Read to prACTice

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* A large weight, a small measure, a masked face, a classic hypocrisy... I. Click here to READ  Deuteronomy 25   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches  13  You shall not have in your bag differing weights, a large and a small.   14  You shall not have in your house differing measures, a large and a small.   III. Reflection *  Questions :  What kind of problems does having differing weights and differing measures have? IV. Application Dear Lord God, I thank You for warning me about having different standards for the same evaluation. This presents opportunities for the devil to cause me to (1) deceive myself through hypocrisy--saying one thing while doing another, and (2) deceive others by talking more but doing less. I thank You, Lord Jesus, for bringing me to this point to remind me of another form of hypocrisy — being spiritual on the surface but, deep down, leadi...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* Take not from the poor vs Wait for the poor... I. Click here to READ  Deuteronomy 24   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches  10  When you make your neighbor a loan of any sort, you shall not enter his house to take his pledge.   11  You shall remain outside, and the man to whom you make the loan shall bring the pledge out to you. III. Reflection *  Questions :  Why must the lender stay outside of the borrower's home? What would be the significance of his going into the borrower's house? IV. Application : Dear Lord God: I thank You for showing me the two different pictures of treating the poor to meet Your approval since You are on the side of the poor, the orphan, and the widow. Either way--entering the borrower's home or waiting outside for him--the lender will have the pledge he needs, but barging into the poor guy's house displays an insensitive image of taking fr...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* Cannot come or May not come... I. Click here to READ  Deuteronomy 23   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches  (referring to the Edomite and the Egyptian...) 8  The sons of the third generation who are born to them may enter the assembly of the  Lord . III. Reflection *  Questions :  How can one tell from this verse and elsewhere at the beginning of this chapter that entering the assembly of the Lord is a precious privilege? IV. Application : Dear Lord God, I thank You for showing me that many categories of people who wanted to enter the assembly of the Lord were not allowed to. Entering Your assembly was a privilege. It was grace to be granted, not earned. I thank You, Lord Jesus, for reminding me that You called the temple Your Father's house of prayer ( Matthew 21:13 ). May I take it seriously, Lord Jesus, when I go to the Father's house of prayer this week. May I t...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* Thinking or Acting: same thing... I. Click here to READ  Deuteronomy 22   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches  22  If a man is found lying with a married woman, then both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman; thus you shall purge the evil from Israel. III. Reflection *  Questions :  Does adultery have to have the sex component involved? How would sexual thoughts outside of marriage be as sinful? IV. Application : Dear Lord God: I thank You for reminding me of the seriousness of committing adultery, which led to death as the way to purge this evil from Your people. You reminded me, Lord, that adultery involves breaking marriage bonding, commitment, and trust; it does not have to have a sexual component to it ( Jeremiah 3:8-9 ). I thank You, Lord Jesus, for taking me to this point to remind me of Your confirming teaching that sexual thoughts outside ...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* Turn in, then Stand in.. I. Click here to READ  Deuteronomy 21   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches  18  If any man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey his father or his mother, and when they chastise him, he will not even listen to them,   19  then his father and mother shall seize him, and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gateway of his hometown.   20  They shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey us, he is a glutton and a drunkard.’   21  Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death; so you shall remove the evil from your midst, and all Israel will hear of it and fear. III. Reflection *  Questions :  What was the significance of having both the father and mother turn in the son to the "authority"? IV. Application : Dear L...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* There is a draft, but feel free to be at home... I. Click here to READ  Deuteronomy 20   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches  (Approaching the battlefield and an enemy with numerous people, horses, and chariots, officers repeatedly gave their people choices depending on which category a man happened to be in...) 5 . . .  Who is the man that has built a new house and has not  dedicated it? Let him depart and return to his house  . . . 6 . . .  Who is the man that has planted a vineyard and has not  begun to use its fruit? Let him depart and return to his house  . . . 7 . . . W ho is the man that is engaged to a woman and has not  married her? Let him depart and return to his house  . . . 8 . . .  Who is the man that is afraid and fainthearted? Let him depart and return to his house ... III. Reflection *  Questions :  What was the common ...