Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. -Romans 13:8 (NASB)

In the verse above, Paul write to the Christians in Rome about how to fulfill the law, which alludes to Jesus’ teachings. In the Torah, there are the most famous Ten Commandments, but they are actually part of 613(!) in all, spread throughout the Old Testament.

Reading through all of them can be overwhelming, and we see in Scripture how God’s own chosen people break His laws over and over again. But with Jesus, He teaches that all of the law can be fulfilled by loving God and one another.

How so? Jesus cites one of the famous Ten Commandments: You shall not kill. Indeed, He says, it is not loving to take the life of another, but we also kill in another unloving way when we are resentful, hateful, or malicious to one another. Words maim, hurt, and kill.

At the end of the day, can we look back and say we loved one another as He loved us?

Father God, please show us how to live truthfully and lovingly toward others—no matter how they live—as Your Son showed us in His life.

Today’s video

The amazing nonprofit Bible Project has a great video about all the laws and commandments, and how Jesus says we fulfill all of them by loving others and God.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. -Hebrews 10:24-25 (NIV)

Remember when you first learned how to drive? It was exciting and new! You studied driving laws, and learned about all the signs and lights and safety issues. You were hyper-alert about the aspects of driving.

Fast forward to today, after having driven for years. It’s not even a thought to jump in the car and drive anywhere…and do things you would never do in the beginning. Some people eat and read while driving. Some people look back while fishing for items in the back seat as the car is rolling forward. And some drive with their knees, to hold the wheel steady or even steer a little as they’re doing something other than driving.

Maybe you do some of these things. Maybe I have, too. We can spiritually sloppy as well, and it can creep up on us just the same way we find out that we’re driving down the freeway without both hands on the wheel.

This post is a wakeup call, to snap out of the spiritual funk and laziness. If your prayers are increasingly formulaic and you’re maybe saying them without passion behind every word…you might be driving with your knees. If you’ve drifted away from fellowshipping and reading God’s word, it’s time to snap out of it!

Let’s get that passion and excitement back, and focused attention on Him once more, so that all we say and do points to Him. Let’s get both hands back on the spiritual wheel.

Today’s soundtrack

One of my all-time favorites, “Live Like That” by Sidewalk Prophets. May it refresh your walk every time you hear it!

When the layer of dew evaporated, behold, on the surface of the wilderness there was a fine flake-like thing, fine as the frost on the ground. When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat. -Exodus 16:14-15 (NASB)

Every parent eventually faces the moment when their child looks quizzically with some aversion and disgust at a new food, and ask “what is it?”

It happened with my son, and so I told him about the wandering Israelites, whom God supplied them with manna, a food that tasted like bread with honey. “Manna” actually means, “what is it?” because that’s what the Israelites asked about it when they saw it. Like my son, they looked at something unfamiliar, and doubted it before even trying it.

But on Moses’ instruction, they gathered it and ate it, and it gave them the nourishment they needed. The key word there is needed.

The Israelites complained pretty much the whole 40 years they were in the wilderness (which they wandered because of their doubt that God would give them the Promised Land), so once their time of wandering was over, Moses reminded them of God’s provision during their wandering. That included the manna they had earlier.

So I explained that this is one of the reasons why we give thanks for the food we have before us, because it is provided by God. (In the case of our food, God used many people as His instruments before it ever reached our table!)

In contrast to this bread which the Jews thought Moses gave them, Jesus first tells them that it was God who provided it. Secondly, Jesus tells them (and us) that He is the bread of life, removing hunger and thirst for those who believe in and follow him (John 6:30-35).

So, we give thanks for the bread He gives us for our bodies, but even more for the bread of life in His Son for our souls!

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. -Galatians 2:20 (NASB)

In August 2017, a solar eclipse was all over the news. Our moon, despite having a diameter 400 times smaller than our sun’s, nevertheless managed to briefly block most of the sun’s light coming to earth.

And so it is with us and God’s love and grace. Despite an all-powerful God whose light and warmth radiates like the sun, in our puny and petty humanness, we can still obscure or block Him, drawing attention to us, and not rightly to Him.

