Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

A Daily Devotional by Kenton Cheek

14 March 2024

Reading From Deuteronomy 11-13

“See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse— the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known. When the Lord your God has brought you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim on Mount Gerizim the blessings, and on Mount Ebal the curses. As you know, these mountains are across the Jordan, westward, toward the setting sun, near the great trees of Moreh, in the territory of those Canaanites living in the Arabah in the vicinity of Gilgal. You are about to cross the Jordan to enter and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you. When you have taken it over and are living there, be sure that you obey all the decrees and laws I am setting before you today.”

–Deuteronomy 11:26-32

     In 2019 a lead amulet was discovered on Mount Ebal by archaeologists.  The tablet is a record of curses for not following Yahweh and is from more than 3,200 years ago.  God’s Word the Bible is true!  It is an accurate record of the early history of the ancient world and of God’s eternal family.  In this passage from Deuteronomy, Moses set before the people a decision to make of their own free will.  They had liberty to choose whether to follow God and experience the blessed life that He offers or to follow after their own way and suffer all that entails. 

     There are times in life when choices are fairly black and white and other times when deciding what to do or say is not so simple.  That is why it is vital to know the Word of God and commune with the Holy Spirit of the Living God.  The more we get to know Him by spending time with Him, the more clearly we can hear His voice and follow His direction.  Every born again child of God has these choices set before them multiple times ever day and night. 

     If, and that is big IF, we serve the Lord God, we will be blessed.  That is a certainty.  It’s a guarantee backed up by the Most High God who exalts above Himself His Name and His Word!  With Him there is life abundant and eternal.  But if we go our own way and follow our natural tendencies toward self-worship and sin, then we will have to deal with the consequences.  Jeanie Cheek, my Grandmother, often reminded me that I can choose to do just about anything, but whatever I choose I must deal with the consequences.  So it is with all God’s children.

     He has, in His divine wisdom and sovereignty, set up spiritual and natural laws which keep the universe in order.  As we follow the principles we discover in the Bible, we are blessed.  If we choose to disobey, then God disciplines those He loves by allowing them to struggle through the results and  in doing so, tests their faith.  One of the beautiful parts of a human being following the Lord is that no matter what, He loves each of us and has us covered. 

     If we are faithful, we are rewarded.  If we do wrong in His sight, His forgiveness is readily available if we confess and repent.  His Presence will be with us as we work through the consequences of our actions.  Either way, we have the opportunity to learn and grow in our faith and deepen our relationship with God.  But all of this depends on how we decide to respond to whatever comes our way in life.  Everyone who is born again has the Spirit living in the very core of their being and therefore we have inside ourselves, by the same power that raised Jesus from the dead and empowered the believers of the early Church at Pentecost and all throughout history, the strength and energy we need to choose right over wrong.  Make good choices today!

Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.

–Joshua 24:14-15

“Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day.”

–Psalm 25:4-5