Deuteronomy 5:28-29
The Lord heard you and said:
Moses,
I heard what the people said to you, and I approve. I wish they would
always worship me with fear and trembling and be this willing to obey
me! Then they and their children would always enjoy a successful life.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
“He’s
making a list…and checking it twice…gonna find out who’s naughty or
nice…Santa Claus is coming to town!”* Many of us use these words as
“leverage” at this time of year to elicit good behavior from our kids.
And for the most part, it works. I am sure that more than one child is
praying and promising God that he/she will be really good all year long,
if only He will let Santa visit them this Christmas! And while we
adults may not be promising to be good for Santa, we make a lot of
promises to God that we don’t end up keeping.
If you go back to
Deuteronomy 5 and read the verses before this one, the people have told
Moses that they believe in God…and frankly, they are afraid of what will
happen to them if they don’t follow Him. So they asked Moses to go and
listen to everything that God said – and report back to them…and they
promised to do it all. Of course, God knew already that this wouldn’t
happen…and this is pretty much what He addressed with Moses in verses
28-29.
To do what God asks of us will result in a successful
life. But few of us are willing to do the work to draw close to God and
listen for His directives. We are so interested in doing what we
want and having things our own way that we really don’t have time or
inclination to seek God’s will – and act on it. So we fumble and bumble
around. And when the chips are down, we act like a kid in early
December who is afraid that Santa Claus will not visit. And we start
fervently praying and begging God to take care of us!
Isn’t it
time to get off of this merry-go-round? Don’t you want to just rest and
relax in God’s peace, forever and ever? Will this be the day that you
say, “Have it YOUR way, LORD” – and let Him guide your every thought,
word and step? Are you ready to enjoy a truly successful life? Will
this be the day that you get started?
©2015 Debbie Robus
*Santa Claus is Coming to Town ~ ©1934 John Frederick Coots & Haven Gillespie
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