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* Three + Three, that is God's mercy... I. Click here to READ  Deuteronomy 19   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches :  (Instruction was given on setting up cities of refuge in the promised land...) 1  When the  Lord  your God cuts off the nations, whose land the  Lord  your God gives you, and you dispossess them and settle in their cities and in their houses,   2  you shall set aside three cities . . .  3 . . .  so that any manslayer may flee there . . .  8  If the  Lord  your God enlarges your territory . . .  9 . . .  then you shall add three more cities... III. Reflection *  Questions :  What was a city of refuge for? What was the message that went along with the Lord's command to build more cities of refuge? IV. Application : Dear Lord God: I thank You for showing me Your desire on the boundary of me...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* He demands it. He makes it happen... I. Click here to READ  Deuteronomy 18   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches :  (Once in the promised land to live, this was what the Lord expected of His people, the Israelites...)  13  You shall be blameless before the  Lord  your God. III.  Reflection *  Questions :  How can one be blameless? IV. Application : Dear Lord God, I thank You for reminding me of Your high expectations as I live out my life before You. You want me to be blameless. This is, indeed, a tall order. I thank You, Lord Jesus, for taking me to this point to remind me that with this tall order from You, You Yourself will make it happen  ( Ps 18:32 ,  John 15:5 )--so long as I keep remaining in You. O Lord! Please make me blameless today for Your glory. I profess that's all Your doing. Amen ******************* Note : If you want to reflect on oth...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* A Caretaker and an Owner... I. Click here to READ  Deuteronomy 17   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches :  (One of the expectations for the future kings of Israel is the daily reading of God's Word...) 19  And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the  Lord  his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them,   20  that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers ... (ESV) III.  Reflection *  Questions :  Who cannot be higher than the citizens in a nation? Does it make sense? How can this be achieved? IV. Application : Dear Lord God: Although it is hard to understand why a king of Israel is not to be above his Israelite citizens, You show me that it is not hard to see why a caretaker is not the owner of what he is to look after. O Lord! Only You are the...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* Forget not the dangers of forgetting... I. Click here to READ  Deuteronomy 16   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches :  (The Lord instructed the Israelites to celebrate the Passover yearly...) 3  ...so that you may remember all the days of your life the day when you came out of the land of Egypt.    12  You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt... III.  Reflection *  Questions :  What are the benefits of remembering? IV. Application : Dear Lord God, I thank You for showing me that the benefits of remembering Your grace may be measured by the dangers of forgetting You. Forgetting You leads to (1) doing evil, (2) serving other gods, (3) becoming worthless, and worst of all (4) making You very sad ( Jer 2:32 ). I thank You, Lord Jesus, for taking me to this point to remind me of Your urging Your people to remember You through Your body and blood ( Luke...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* Witnessing through working... I. Click here to READ  Deuteronomy 15   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches :  (On the 7th year, an Israelite slave owner was instructed to set his Israelite slave free...) 18  It shall not seem hard to you when you set him free, for he has given you six years with double the service of a hired man... III.  Reflection *  Questions :  How is the Israelite slave's productivity compared to that of other hired men? IV. Application : Dear Lord God, I thank You for showing me that for the same hour of work, an Israelite slave produced twice what a regular hired man would have done.  And that would please the owner-boss. I thank You, Lord Jesus, for bringing me to this point, reminding me that You do want me to work well and hard in my line of work for my employer, as if I worked for my heavenly Master ( Eph 6:5-7 ). Please help...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* Be different, but tolerant... I. Click here to READ  Deuteronomy 14   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches :  1  You are the children of the  Lord  your God. Do not cut yourselves or shave the front of your heads for the dead,   2  for you are a people holy to the  Lord  your God. Out of all the people on the face of the earth, the  Lord  has chosen you to be his treasured possession. 3  “You shall not eat any abomination... 8...  their carcasses you shall not touch... 10 ... scales you shall not eat... 21...  You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk. III.  Reflection *  Questions :  According to verse 2 above, what does being "holy" mean? IV. Application : Dear Lord God, I thank You for reminding me today that as a child of God, there are certain things that I do not do, eat, or drink. This...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* Signs and Wonders: big deal! I. Click here to READ  Deuteronomy 13   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches :  (Moses cautioned the Israelites about false prophets...) 