NOVEMBER 7, 2025
Deuteronomy 12:26-32 (HCSB)
26 “But you are to take the holy offerings you have and your vow offerings and go to the place the Lord chooses. 27 Present the meat and blood of your burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord your God. The blood of your other sacrifices is to be poured out beside the altar of the Lord your God, but you may eat the meat. 28 Be careful to obey all these things I command you, so that you and your children after you may prosper forever, because you will be doing what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God.
29 “When the Lord your God annihilates the nations before you, which you are entering to take possession of, and you drive them out and live in their land, 30 be careful not to be ensnared by their ways after they have been destroyed before you. Do not inquire about their gods, asking, ‘How did these nations worship their gods? I’ll also do the same.’ 31 You must not do the same to the Lord your God, because they practice every detestable thing, which the Lord hates, for their gods. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. 32 You must be careful to do everything I command you; do not add anything to it or take anything away from it.
Sarah Ricciardi
Do not be ensnared by their gods or worship God the way they worship. Again, God declares, “Be careful to do everything I command you. Do not add anything to it or take anything from it.” (31-32)“Be careful to do everything I command you.” How easy is it in our modern, American church culture to not be careful? We herald God’s grace as enough–and it is–but we use it as a catch-all. I can do what I want, say what I want, echo the world, and God will cover that by His grace. And He will, He can, He does. Yet to live fully in Him, the way He intends, is to live differently. Do you ever feel in your spirit that He is calling you to more? Does your heart beat with discontentment or frustration, or panic more loudly than you’d care to admit? Maybe God is trying to pivot you, dear one. Maybe He is trying to redirect your steps in a direction far better than you can ask or imagine. If you will let Him. One of the commands we often overlook is the command to Sabbath (Deut. 5:12). I’ve always thought it was simply going to church, not working, spending time with family. Sabbath is so much more. And God is serious about it. The call is to rest in Him, friends. Rest. If you’re rolling your eyes now and telling me that’s impossible, I’ll tell you, I understand. When I look at our calendar, I see impossible, too. Yet God has called us to it, because He loves us more than He loves our list of duties. When the duties derail us from His face–even though they may be good–they become idols that we must throw down.
26 “But you are to take the holy offerings you have and your vow offerings and go to the place the Lord chooses. 27 Present the meat and blood of your burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord your God. The blood of your other sacrifices is to be poured out beside the altar of the Lord your God, but you may eat the meat. 28 Be careful to obey all these things I command you, so that you and your children after you may prosper forever, because you will be doing what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God.
29 “When the Lord your God annihilates the nations before you, which you are entering to take possession of, and you drive them out and live in their land, 30 be careful not to be ensnared by their ways after they have been destroyed before you. Do not inquire about their gods, asking, ‘How did these nations worship their gods? I’ll also do the same.’ 31 You must not do the same to the Lord your God, because they practice every detestable thing, which the Lord hates, for their gods. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. 32 You must be careful to do everything I command you; do not add anything to it or take anything away from it.
Sarah Ricciardi
Do not be ensnared by their gods or worship God the way they worship. Again, God declares, “Be careful to do everything I command you. Do not add anything to it or take anything from it.” (31-32)“Be careful to do everything I command you.” How easy is it in our modern, American church culture to not be careful? We herald God’s grace as enough–and it is–but we use it as a catch-all. I can do what I want, say what I want, echo the world, and God will cover that by His grace. And He will, He can, He does. Yet to live fully in Him, the way He intends, is to live differently. Do you ever feel in your spirit that He is calling you to more? Does your heart beat with discontentment or frustration, or panic more loudly than you’d care to admit? Maybe God is trying to pivot you, dear one. Maybe He is trying to redirect your steps in a direction far better than you can ask or imagine. If you will let Him. One of the commands we often overlook is the command to Sabbath (Deut. 5:12). I’ve always thought it was simply going to church, not working, spending time with family. Sabbath is so much more. And God is serious about it. The call is to rest in Him, friends. Rest. If you’re rolling your eyes now and telling me that’s impossible, I’ll tell you, I understand. When I look at our calendar, I see impossible, too. Yet God has called us to it, because He loves us more than He loves our list of duties. When the duties derail us from His face–even though they may be good–they become idols that we must throw down.
Recent
Archive
2025
January
January 1, 2025A Note From Pastor HDJanuary 2, 2025January 3, 2025January 4, 2025Sunday Connect Lesson for January 5, 2025January 6, 2025January 7, 2025January 8, 2025January 9, 2025January 10, 2025Questions for the WeekJanuary 12, 2025January 13, 2025January 14, 2025January 15, 2025January 16, 2025January 17, 2025Questions for the WeekSunday Connect Lesson for January 19, 2025January 20, 2025January 21, 2025January 22, 2025January 23, 2025January 24, 2025Questions for the WeekSunday Connect Lesson for January 26January 27, 2025January 28, 2025January 29, 2025January 30, 2025January 31, 2025
February
Questions for the WeekConnect Lesson for Sunday, February 2February 3, 2025February 4, 2025February 5, 2025February 6, 2025February 7, 2025Questions for the WeekSunday Connect Lesson for February 9, 2025February 10, 2025February 11, 2025February 12, 2025February 13, 2025February 14, 2025Questions for the WeekSunday Connect Lesson for February 16, 2025February 17, 2025February 18, 2025February 19, 2025February 20, 2025February 21, 2025Questions for the WeekSunday Connect Lesson for February 23, 2025February 24, 2025February 25, 2025February 26, 2025February 27, 2025February 28, 2025
March
Questions for the WeekConnect Lesson for Sunday, March 2, 2025March 3, 2025A Note from Pastor HDMarch 4, 2025March 5, 2025March 6, 2025March 7, 2025Questions for the WeekSunday Connect Lesson for March 9, 2025March 10, 2025March 11, 2025March 12, 2025March 13, 2025March 14, 2025Questions for the WeekSunday Connect Lesson for March 16, 2025March 17, 2025March 18, 2025March 19, 2025March 20, 2025March 21, 2025Questions for the WeekSunday Connect Lesson for March 23, 2025March 24, 2025March 25, 2025March 26, 2025March 27, 2025March 28, 2025Questions for the WeekSunday Connect Lesson for March 30, 2025March 31, 2025
No Comments