Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
Years ago, I was on vacation in Hawaii. We were having a blast. We went to the beach. My son-in-law and my son decided to go surfing, and I was watching them go out to surf. I thought, they're not going to show me up. I went out there with my surfboard and the waves were really high and I was like, I can't surf at all. I can't even get up. But I thought I'd try.
Exhausted in the Water
I paddle all the way back in. I think I'm going to go ahead and boogie board. I'm going to get out there by my son, my son-in-law, and I'm going to do some boogie boarding. I got the boogie board, paddled all the way back out, and the waves are just continuing to crash. This is why they're big time there. And as I'm getting ready to boogie board, a wave comes over and I wipe out. Another wave comes over and I wipe out again. All of a sudden I realize I am incredibly tired. I went out, tried to surf, it didn't work, went back, went out again, tried to boogie board, waves crashing everywhere, and I realized I was absolutely gassed.
For a split second, as I was looking at the shore and feeling my heart just race and my heart beating in my chest, I was going to yell help! Just for a split second, I caught myself in my mind and I laid down on my boogie board, turned my head to the side and just started to relax until I caught my breath and paddled back and laid on the side of the sand by the water and caught my breath.
Nobody's ever going to have to tell me to be careful when you go in the water ever again. I've tried to be careful as I've swam over the years and different things, but our passage today talks a little bit about being careful, and then it tells us what to do.
The Caution
Our Verse of the Day today comes from Deuteronomy chapter 11, verse 22. It says: "Be careful to obey all these commands I am giving you. Show love to the LORD your God by walking in His ways and holding tightly to Him."
Moses is writing the Pentateuch. He's writing here in Deuteronomy, renewing the law, as it were. He tells us a couple very important truths. Number one, let's call it the caution. Be careful to obey all these commands I've given to you.
You know, there's something in us that doesn't necessarily like to have somebody say, be cautious about this or be careful about that. But the Bible says that there are certain things that we need to watch out for. We need to be careful to make sure that we obey all these commands that I'm giving to you. The Bible says in other places, this is love for God, that you obey my commandments. One of the truest facets of whether we're a Christian, it looks like whether we obey the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible says His commands are not burdensome.
The Challenge
But secondly, let's call it the challenge. The challenge is show love to the Lord your God by walking in His ways and holding tightly to Him. This is one of those passages that Moses is telling the people they had wandered in the wilderness. They had done all kinds of bad things, kind of like you and me. But he says, be careful. Then he says, hold tightly. The challenge is, I need you to love the Lord your God.
Let me just very quickly give you a couple thoughts as we bring this passage to a close. What do we need to watch out for? As you kind of survey your life, maybe your workplace, maybe your family life, maybe if you're a husband or wife or a single, or maybe even a leader of a company, what are those things in your life that God's saying, you know, you need to be careful here. This is an area where you need to be careful.
Secondly, what should you commit to? The Bible says here that you're to show love, love for the Lord your God by walking in His ways and holding tightly to Him. Moses tells us this. God tells us this through Moses, because it doesn't come naturally for us to be careful of the wrong things and to hold tightly to God.
As you look at your life, let's go ahead and be those people who are watching out, not fearful, not anxious, but appropriately careful about the things that we need to watch out for, and then committing to the things, the person, the Lord Jesus Christ, that we should live for.