Pay Attention

God’s Will Our Heavenly Father knows our heart’s intent. Therefore, do good work and check always that our motives are in line with God’s will, lest our efforts will be in vain. What's worse is work done in pursuit of self-aggrandizement can bring more harm than good. In fact, Jesus called these people ‘workers of lawlessness’. Prayer: Lord, shine your light on me and reveal to me if I have harboured any hidden motives in my heart when I serve others in Your Holy Name. O Lord, forgive me if that is my case. I repent for such sins. Help me to know Your will. Empower me to change so the work that I do will come from my pure heart and clean hands.

Four Decisions That Determine Your Destiny

In Dr. Seuss’ poem, “The Zode in the Road,” a young Zode comes to a fork in the road and spends quite some time trying to decide which place to go to. He thinks about the possibility that one place may be too hot and the other too cool or one too high and the other too low. After scratching his head in indecision, the Zode finally decides to play it safe and “start off for both places at once!”

And that meant the Zode got nowhere.

What decision do you need to make? I implore you do something great with your life for Jesus’ sake. Don’t be a Zode. Don’t waste your life. Don’t live in mediocrity. Don’t just exist! Make the decisions that will determine your destiny.

There are four life-changing decisions that every person has to make:

1. To commit your life to Christ and become a part of his family. If you haven’t done that, what are you waiting on? Not to decide is to decide.

2. To commit to the habits that will help you grow spiritually. Don’t be a wishy-washy, lukewarm, shallow Christian. Go head on. Be all that God wants you to be.

3. To use your talents, gifts, abilities, and experiences to serve God and others. Some of you have been sitting on the bench, and it’s time to get in the game.

4. To share Jesus Christ with others. Once you know the Good News, you’re to become a messenger so that others may hear it, too.

“If you are … unable to make up your mind and undecided in all you do, you must not think that you will receive anything from the Lord” (James 1:7-8 ).

The decision is yours!

Day 9

PAY ATTENTION, PARENTS

[Scheduled Reading: Deuteronomy 1-15]

For parents with children at home, today’s reading offers us a special challenge.

The words of Deuteronomy were delivered by Moses at the very end of a 40-year season of wilderness-craziness - just before the Israelites enter the promised land.

Moses reminds the Israelites to teach God’s Words to their children. It’s almost as if he knew they wouldn’t (he knew them well) and that particular disasters would follow if they took their eyes off God and His Word.

If there’s one theme that repeats throughout the Old Testament, it’s how mankind continues to fall back in touch with their rebellious nature. No matter how miraculous God’s rescue and deliverance is, and how genuine the people’s response of repentance and forgiveness, God’s children seem to drift again... and again.

Pay attention to Moses’ charge to parents in Deuteronomy, Chapters 4, 6 and 11. Here’s the one in chapter 6.

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.

You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." —Deuteronomy 6:4-7

(Tough to do this without reading His Word ourselves, right?)