Stand Up & Raise Your Voice
The Clemson Tigers football coach – Dabo Swinney – claims to be a Christian. He played for the 1992 National Championship Crimson Tide and became head coach at Clemson in 2008. One of Swinney’s favorite motivational phrases is: “Run your race to win, don’t just run the race.” That is a paraphrase of the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:24-25. That’s the problem.
The Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) has decided to sue to stop Coach Swinney. They accuse his program of being “saturated with Christian worship.”
Anti-Christian bias. How should the Christian respond? Back at the moment when Israel was getting ready to cross over the Jordan River and enter into the promised land, it was not going to be easy. What does God tell them, just before they cross the Jordan?
I want to focus on six verses at the end of the book of Deuteronomy – chapter 30:15-20.
GOD IS THE SOURCE OF ALL GOOD – 30:15:
“See!” God draws the Israelites’ attention to Himself and His ways. God is the source of life (Col. 1:17; Acts 17:27-28). Everything that is good flows from God. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17).
Raise your voice – “God is the source of all good.”
WE RESPOND TO THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE WITH LOVE – 30:16:
A life without love is nearly impossible. We love something. We love someone. But there is only one ultimate source of love and that is God, who is love (cf. 1 John 4:7-8). How can you not love God who gives us all these things? In Deuteronomy 30, ˝love˝ is found three times and ˝heart˝ is found seven times.
Raise your voice – “We respond to God with love.”
There is always a connection between erectile dysfunction and heart disease meet. important site viagra super Couple who often hesitate communicating on sexual plus heart related issues are highly become susceptible robertrobb.com levitra price to difficulties associated to lovemaking episodes. In addition, the formula prices cheapest levitra also helps sterilize fungal and bacterial infections. These versions have discover this website order cheap viagra been appreciated for their significant role in making the treatment successful. LOVE LEADS TO OBEDIENCE – 30:17-18:
Hearts can be turned away. So important is the heart that Moses tells Israel in verse 6 that God will circumcise their hearts. Yet, while God does the circumcising, we’ve got to do the obeying. If we love God, we will keep His commandments (John 14:15). The word “obey” or its synonyms (return, observe, keep, walk, hold fast) are found 13 times in this chapter!
Raise your voice – “Love obeys.”
OBEDIENCE PERPETUATES OBEDIENCE – 30:19:
God calls on Israel in this verse to chose life “so that you may live, yourself, and your seed” (or “descendants”). Back in early Deuteronomy, God told Israel to share their faith with their children and grandchildren – 6:6-9.
Our country is on the verge of becoming like Sodom and Gomorrah. The one thing we can do is teach our children the truths of God’s word.
Raise your voice – “Obedience perpetuates obedience.”
CLING TO GOD – 30:20:
In verse 20, Moses defines what he means by “choosing life” (verse 19). To hold fast to Him. This verb means to “cling” or to “stick to.” It carries the idea of affection and loyalty. Why should we live this way? Because Moses says, “He is your life and length of days.” He is your life. That’s a strong way to say it. Life simply comes from God. Real life. True life. Spiritual life.
Raise your voice: “Cling to God!”
So, in the middle of an anti-Christian world, stand up and raise your voice – God is our life!
–Paul Holland
