March 8, 2021
The Faithful God Loves You
In Moses’s second speech, he gives instructions to the Israelites about their upcoming battles to take the Promised Land. Over the past 40 years, the Israelites had been quick to grumble and rebel against the Lord.
In Deuteronomy 7, Moses tells the people that when the Lord helps them conquer their enemies, that they should devote them to destruction. They are not to make treaties or intermarry with them because Israel has proven that their hearts will stray from the Lord to other gods and idols.
In Deuteronomy 9, Moses reminds them of how stubborn they had been and continues his instructions for taking the Promised Land. Through all this, Moses emphasizes the Lord’s perfect love for His people and reaffirms that He will go before them in every battle.
"But it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt." - Deuteronomy 7:8
Jesus’ first actions after his triumphal entry into Jerusalem are the cursing of the fig tree and cleansing of the temple. Through these symbolic acts, Jesus passes judgment on the religious rulers and demonstrated his own authority as the Son of God.
The disciples seem to be completely surprised that the fig tree had withered at the words of Jesus. Moving a mountain was a common metaphor in Jewish literature for doing what seemed impossible. Jesus uses this time to remind His disciples again that if they have faith, anything is possible with God.
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” - Mark 11:24
Make It Personal
- What instructions has God been giving you about a situation or next step? Are you obeying completely?
- Can you think of a time when you got an answer to prayer? Write it down to encourage yourself in other times when you are waiting for an answer.
- Find someone today that you can encourage with the news of God’s love and faithfulness.