be no poor among you; for the LORD will bless you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.”DEUTERONOMY 15:4When God’s people entered the Promised Land, each family was given a portion of land. These former tent dwellers, who had very few possessions, became property owners with land and the means of sustaining an income. And what God gave to them they were able to pass on to their children. If ever there was a land of equal opportunity, this was it.God’s people had a fresh start, and He supplied all that was needed to sustain all His people. That’s why He said, “There will be no poor among you.” Obey the Lord, and you won’t need laws about cancelling debts, because you won’t have debts. You won’t have debts because no one will be poor among you. And no one will be poor because God will bless you in the land.God provides all that is needed to sustain all people in all places at all times. So, where there is poverty, it is because no one fully obeys the Lord, it is not because God has failed to provide. We do not love God with all our heart, and we do not love our neighbour as ourselves, so God gives us laws to put a brake on human greed. God gave these laws so that the poor would find relief, and so that no one would be trapped in crippling debt. What has God provided that you could share with someone in need this week?Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction. 1 CORINTHIANS 10:11As we study the book of Deuteronomy, it is important to remember that the particular applications of the Ten Commandments that are laid out here were given to the nation of Israel.It would be a great mistake to draw a direct line from these Old Testament laws (given to Israel) to the Christian today. For example, in Deuteronomy 14, we have laws about clean and unclean food. But in the New Testament, Jesus proclaimed all foods clean (Mark 7:18-19).In the same way, it would be a great mistake to draw a direct line from the promises specifically given to Israel to the Christian today. For example, “the LORD will bless you... if only you will strictly obey the voice of the LORD your God...” (Dt. 15:4, 5). Teachers of the “prosperity gospel” seize on words like these as if they were given to every Christian, as if to say, “Obey God and you will be rich.” But God has not promised material prosperity to every Christian.If you take every command and every promise that was distinctive to God’s covenant with Israel and apply it directly to the Christian, you end up in great difficulty and confusion. Having said that, the law of God reflects the character of God, and all His words were written for us so that we might learn from them (1 Cor. 10:11). The Old Testament law is full of principles that guide us in wisdom as they are rightly understood and applied to our lives (2 Tim. 3:16). Do you find it difficult to apply Old Testament commands and promises? Ask God for help and wisdom to rightly apply them to your life.Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

“Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’” DEUTERONOMY 8:17Moses was describing a person who is locked into the circle of pride, but here’s how you break free: “You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day” (8:18).Here was Moses’ point: You say it was my power and my might that produced this wealth, but where did that power and might come from? Who gave you the strength to achieve this success?Martin Luther said, “God uses our effort as a mask under which He blesses us and dispenses His gifts.” The world sees what you have done. The world says, “He is a great man, look at what he has accomplished.” But the real reason for your success is the blessing of God. The world sees the mask; what it doesn’t see is that underneath the mask it is God who is blessing you.Carl F. H. Henry was a man of extraordinary scholarship, a prolific author, the founder of Fuller Seminary, and the first editor of Christianity Today. Don Carson conducted an interview with Henry and asked him: “With all this achievement, how do you stop it going to your head?” He replied, “How can you possibly be proud when you are standing beside a cross?” What do you have that you did not receive? (1 Corinthians 4:7).Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

“Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required.” LUKE 12:48When you move into a new home, there is a temptation for you to face. When you graduate with a degree, there is a spiritual danger for you to overcome. If your salary increases to six figures, there is a subtle test that you will encounter. These are all good gifts to be welcomed and celebrated, but remember, the blessing of God carries within it the subtle test of success.This is the opposite of what we normally think. The time of your greatest spiritual danger may not be when you are sick, but when you are well. The time of your greatest testing may not be when you lose a job, but when you find one. The time when you are most likely to grow cold in your walk with the Lord is not when the stock market goes down, but when it goes up.Remember this when you are tempted to envy those who have more than you. Don’t wish yourself into another person’s temptation. The very fact that you are envious suggests that it may be God’s grace keeping you from being exposed to such temptations.There is a story about a man who was being headhunted by a large company. He took the job and his salary tripled overnight. Within a year he had denied his faith and left his wife and two children. Satan got him—and all it took was an increase in his salary. C. S. Lewis put it like this: “Prosperity knits a man to the world. He feels that he is finding his place in it, while really it is finding its place in him.” Where does the greatest spiritual danger lie for you right now? Why?Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

