https://esv.literalword.com/?q=Deuteronomy+11
Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Saturday, 3 May 2025:
Deuteronomy 11:1, 2, 8, 13, 16, 17, 18, 26-28 — “You shall therefore love the Lord your God and keep his charge, his statutes, his rules, and his commandments always. And consider today.., consider the discipline of the Lord your God…. You shall therefore keep the whole commandment that I command you today…. And if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul…. Take care lest your heart be deceived… the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you…. You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes…. See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way that I am commanding you today.”
We are saved by faith, not by works. Yet, God still demands obedience, still disciplines, still holds His people accountable for their actions, and still allows the natural consequences of sin to occur. His Name remains Holy. God does not desire for us to suffer the consequences of disobedience, and so He gives us clear warning. “Take care lest your heart be deceived.” Do you want to experience blessings or curses in life?
In John 17, before His crucifixion, Jesus prayed for our “oneness” with Him. Sin hinders that oneness, it quenches the Spirit, grieves the Spirit, and gets us out of step with the Spirit. As Christians who have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus, our sin doesn’t separate us from the love of God, but it does hinder our relationship with Him, rob us of the fullness of joy Jesus wants us to have in His love, and robs us of power we should be experiencing in the Holy Spirit.
God’s greatest commandment for us is love. Jesus said if you love Him, you will obey Him. 1 Timothy 1:5 says, “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” Love emanates from 1) a pure heart, 2) a good conscience, and 3) a sincere faith. Sin, all sin, is unloving. One last time: Deuteronomy 11:1 – “You shall therefore love the LORD your God and keep his charge, his statutes, his rules, and his commandments always.” To love God is to obey Him.
Love and obedience are inseparable. True love for God is expressed not in feelings alone but in faithfulness to His commands. This is a lifelong commitment—“always”—not occasional or convenient obedience. For Christians, loving God means submitting every area of life to His will, trusting that His commands are not restrictive but lead to life.
Deuteronomy 11:2 – “And consider today (since I am not speaking to your children who have not known or seen it), consider the discipline of the Lord your God, his greatness, his mighty hand and his outstretched arm.”
God’s past discipline is a testimony of His involvement, not His absence. His greatness is shown not just in deliverance but also in correction. Christians must remember God’s past work, both in Scripture and in their personal lives, as motivation for present faith and obedience. Reflection is an act of spiritual maturity—it strengthens trust and keeps our hearts tender.
Deuteronomy 11:8 – “You shall therefore keep the whole commandment that I command you today.”
Partial obedience is disobedience.
Deuteronomy 11:13–14 – “And if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, he will give the rain for your land in its season… and you shall eat and be full.”
There is a clear connection between covenant obedience and God’s provision. While Christians are not under the Mosaic covenant, the principle remains: obedience brings blessing—not always in material form, but in spiritual fruitfulness, peace, and divine favor. Love-fueled obedience invites God’s presence into every area of life, including our practical needs.
Most people today would consider it absurd for you to believe that natural occurrences or that seemingly random circumstances were actually orchestrated by God to bless or to punish, but the Bible says that God punishes nations with weather, foreign armies, corrupt governments, financial crisis, plagues, etc. The same God that made and controls the natural laws to reflect His character also made the moral laws to reflect His character and His requirements. Defying either set of laws has devastating consequences.
Deuteronomy 11:16, 18-20 – Take care lest your heart be deceived…. You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
The word of God is our best defense against deception and sin. Not only must we be continuously immersed in it, we must be careful to teach our children who are easily deceived and who need to be grounded in the word at an early age. God calls all Christians to think not just about the next generation but about many generations to come.
The heart is vulnerable to deception. Turning from God doesn’t usually happen in an instant but through subtle compromise and misplaced affection. Christians must guard their hearts from idolatry—not just of false religions, but of money, success, comfort, and self. Staying rooted in the Word and in worship is essential to keeping our love for God pure.
God’s Word must be internalized, not just known. It is not enough to hear Scripture—we must treasure it deeply, let it shape our thoughts, our actions (hands), and our vision (eyes). For Christians, this is a call to consistent meditation on God’s Word, letting it saturate our identity, decisions, and daily rhythms.
The home is the first and most powerful place of discipleship. Faith is meant to be woven into the ordinary routines of life—not reserved for formal religious settings. Christians are called to make spiritual conversations normal and constant, especially with children. This builds generational faith and keeps God’s Word alive in the culture of the home.
Deuteronomy 11:26–28 – “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God… and the curse, if you do not obey.”
Choices have consequences. God’s Word demands a response—either obedience that brings blessing, or rebellion that invites loss. For Christians, this reminds us that grace is not passive; it calls us into a life of purposeful alignment with God’s ways. Each day is a decision to walk in step with the Spirit or to turn away. We must choose faithfulness.
Obedience is your choice, but consequences belong to God – you do not choose your consequences. Obey God and be blessed.
- Galatians 5:22-26 — But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
- James 1:22-25 — But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 3 May 2025: Create or renew a daily rhythm of engaging Scripture—whether through reading, journaling, or sharing with others—and to teach and talk about it regularly with those closest to you, especially in your home.
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 