“From now on, you go and listen to what GOD, our God, says and then tell us what GOD tells you. We’ll listen and we’ll do it.”

GOD heard what you said to me and told me, “I’ve heard what the people said to you. They’re right—good and true words. What I wouldn’t give if they’d always feel this way, continuing to revere me and always keep all my commands; they’d have a good life forever, they and their children! – Deut 5:27-29

As I read this I could not help but weep for two reasons

I wept because I felt Gods broken heart
I wept because of our lost potential

I wept because I felt Gods broken heart

There is no denying it, God has given me a heart that is tender for Him. I often weep when I am reading scripture and see how much He loves us and how much He has been “long-suffering.”

When I read, I am not fooled into thinking that it was only “they” those who lives in Biblical times, that pained my God’s heart, no, I realize that far too often it is I that have caused Him to suffer.

We all have.

Far too often we get lulled into focusing on “the world” around us, which causes us to lose track of the fact that God has a heart that aches for us, a heart that is saddened when we forget Him or deliberately turn our backs on Him.

Yes, God is strong enough to “take it,” yes, God will forgive us when we “give it,” and we all have times (especially as baby Christians) when wrestling with God is something we need to do, if only to realize that He will still love us when we come out the other side, but in every-day, regular life, we need to be a people who care about hurting God.

We need to love God more than anything else and put Him first in all we do….which leads to why

I wept because of our lost potential

My heart breaks over how much time I have wasted. God says that if we just keep our eyes on Him that He would give us a good life.

Now, that God life will look different for each person (in other words it’s not all about money), however, I know, that I know, that I know, that God’s heart for us is that He wants to love and be loved by us and in that, wants to bless us. But just not randomly, He wants to bless our socks off.

While some people do not believe that I do.

God is love, and all good things come from him.

God gave us the ultimate gift already, Jesus, He is a giver.

Plus it has always been my experience that as God blesses others I notice.

And as God blesses me people notice. People who love God, and people who do not.

Why wouldn’t God want to get “the worlds” attention by showing how wonderful a father He is, by always providing for all our needs, and by giving us many blessings that we do not deserve?

Yet, I along with others of my faith, our faith, have wasted precious time by going my own way, by aligning my heart with a desire instead of with God.

As a result others that needed to see His goodness, did not.

Now I am not sure exactly what percentage of part I play in God’s orchestration of bringing others to Him but even if I was 1% of the equation, I am grieved that I made it 1% harder for someone to come to Christ.

I am going print and post Deuteronomy 5:27-29 to remind myself what is important, to remind myself that as Jesus said I am to love God and then I am to love others. Care to join me?

~~~~~~~~~~~

Eugene H. Peterson, The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2005), Dt 5:27–29.