DCLM Daily Manna 2023: DCLM Daily Manna 22 November 2023: Total Consecration
KEY VERSE: “And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul.” – (Deuteronomy 10:12)
TEXT: Deuteronomy 10:12-22 (KJV)
And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,
13 To keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?
14 Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord’s thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is.
15 Only the Lord had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day.
16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.
17 For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward:
18 He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment.
19 Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.
20 Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name.
21 He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen.
22 Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now the Lord thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude.
There were two artists, close friends: one excelled in landscape painting and the other in depicting the human body. The former had painted a picture in which wood and rock and sky were combined in the artist’s best manner. But the picture remained unsold – no one cared to buy it; it did not meet expectations. The artist’s friend came and said, “Let me take your painting”. A few days later he brought it back. He had added a lovely human figure to the matchless landscape. Soon, the picture was sold. It had lacked the interest of life.
Moses recounted to Israel God’s expectations. Israel was required by the Lord to fear Him, walk in His ways, love and serve Him with all their heart and soul. This, they were to do, by keeping the commandments and statutes with hearts circumcised by the Lord. In summary, God demanded total consecration from Israel. There are some people whose Christianity lacks total commitment. It is only landscape: outward worship and needs living consecration to make it complete. These are Christians who compare their lives to Bible characters who failed God.
They make excuses for their weaknesses and failures. Whilst the laws were written on stones in the Old Testament, today, the laws are written in our hearts by God. Thus, as believers, our consecration must be unquestionable. Just as God told Israel how to serve Him in total consecration, the same call comes to all believers today. His standard has not changed. Our consecration is not merely for Sunday service but should manifest itself in every phase of life.
Are you one of those believers who resist and refuse to submit to the divine will whenever it appears to oppose your personal will? Living in total obedience to the word of God is the only way to meet His standard.
THOUGHT OF THE DAY: The Christian life is dictated by God’s standard.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 39-42
Thank you for studying today’s Daily Manna – Total Consecration – by Pastor W.F Kumuyi
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Daily Manna 22 November 2023
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