“Take care lest you forget the LORD your God.” DEUTERONOMY 8:11When you experience the blessing of the Lord, the second thing that can happen is that you forget the Lord. That’s the circle of pride, and it will have a very different effect in your life:1. You forget the Lord: To forget the Lord doesn’t mean you forget that He exists. It means that you no longer have Him in mind. You lose sight of His hand in the events of your life. If this happens to you, notice what happens next.2. You experience God’s blessing: “When your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied...” (8:13). God gives material blessings to those who forget Him and to those who fear Him. He causes the sun to shine and the rain to fall on those who hate Him as much as on those who love Him.3. Your heart becomes proud: “Then your heart be lifted up” (8:14). If you forget the Lord, His blessing will lead you to pride. You will take the credit yourself and that will intensify your forgetting of the Lord. Praise leads you back to the Lord because your eye is on Him. Pride leads you away from the Lord because your eye is on yourself.4. You say to yourself, “I have done this!”: “Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth’” (8:17). This is the subtle test of success, and it is the great danger that lurks in every blessing: We think it comes from our own hand, we become proud, and we forget the Lord. Can you identify a season when you experienced the circle of pride?Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

“You shall bless the LORD your God for the good land he has given you.” DEUTERONOMY 8:10When you experience the blessing of God, one of two things will happen. The first thing that can happen is that God’s blessing increases your gratitude and love for the Lord. That’s the circle of praise, and here is what it looks like:1. You fear the Lord: “You shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him” (8:6). Fear the Lord as you love Him and love the Lord as you fear Him. Give weight to the Lord in all your ways. Hear what He says. Do what He commands.2. You experience God’s blessing: “For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land... a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing” (8:7, 9). If you fear the Lord, if He carries weight in your life, and you love Him as you fear Him and fear Him as you love Him, then the blessing of God will lead you to praise.3. You praise the Lord: “You shall bless the LORD your God for the good land he has given you” (8:10). If you fear the Lord, then when His blessing comes, you will say, “All that I have is from His hand,” and the very act of praise will lead you back to the Lord and complete the circle.4. You don’t forget the Lord: “Take care lest you forget the LORD your God” (8:11). If you fear the Lord, His blessing will lead you to praise. Praise calls His goodness to mind, so you are in awe of His goodness, and the circle of praise continues. That’s where you want to be. Can you identify a season when you experienced the circle of praise?Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

“When the LORD your God brings you into the land... then take care lest you forget the LORD.” DEUTERONOMY 6:10, 12This was the warning given to God’s people who were entering the Promised Land. Watch out! You’re going to face three dangers as God’s blessings flow into your life.Opportunity: “Great and good cities that you did not build” (6:10).Cities are places of opportunity. They have infrastructure with large populations. Business thrives there. Cities are built over decades and generations, but these people will have all the opportunity of life in cities they did not even build. God is taking these people from the desert and putting them in a place of extraordinary opportunity.Property: “Houses full of all good things that you did not fill” (6:11).God is giving this land to His people, and each tribe and clan would be given their own property as an inheritance. They had been living in tents out in the desert, but now they will live in homes—with no mortgages! Their parents left Egypt with nothing. Now there would be a family home, property, and an inheritance that would be passed from one generation to the next.Income: “Vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant” (6:11).Vineyards and olive trees give the means of generating an income. The people will be able to sow, plan, and harvest. They will have food and will be able to generate an income. This is a marvellous promise of the blessing of God.But when this happens, when you have opportunity and property and the means of generating an income, Moses is saying, “Take care” (6:12). This will be a time of great danger for you. Are you experiencing a season of blessing from the Lord?Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

“When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the LORD our God has commanded you?’ then you shall say to your son, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. And the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.’”DEUTERONOMY 6:20-21 As you live with one consuming passion for the Lord, your life will provoke questions. It will need explaining. The way you live will be so different from other families that your children will want to ask you: “Why do you have this deep passion for God?” It would be easy for parents to jump from the question: “Why do we keep these laws?” (6:20) to the answer: “Because the LORD commanded us” (6:24). But before we get to the LORD who commanded us, we have the LORD who delivered us (6:21-23). When the children ask a question about the law, they are answered with the old story of God and His amazing love: “We were slaves in Egypt, but the LORD brought us out with a mighty hand. If it wasn’t for the LORD, we would still be slaves. But He redeemed us. And not only has He redeemed us from slavery, He has promised us the future inheritance of His Promised Land.” Wright says, “The meaning of the law is to be found in the gospel.” So when your children ask you these questions, tell them what the Lord has done for you. Tell them what the Lord means to you. Tell them that the Son of God loved you and gave Himself for you, and how everything you have is from Him. Are you living in such a way that others will want to ask why you have such a passion for God? Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