1  If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder,   2  and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’   3  you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the  Lord  your God is testing you to find out if you love the  Lord  your God with all your heart and with all your soul. III.  Reflection *  Questions :  What is more important from a false prophet that the Lord wants us to watch out for--what they do or what they say? Why? IV. Application : Dear Lord God, I thank You for showing...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* Treasure life? Then live it each day... I. Click here to READ  Deuteronomy 12   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches :  1  “These are the statutes and rules that you shall be careful to do in the land that the  Lord , the God of your fathers, has given you to possess,  all the days that you live on the earth. III.  Reflection *  Questions :  Is there any significance in the fact that the Lord counts the duration of our life by the days? IV. Application : Dear Lord God: I thank You for showing me that it is important that I live my life each day because that is how You count my life in its totality ( Gen 5:4 ). I thank You, Lord Jesus, for reminding me of Your teaching about the fact the authoritative God may require my life any day ( Luke 12:16-21 ). May today I live to fear You, love You, walk in Your ways, serve You, and observe Your commandments. Please help me, H...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* From the Egyptian Land to the Promised Land... I. Click here to READ  Deuteronomy 11   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches : (The Lord calls His people to pay attention to the Promised Land...) 10  For the land that you are entering to take possession of it is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and irrigated it, like a garden of vegetables.   11  But the land that you are going over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water by the rain from heaven,   12  a land that the  Lord  your God cares for. The eyes of the  Lord  your God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. III.  Reflection *  Questions :  What did the promised land represent for the Israelites then? What does it represent for Christ's followers today? How about the land of Egy...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* Require, not request... I. Click here to READ  Deuteronomy 10   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches :  (On the front step of the promised land, Moses told God's people...) 12  “Now, Israel, what does the  Lord  your God require from you, but to fear the  Lord  your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the  Lord  your God with all your heart and with all your soul,   13  and to keep the  Lord’s  commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good? III.  Reflection *  Questions :  What is meant by "require"? Is that like "request," or "ask," or "hope"? IV. Application : Dear Lord God, I thank You for showing me that when the authority requires something, there is no negotiation! When You “require” life from man ( Job 27:8 ), he will say "Yes, Lord" and comply obediently, ...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* Blood is thicker than water... I. Click here to READ  Deuteronomy 9   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches :  (About a stubborn people who are neither righteous nor upright in their heart and who provoked the Lord time and again,  Moses said to the Lord...) 29  Yet they are Your people... III.  Reflection *  Questions :  Why?   IV. Application : Dear Lord God, I thank You for helping me find my true security in life--not in success, not in health, not in wealth, not in weapons, not in guardsmen. Despite my being bad, it is Your faithfulness, loving kindnesses, and compassion, which is new every morning ( Lam 3:23 ). Thank You, Lord Jesus, for taking me to this point to remind me that You love Your own children until the end ( John 13:1 ), which, as far as You are concerned, there is no end. O Lord! Please help me know that You will discipline me, as needed, but You w...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* Bless Him by telling about Him... I. Click here to READ  Deuteronomy 8   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches :  (Moses instructed the Israelites on what to do once they had settled in with theỉr new life in the promised land...) 10  When  you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the  Lord  your God for the good land which He has given you. III.  Reflection *  Questions :  How can we bless the Lord? Can we give Him anything that He does not already have? IV. Application : Dear Lord God, I thank You for reminding us to bless You, although there isn't anything that we can give You that You do not already have. Blessing You is not about giving You anything. I thank You for letting me know that I can bless You by (1) enjoying Your giving, (2) not forgetting what You have done for me, (3) lowering myself in worshiping You, and (4) telling of Your salvation e...

To read this in Vietnamese, please click  here . ******************* Cling to God humbly, the enemies flee... I. Click here to READ  Deuteronomy 7   first . II. One thing the Bible teaches :  (The Lord gave instructions to the Israelites through Moses in preparing them for the promised land...) 1  “When the  Lord  your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and mightier than you,   2  and when the  Lord  your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. [ a ]  You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them. III.  Reflection *  Questions : How to defeat the enemies who are greater and stronger than we? IV. Application : De...