DEUTERONOMY

Today is Tuesday, and I'm still in Deuteronomy.  I have a full day ahead, so let me get started sharing a few items that I thought to share: 1) AS YOU ARE ABLE- In Deuteronomy 16:17, it says:  "Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee."  God is teaching proportionate giving and bless able giving.  In other words you give proportionately of what God has blessed you with; and secondly, you must be first blessed to give.  We give based upon how God has blessed us with the ability to give.  By ability, I am not meaning what we have left over when we spend our funds, but based upon what God gives us in the first place.  God takes priority over all else.  We must always choose to put Him first. 2) DON'T CUT DOWN THE FRUIT TREES- In Deuteronomy 20:19-20, we have this teaching.  ( I will paraphrase: When you come to besiege a city, don't cut down any trees that bear fruit because the tree of the field is man's life.  You can cut down the trees that do not bear fruit to use for the siege.  This is the teaching.... now for an application.  In these tough economic times, we should never cut down the fruit trees (soul winners, or soul winning ministries).  Don't reduce the soul winning, and don't cut out the bus ministries, the outreaches, the means of seeing people saved.  These are the things that God chooses to honor and bless.  These things must be kept strong, because they are the life of the ministry! 3) HE BECAME OUR CURSE- In Deuteronomy 21:23 it gives rules about hanging someone who committed a sin worthy of death.  They were to be cut down before sunset, and then it makes this statement:  "(for he that is hanged is accursed of God;)"  Now Jesus was hung on a cross and became a curse for us.  Notice what this Bible verse says:  Galatians 3:13  "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:" Jesus hung on the cross for our sins and became our curse!  He took the curse off of us.  We were the ones worthy of death... eternally, but He took all of that away!  Praise His Holy Name!!!! 4) THOU SHALT REMEMBER- In Deuteronomy 24:21-22 it says:  "When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterward:  it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.  (23) And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt: therefore I command thee to do this thing."  Five times in Deuteronomy it says "thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt".  God wanted them to treat the stranger kindly because the Israelites needed to be treated kindly when in Egypt, and God wanted them never to forget that.  We should remember where we were before Christ saved us to be compassionate to all who we met around us. Well, time has come and gone.  May you have a blessed day!  Pastor Mike Mutchler