“It is the LORD your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear.” DEUTERONOMY 6:13 Moses tells us how we can align our lives around one consuming passion for the Lord. Your heart. “These words that I command you today shall be on your heart” (6:6). The command is to love the Lord with all your heart. But it has to begin with your heart, and it is learned over a lifetime. Let the Word of God daily lead you to the cross. Your conversation. “You shall teach [God’s commands] diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house” (6:7). Don’t let your love for the Lord, your service for the Lord, or your giving to the Lord be a private thing. Talk about it with your family. Open your heart to them. Let them see the passion that drives you. Your example. “You shall bind [God’s commands] as a sign on your hand” (6:8). Put your love for the Lord into practice in your commitments, your choices, and your ministry. If you want to align your family around a single passion for the Lord, you have to step out and lead by example yourself. Don’t just talk about it. You have to do it. Your family. “You shall write [God’s commands] on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (6:9). Bring your children into this great consuming passion of your life. Help them to feel part of it. Allow them to participate in it. The parents who said, “We can’t enter the land because of the children” led them into the desert. The parents who said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Josh. 24:15) led their children into the Promised Land. What one area of your life could you start realigning today? Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

“You shall be careful therefore to do as the LORD your God has commanded you. You shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.” DEUTERONOMY 5:32 You must choose how you will live. To love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and might is to align your life around one consuming passion for the Lord. Aligning is not prioritising. Aligning your life around a single passion is not the same as prioritising. People sometimes say, “God first, family second and ministry third.” But you can’t separate loving God and serving God. Christ lays claim to all your life, not part of it. So, the language of priority does not help us here. Aligning is not balancing. When the issue of loving God and loving your family is raised, people often say, “You have to keep a balance. You should have time for ministry, and time for your family. You should love the Lord, and you should love your family. Keep a balance.” Balance sounds good, but it is a surprisingly unhelpful idea. If loving the Lord and loving your family or serving the Lord and serving your family have to be kept in balance, it means that these two things are on opposite sides of the scale. They are being weighed against each other. You don’t want your family to be weighed against the Lord. You want your family to be weighed for the Lord. We are not looking to maintain a balance, but to achieve an alignment. What challenges have you faced in trying to prioritise or balance God and family? Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

“And as for your little ones, who you said would become a prey, and your children, who today have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in [to the Promised Land]. And to them I will give it, and they shall possess it.” DEUTERONOMY 1:39 Moses is speaking to God’s people on the verge of the Promised Land. Forty years earlier, the parents of this generation sent out spies who returned with the report: “There are giants in the land and the cities are fortified. This is far too great a risk. We have little children. We have to think about what’s best for them. If we go into the land, our children could be taken captive.” But here is the great irony: If the parents had put the Lord before the children, the children would have grown up in a land flowing with milk and honey. But the parents put the children first, and they spent the bulk of their lives wandering in a desert. Putting your children first is the worst thing you can do for them. The first commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me,” includes your children. If you let your children take first place in your heart, you have made them an idol. And if you make them an idol, you teach them to worship themselves. The same is true of marriage. Wives, don’t long to be first in your husband’s life. Long for Christ to be first in his life. If he loves Christ with all his heart, he will love you well. But if you are first in his life, you have taken the place of God, which is a burden that you cannot bear. Husbands, buy a card for your wife that says, “I love you.” But don’t buy a card that says, “I live for you.” That’s idolatry. If you live for your spouse, you make yourself an idolater. How are you tempted to live for your spouse or your family instead of for the Lord? Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” DEUTERONOMY 6:5 In the first of the Ten Commandments, God says, “You shall have no other gods before me” (5:7). What does that mean? The answer can be found in Deuteronomy 6:5: “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” You might be wondering, If I love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, and might, what will be the impact on my family? If I extend myself in serving the Lord, will it hurt my children? These are very real questions for many. You love the Lord and you want to serve Him. You want your life to count for Him, but you also have a family. You feel a tension between these things. You love your children and you want to be a good parent. So, what does it look like to love the Lord with all your heart, soul and might when you are married, or when you have children? When Moses says, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart,” he immediately goes on to describe the impact on the family. Far from destroying the family, if you choose to love the Lord first, your family will be blessed. The best way to serve your family is to live for the Lord. Indeed, any other choice will be destructive to the people you love. Love the Lord first, and your family will be blessed. Love your family first, and your family will suffer. What kind of tension do you feel between loving the Lord and loving your family? Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