When I become indignant at another driver and decide to teach him/her a lesson…
When I fire back words at someone who fired at me…
When I choose rudeness or condescension over patience and compassion…
When I choose to avoid or ignore, rather than face an issue…
When I decide that being right is more important than being graceful…
When I tolerate injustice and do nothing…
When I see the poor and needy, but pass them by…
When I put God behind me so I can do or say whatever I want…
When I choose to not praise God in a politically correct world that discourages talking about Him…

…I become a walking eclipse, blocking Him to make it about me.

We can stand in God’s light and be transparent, letting His light pass and flow through us…or we can be opaque, blocking His light and casting our own long shadow. Help us, Lord, to be conduits—not shutters—for Your light.

then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil. -Deuteronomy 11:14 (NIV)

Today is the autumnal equinox, the first day of autumn (or fall, as it’s also referred to here in the United States). Day and night are of roughly equal lengths. Depending on where you live, there will be beautiful coloration of foliage all around.

Aside from pumpkin spice-flavored everything, we can look forward to generally cooler weather, and even prepare for the winter season to come. It’s a magical time, especially for children.

For believers, it’s a great reminder of the crucial time mentioned in Deuteronomy 11, where Moses explains to the Israelites that God will prosper them in the Promised Land, if only they are obedient to Him and His laws. Here’s that verse in context:

But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end. So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today—to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul—then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil. -Deuteronomy 11:11-14 (NIV)

God can flatten mountains and make crooked paths straight before His obedient children. May this autumn season remind us that it is He who made the trees, the leaves that grow and fall from them, and the rain to fall—or not fall. Let this be our wake up call to gratefully enjoy the splendor of His creation as we obediently take the path He puts before us, in this season and every one to follow.

After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, “I HAVE FOUND DAVID the son of Jesse, A MAN AFTER MY HEART, who will do all My will.” -Acts‬ ‭13:22‬ ‭NASB‬‬

The little shepherd boy whom God chose to become Israel’s successor to Saul, Israel’s first-ever king, was also the greatest human king Israel would ever have. David was also the father of Solomon, who succeeded him, and was the wisest man who ever lived. But what made David so great?

With God’s help, little David slew the Philistine Goliath, a giant descended from fallen angels (the Nephilim, or sons of God). He also went on to win many, many military victories for God, recovered the Ark of the Covenant, and even drew up the plans for the first Temple. And Jesus Himself was descended through David’s line.

But David also made many grievous errors of judgment, including adultery (with Bathsheba, wife of Uriah) and murder (he had Uriah sent to be killed in battle). That chain of events started with David’s poor choice to not lead his soldiers into battle, but to kick back at home. That idle time led to temptation, his acting on that temptation, and then the terrible series of sinful events to cover it up. God also told David that he would not build the Temple, since he had so much blood on his hands.

So how, then, could David be great, and one whom God said had a heart after His?

David was great because, despite his sins, he would turn from them (even if it wasn’t immediately) and get back on track with following what God would have him do as His instrument. To have a heart after God didn’t make David sinless or perfect. Only Jesus lived that life here on earth.

So if you’re like me and sometimes revisit past sins in your head, train your eyes and heart back on the Lord. If you’ve already contritely confessed and repented of your sins, you’ve given them to God and thrown them (like heavy rocks) into the ocean. Stop fishing them back out, and let God’s forgiveness free you of that guilt burden so you can live again for Him, with a heart after His own.

> *And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” -Matthew 26:39 (NASB)*

Have you ever had really awful medicine?

My son recently had to take some very strong oral antibiotics, which smelled and tasted awful. So awful that he would retch it right back up…and I learned online that many kids react that way to this medicine. But, if he was to overcome his bacterial ear infections, he had to keep the medicine down.

On top of the bad taste, the medicine also caused other undesirable side effects on the other side of his digestive system. Oh boy.

Back when I was a child, I would’ve simply been told to take it and too bad that I didn’t like the taste. But I could see that God wanted me to use this medicine for a teachable moment. This was no time for “because I said so.”

I explained to him that sometimes the medicine we need most to heal doesn’t taste or feel good…but we could take it in obedience and trust in God’s plans for our growth and healing as a result. In the garden in Gesthemane, Jesus asked His Father if there was any other way but the cross to achieve what God needed done…but if there weren’t, then His will be done.

I found out that, as a parent, I could at least help by sweetening the medicine with chocolate or strawberry syrup, and that helped immensely with its consumption. On Jesus’ level, He knew that His sacrifice and obedience would yield the greatest reward and sweetest incentive of all: direct connection with our Father, forgiveness of our sins, and to live with Him forever once we would leave this world. By far, He took the toughest medicine of all, to heal and restore all of us.

