Deuteronomy 4:29 – Far More Life

Deceptively Peaceful

We have to make many decisions every day. But not all decisions are equal. Some are quick and easy because we know they have little long-term impact. Others we recognize as significant and consider the options carefully. But sometimes we do not see them clearly and overlook opportunities for far more life.

The book of Genesis gives the account of Abram and his nephew Lot. They lived a nomadic life, moving their herds from one location to another. As their wealth grew, the land could not support all the people and animals of both households. So Abram suggested they set up separate camps. He graciously let Lot choose his preferred location. The Bible records:

Lot looked and saw the whole Jordan Valley. He saw that there was much water there…At that time the Jordan Valley all the way to Zoar was like the Lord’s Garden. This was good land, like the land of Egypt. (Genesis 13:10, ERV)

Lot chose the land that looked more fertile and promising. That seems wise since his was goal to provide food and water for his herds, family, and workers. But the scene before Lot was deceptively peaceful. He actually pitched his tents near a corrupt city that, in time, corrupted him and his family.

How often do we look only at the surface when making a decision? We, too, can be fooled by a deceptively peaceful exterior and fail to see the situation accurately. I participate in a White Elephant gift exchange each December that makes a game of giving away useless and almost-useless items. Over the years we have found the worst gifts are often hidden beneath the most elaborate wrapping. They are deceptively appealing because the outward appearance leads you to believe a treasure is waiting inside. One participant enjoys warning newcomers, “Beware of the pretty wrapping paper.”

Satan also loves to hide behind a beautiful or peaceful exterior. He tricks us into thinking sin is not “that bad”. Or he makes it seem like an experience or circumstance will fulfill us. But Satan is a liar whose goal is to keep us from experiencing God’s best. He makes sin and pain appear deceptively peaceful. He wants to distract us from finding what truly brings far more life.

God wants to satisfy our hearts and minds. He offers true peace — and far more life. Consider this powerful promise God gave His people through the prophet Isaiah:

Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.
The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. (Isaiah 58:7-11, NIV)

Giving, investing, sharing, caring for others because they are valuable to God and therefore valuable to you…these lead to far more life! But Satan whispers — or yells — lies to dissuade us from experiencing this: Do not sacrifice for others; they will not appreciate it! Do not give too much; you may not have enough left for yourself! Do not get involved; everyone needs to learn from their own mistakes! Do not take risks; someone else is in a better position to help! People are too messy! Protect yourself!

Repeatedly God’s Word instructs us to focus on His work and trust Him with the details. He wants us to look deeper into His ways when making decisions so we can invest in far more life.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33, NIV)
But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deuteronomy 4:29, NIV)
…For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. (I Corinthians 10:33, NIV)
[Love] does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. (I Corinthians 13:5, NIV)
“Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it. (I Peter 3:10-11, NIV)

Following and trusting God are not passive pursuits. Far more life requires us to actively engage with God and others. Disengaging offers deceptive peace while investing in others brings far more life. Building our own kingdom offers deceptive peace but building God’s kingdom results in true peace. Striving to fulfill God’s plan fulfills us in a way that pursuing our own plans cannot match.

Be on the lookout for deceptive peace. It is all around us, tempting us to turn away from God and join the majority. The road to God may not look as lush and fertile as the one most people choose to follow through this life, but it actually offers all we need for far more life that lasts throughout eternity.

Sisters,
When have you pursued something that looked good but ended up being bad?
When making a decision, what helps you look below the surface?
How has God blessed or satisfied you when you did what He instructed, even if it seemed like a bad idea?
How are you actively engaging with God and people?
Thank God that His road leads to far more life!
-Shari

But God

There are aspects of God’s character that seem contradictory. He is completely loving. And completely righteous. He is forgiving. He cannot tolerate sin. We are made in His image. We are unlike Him in so many ways. He is predictable in some ways and surprising in others. So we have to choose: will we accept all of Him or only the parts we understand? Will we work to understand more or give up and pull away? He promises:

…If you search for him with all your heart, you will find him. (Deuteronomy 4:29, GNT).

