And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord ’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?
Sugar coated stories about God's goodness are no real testimony. The story of God's people in the Old Testament, as in the new, is a testimony to the ups and downs of discipleship. Periods of Blessings. Of testing. Of laughter and of tears. Of suffering and the waiting for final vindication and victory.
This is the story of Israel. It is the story of Jesus. It is meant to be our story too.
The central place of Deuteronomy 10.12, in commissioning God's people, calls them to fear Him. Walk in His ways. Love Him. Serve Him. Our testimonies should speak of this rite of passage being outworked in our lives.
There is nothing more wholesome than the honest celebration of God's faithfulness and mercy outworked in the lives of sinners, like you and me, who stumble along in the glorious path laid out by our Lord Jesus, thanking God for His enduring love.