We love because he first loved us. 1 JOHN 4:19 When you see more of God’s love for you, then you will love Him more. Bishop Ryle told a story about an Englishman traveling in America. During his travels, he met an American Indian who talked with great enthusiasm about Jesus Christ… The Englishman is rather reserved, as they tend to be, and so he says to his new friend, “You are always talking about Jesus Christ. Why do you make such a big deal of him?” The Indian knelt down and gathered some leaves, some twigs, and some moss and placed them in a circle on the ground. He picked up a live worm and put it in the middle of the circle. Then he lit the leaves. As the flames rose, the worm began to move, but every way it moved, it got nearer to the flame, and so after a few moments, the worm curled up in the middle and prepared to die. The Indian reached his hand into the flame, picked up the worm, and held it next to his heart. Then he said, “I was the worm—helpless, hopeless and on the brink of an eternal fire. Jesus Christ stretched out his hand. He saved me from the fire and took me into the heart of his love. That is why I make much of him.” As the old hymn says, loving God is learned at the cross… When I survey the wondrous cross On which the prince of glory died My richest gain I count but loss And pour contempt on all my pride. Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were an offering far too small Love so amazing so divine Demands my soul, my life, my all. Ask God to help you see more of His love for you. Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

Jesus said, “Simon… do you love me?” JOHN 21:16 Can you picture the risen Lord Jesus Christ looking deep into your soul and asking you this question? “Do you really, really love me?” “I chose you. I redeemed you. I went to a cross for you. My body was broken for you, my blood was shed for you. I awakened you, breathed life into you, gave you faith and repentance.” “I made a covenant with you. I watch over you. Before a word is on your tongue, I know it completely. I have loved you with an everlasting love. I have said to you, ‘I will never leave you. I will never forsake you.’” When Jesus asked Peter this question, he answered, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you” (21:16). And even as he said it, he was feeling ashamed that his love for Jesus was so small. Don’t you feel that as you look at the immensity of all that Jesus has done for you? R. C. Sproul read these words from Deuteronomy out loud: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength,” and then he said, “All your heart? All your soul? All your strength? I haven’t done that for 5 minutes.” We need a saviour. We need a saviour who can forgive us, because our best attempts at loving God come nowhere close. We need a saviour who can lead us to love God with more of our heart and more of our soul and more of our much-ness. Try to picture Jesus asking you this same question. Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