God does not intend to hide from His children. While we will never understand Him perfectly in this life, we can grow in reconciling His seemingly contradictory qualities and actions. The better we understand Him, the more we experience far more life.

Here are two examples that give us insight into God’s heart:

Then the Lord passed by in front of him, saying, “The Lord, the Lord God, with loving-pity and loving-favor, slow to anger, filled with loving-kindness and truth, keeping loving-kindness for thousands, forgiving wrong-doing and sin. But He will not let the guilty go without being punished… (Exodus 34:6-7, NLV)
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you previously lived according to the ways of this world…But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us made us alive with Christ… (Ephesians 2:1-5, CSB)

Both passages set up a contrast that is linked by “but God”. God is loving, but God punishes sin. We were dead in our sin, but God is rich in mercy and love.

Think of situations where people make a statement then add, “but…”. The next words are often hard to hear. Or surprising. Or seem contradictory. In reality, whatever follows “but” brings clarification or perspective. It is important, even when it is hard to hear.

In the verses above, we like God’s loving side, but are less excited about his punishing side. We like that he shows mercy, but do not like to think of sin making us dead to Him. Far more life accepts both sides of “but God” as equally true and important. It embraces His complexity and seeks to understand the goodness of each characteristic and action. Even those that do not appear good at first glance.

I was curious to see what other “but God” statements are in His Word. I was surprised to find around 60 (number varies by translation). They include:

But God remembered
But God replied
But God made no reply
But God listened
But God heard
But God said
But God can tell you
Bud God has not allowed
But God has seen
But God will be with you
But God intended
But God will come to help you
But God was angry
But God delivered
But God will redeem my soul
But God will shoot my enemy
But God will shatter my enemy
But God is the strength of my heart
But God is the judge
But God provided
But God made
Bud God knows your heart
But God prevented
But God came
But God forgives
But God revealed
But God raised him from the dead
But God promised
But God turned away
But God demonstrates His love
But God chose
But God made it grow
But God will destroy
But God composed the church body
But God gives
But God comforts the downcast
But God knows
But God is one
But God had mercy
But God tests our hearts
But God gives you his Holy Spirit
But God is the builder of everything
But God found fault
But God disciplines us

Some of these bring a smile to my face. Others remind me of times when I was hurt or confused. But one psalmist declares:

You are good, and you do what is good… (Psalm 119:68, CSB)

God can see the big picture and knows what will bring us far more life and glorify Him. He is trustworthy. Even in our “but God” moments:

When God replies, it is good. But when God makes no reply, it is also good.
When God comforts, it is good. But when God disciplines, it is also good.
When God made, it was good. But when God destroys, it will also be good.

I can think of so many times when I was headed the wrong way and a “but God” encounter got me back on track. I was distraught over a potential miscarriage, but God — through song lyrics quoting His Word — reminded me that He deserves my praise in all circumstances. I was angry with my husband, but God — through our guiding verses from Philippians — prompted me to choose unity and love over pride. I was uncertain how to handle a hard situation, but God — through the counsel of a wise friend — gave me a righteous and loving response. I was weighed down by worry and fear, but God — when I obediently prayed through my anxieties — filled me with peace that passes understanding.

Whatever roadblocks or challenges you are facing today, a “but God” encounter is available to you. If it is not obvious, ask Him to open your heart to recognize and accept it. He never wants you to remain stuck in fear, worry, sin, impatience, harshness, or other places that rob you of far more life. He will faithfully show you the way to far more life and give you “but God” stories to remember and share.

Sisters,
Is it easy or hard for you to accept that God does not contradict Himself, even though we cannot always reconcile aspects of His character?
Which “but God” statements from the list have you experienced?
How have you seen His goodness through a “but God” moment that looked like a roadblock?
Walk in far more life today as you humbly open yourself to accepting and understanding God for who He is, not just who you want Him to be.
-Shari

Letting Go

In the last post we talked about forgiving others. But there are two more people everyone needs to forgive. These people have probably disappointed and hurt you more often than anyone else. And we hold on to their hurts tightest and longest. Who are they? Ourselves and God.

We are our own worst critics. Despite our outward bravado, we hope others won’t see our sins and failures. We are ashamed. We kick ourselves for not doing better, for not being better. Everyone feels this way. Some people hide the extent of their negative self-talk. Others are clearly drowning in a sea of self-loathing and worthlessness. But this doesn’t have to be! God wants awareness of our sin to lead to spiritual change. For those who don’t have a personal relationship with Him, He offers hope:

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:23-24, NIV)

You are not alone! ALL have sinned. EVERYONE has felt the shame that you feel. But God, in His love, doesn’t want you to be stuck there. He offers forgiveness through the sacrifice of His Son’s life to make restitution for your sin. It’s the largest, most important gift you could ever receive! If you’ve never accepted it but want to, take a moment right now and tell Him.

Once we accept God’s gift and enter a relationship with Him, we have a clean slate before Him. Nothing — not even our own sin — can separate us from God. Since He can see our whole lives and knows every thought, word, and action — past, present and future — nothing will ever surprise Him or change His view of us.

Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died — more than that, who was raised to life — is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us…For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:34, 38-39, NIV)

If God never condemns His children for their sins or draws back from them, why do we condemn ourselves and draw back from Him? Why do we forfeit the far more life He offers? Because we see ourselves from a different perspective than God does. We still see ourselves as we were before Christ changed us while He sees who we are after Christ’s work in us.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV)

Forgiving ourselves requires letting go and letting God. It means we entrust the situation — and any negative consequences — to Him. We trust Him to restore what was lost or taken away that is needed. We trust Him to heal the damaged emotions of everyone who got hurt in the situation. While it is good for us to confess our sin to God and thank Him for His forgiveness, we don’t need to punish ourselves; Jesus has already taken that punishment for us. Forgiving ourselves separates us from our sin and brings far more life.

Are you hesitant to let go and let God? If so, maybe you need to forgive Him. God doesn’t ever sin; He is perfect. So he doesn’t technically need to be forgiven. But there are times we feel hurt, abandoned, disappointed, or misunderstood by Him because we are unable to see His actions and intentions correctly. Our negative emotions cause us to pull away from Him. To question His character, truthfulness, trustworthiness, and His intentions toward us. We are hesitant to believe His promises and obey His commands because Satan’s lies about God resonate louder inside us. We are afraid to get hurt again.

It is important to work through these hurts. Don’t be afraid to reveal your ugliest thoughts and feelings to God — He already knows them!

You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. (Psalm 139:2-4, NIV)

It is hard work to uncover Satan’s lies and embrace the truth about God. But He is big enough to handle our questions and doubts. He compassionately meets us where we are. He patiently walks us through each step of faith. This wonderful promise He made the Israelites when they were far from Him is still true for us:

But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deuteronomy 4:29, NIV)

The same promise is true for us! God isn’t offended when we confess our hurt, anger, and distrust to Him. He doesn’t get angry when we admit He isn’t who we want Him to be and doesn’t do what we want Him to do. When we forgive Him, we let go of the false expectations that caused us pain. That releases us to see and experience Him — and life — the way He intended it. As a result, we see His true character and our desire to mold ourselves to His likeness grows. We discover that letting go brings far more life, life we had not even imagined was possible.

Sisters,
For what to you need to forgive yourself?
For what do you need to forgive God?
Are you willing to let go of these hurts?
Thank God for character His qualities and promises that are most meaningful to you.
Commit to seeking Him this week; as you find Him enjoy far more life!
-Shari