In our day to day lives, that bitter medicine might be the very difficult conversation or confrontation we have to have. It might be kicking the habit we know we should do more to combat. It might persevering and seeing something very unpleasant through when our flesh would rather just throw in the towel. Whatever it is, God calls us to do the right–and righteous–thing by taking our medicine.

Obedience isn’t always fun…or tasty, but it yields rewards in this world and the next.

As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart. -Proverbs 27:19 (NIV)

Years ago, I taught a college class on computer animation. But before we dove into the tools, I taught about fundamentals, like color models and surfaces and shape primitives. One time, I showed the class a picture of a chrome sphere, and asked them: How do you know this sphere is reflective?

The answer? You can tell something is reflective because you can see other things, like other objects and surroundings, reflected on its surface.

On moonlit nights, we know the sun is still there. Why? Because the moon reflects the sun’s intense light so we can see.

Likewise, if our hearts are truly pursuing God, we’ll reflect His light for others to see. If our hearts aren’t, people will only see more of us, and less of Him. We reflect where our heart lies in what we think, say, and do…and how we do those things.

If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. -James 1:26 (NASB)

As true believers, we’re like fine silver…reflective and precious, but easily tarnished with exposure to the world. And regular maintenance, through fellowship, time in His Word, prayer, and right living, can keep us reflecting Him for others to see.

And the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. -1 Samuel 8:7

We know we have a patient and loving God. Look at His special chosen ones, the Israelites, and how they not only were disobedient, but even rejected Him! As a parent, there are few things on earth more heartbreaking than your own children’s rejection.

But God is also loving in His demonstration of consequences. After so much complaining and whining from His children, who wanted a king to rule over them like their neighbors (“all the other kids are doing it!”), God tasked Samuel with giving them a king. The Israelites would have to reap what they chose to sow.

Samuel first warned them that a human king would be very demanding, and even unjust or cruel, but they didn’t care. They wanted what they wanted, and Samuel gave them Saul, who did well…at least for the first twenty years.

Like the Israelites, we should carefully consider what we’re asking for.

I’ve learned to put my petitions to a litmus test before bringing them to God: Is what I’m asking for glorifying Him, or just serving me? Am I possibly rationalizing my way into thinking my way will also please Him?

If my petitions pass the test by glorifying Him and not serving my needs, and that I’m wanting to please Him through that for which I pray, then I bring them before Him.

If you’re asking for something that dethrones Jesus–the One True King–in your heart, and doesn’t make Him famous, you’re asking to be ruled by the world. You’re asking to be like the unbelievers around you.

But He has set you apart as one of His elect. Boldly bring Him your petitions that make Him known, and He will bless you in your obedience, faith, and surrender.

They did not destroy the peoples, Concerning whom the Lord had commanded them, But they mingled with the Gentiles And learned their works; They served their idols, Which became a snare to them. -Psalms 106:34-36 (NKJV)

Ever seen a movie that had some obvious setups for sequels? Well, truth is stranger than fiction.

Those Israelites and their Asherah poles! A constant source of temptation to them was idolatry, and though Joshua mightily commanded the Israelites to astounding and miraculous victories throughout the Promised Land–all to God’s glory–the Israelites didn’t completely follow through. There were pockets of folks who were not driven out, as the Lord had told them to do.

These seemingly innocuous peace treaties or coexistences with the non-Israelites of the Promised Land proved to sow the seeds of much, much suffering ahead. Since all the Asherah poles and false idols weren’t destroyed, they slowly started infecting the Israelites with the attraction of idol worship. As more and more gave in, the nation was infected, and disobedience and outright rejection of the Lord became the norm.

We might think, “Those Israelites! Why are they so thick-skulled?” But in reality, they’re a reflection of us. We have our own modern idols and temptations to take God out of first place in our lives, and it’s always our choice to veer off course.

Let the Israelites’ repeated disobedience be an illustrated life lesson for us to learn: dig deep and partake in His Word. Fellowship with like-minded Christ followers to stay in God-fearing company. Pray without ceasing. As soon as we slip on any of these, those Asherah poles and false idols of today will become more and more appealing…yet again.