“You shall love the LORD your God… with all your might.” DEUTERONOMY 6:5 The word might or strength in Hebrew literally means “much-ness.” Love God with all your much-ness. It means your substance, your possessions—all that God has given you. Jesus spoke with a man (see Luke 18:18-25) who had lived a moral life. He felt that he had kept all the commandments—no murder, no adultery, no stealing, and he cared for his parents. The man thought he had kept the law, but he missed the whole point of the law, which is to love God with all your heart, soul, and might, and your neighbour as yourself. So, Jesus challenged this man to love God and his neighbour with his much-ness. He told him, “Go, sell all that you have and give to the poor… and come, follow me” (Mark 10:21). Jesus was saying: “You love your much-ness more than you love God. Your much-ness is the idol in your life. Love God with all your much-ness.” But when Jesus said this, the man went away sad. What are you doing with your much-ness? The way you use your much-ness is a reflection of what you love. What proportion of your much-ness do you think would be a suitable expression of your love for Christ? Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21). Love God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might—all your much-ness. Consider all that God has given you (much-ness). How could you love Him more? Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul…” DEUTERONOMY 6:5 What does it mean to love God with all your heart and soul? Love God with all your heart. Love God with all your affection. Don’t ever think of your salvation as some kind of business transaction in which Jesus does certain things and you do certain things, and it is all settled with a simple handshake. Christ shed His blood for you, and He did this because He loves you. The relationship He brings you into is one in which you know Him and come increasingly to love Him. The heart is more than feelings—never less, but always more. In Hebrew, heart includes the mind, will, desire, and motive. Your thinking, feeling, and desiring are all done in your heart. We often think of the head and the heart as two different departments that have trouble communicating: “Should I go with my head or my heart?” But when Jesus quoted these words, He added the word mind, making it clear that the head is included in the heart. So, to love God with all your heart means to love Him with all that is in you. Love God with all your soul. The word soul could also be translated “life.” Love the Lord with all your energy, with all your ability, and with all your years. Make commitments that will deploy what God has given you in ways that show you love Him. People see that you love your family, your work, and your sports. What are you doing that makes it obvious that you love Jesus? Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” DEUTERONOMY 6:4 Whenever you see the word “LORD” in capital letters in the Old Testament, it is because the divine name is being used. When God appeared to Moses in the burning bush, He revealed Himself as Yahweh which means “I Am” (Ex. 3:14-15). Yahweh is usually translated into English as “LORD.” But there is general agreement that the name Moses heard from the fire was Yahweh. So, we can read Deuteronomy 6:4-5 as, “Yahweh our God, Yahweh is one. You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart…” It is the personal name of God that is used here. You are to love Yahweh. God’s name is of great importance because in our pluralistic society when we say, “Love God”, people feel free to fill the word ‘God’ with their own content. But God is not whoever you want Him to be. He is who He is. Our distinctive witness is not that we are “people of faith” or that we want to uphold “religious values.” Our witness is tied to the Lord’s name. Our witness is tied to the name of Jesus Christ, whom Yahweh has sent, in whom Yahweh is known, and by whom Yahweh has reconciled us to Himself. We love Him and our loyalty is to Him before any other. Could you say today with a clear conscience that your loyalty is to Jesus Christ before any other? Do you love Him for who He is? Why or why not? Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” DEUTERONOMY 6:4 Moses is speaking to Israel, and he describes the LORD as our God. They are God’s people because: God chose them. “The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth” (7:6). They are God’s people, not because they made God theirs, but because God made them His. God redeemed them. “Has any god ever attempted to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation… which the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?” (4:34). “It is because the LORD loves you… that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery” (7:8). God made a covenant with them. “The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb” (5:2). God bonded these people to Himself forever in a unique covenant that goes back to the promise He made to Abraham (see Gen. 12:2-3). The command to love God is never given to God’s enemies. The message to our unbelieving friends or family members is not, “Love God with all your heart.” They can’t do that. They don’t have it in them. Rather, our message to the world is, “Repent and believe the gospel.” But to those who do repent and believe, to His redeemed people, God says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart.” Are you trying to do something (love God) that’s not in you? If so, repent and believe the good news of the gospel today. But if you are already one of God’s people, don’t tell yourself that you don’t have it in you to love God. Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.” DEUTERONOMY 5:6-7 The Ten Commandments lay out what loving God and loving your neighbour looks like (5:6-21). The first four commandments tell us what it means to love God: You shall have no other gods before me (5:7) You shall not make an idol (5:8-10) You shall not take the Lord’s name in vain (5:11) Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy (5:12-15) The last six commandments spell out what it means to love your neighbour: Honor your father and mother (5:16) You shall not murder (5:17) You shall not commit adultery (5:18) You shall not steal (5:19) You shall not bear false witness (5:20) You shall not covet what God has given to your neighbour (5:21) Martin Luther said that the entire book of Deuteronomy is an exposition of the Ten Commandments: Chapters 6-18 apply the first four commandments, explaining what it means for God’s people to love him. Chapters 19-26 apply the last six, explaining what it means to love your neighbour as yourself. Chapters 27-34 set out the blessings of obedience to these commands, and the curses of disobedience. You could say that the entire book of Deuteronomy is an exposition of love. God is love, and those who are His people are called to a life of love. The commandments tell us what this love looks like. That is why love is the fulfilment of the law (see Rom. 13:10). If you love God with all your heart and you love your neighbour as yourself, you will have done all that God commands you. How does this change your view of the commandments? Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk