【Bible Study】Deuteronomy 06: Living for the Lord our God Only
Bible Study: Deuteronomy
- 【Bible Study】Deuteronomy 01: Those Who Cannot Enter the Promised Land
- 【Bible Study】Deuteronomy 02: A Nation's Rise and Fall Are Under the Control of God
- 【Bible Study】Deuteronomy 04: God Himself Will Fight For You!
- 【Bible Study】Deuteronomy 05 Part 1: The Basic Principles for Living And Prospering And Prolonging Your Days
- 【Bible Study】Deuteronomy 05 Part 2: The Principles of Living and Prospering and Prolonging Your Days in the Land That You will Process
- 【Bible Study】Deuteronomy 05 Part 3: The Principles of Living and Prospering and Prolonging Your Days in the Land That You will Process
- 【Bible Study】Deuteronomy 06: Living for the Lord our God Only
- 【Bible Study】Deuteronomy 07: Destroying Your Enemies Totally Without Compromise
- 【Bible Study】Deuteronomy 08: We Live on Every Word That Comes From the Mouth of God!
Introduction
At the early stage of building the church, I realise that the standard of the church has to be raised! Initially, we had the Bible study once a week and we knew it was not enough to study the word of God. However, I was very concerned to burden the members with more Bible study sessions as it might have a detrimental impact on their study or work. I soon realised that not only did it not affect their life, but also made their life more prosperous! I gradually put my concerns aside. After pondering this, I found out that our Lord has a very simple request from us: Meditating on His word day and night!
Meditating on the Word of God Day and Night
It is written in the book of Psalm that
but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. (Psalm 1:2)
Before entering the land of Canaan, not long after Moses wrote the book of Deuteronomy, he said that
Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. (Joshua 1:8)
Does it affect your job? Your study? I changed my attitude as I no longer say anything like that! Today, I can be candid about one thing, are you the one who meditates on the word of God Day and night? If you do, then you will experience what Joshua experienced! What did Joshua experience? If you meditate on the Book of the Law day and night like Joshua and do everything written in it, you will be prosperous and successful! This is an amazing statement!
Do we want to be the one who is prosperous and successful in life? What would happen if you were prosperous and successful? Humans have one thing in common, we want to protect ourselves with something but fail to do so! As a result, many people have paid a hefty price for it or even been imprisoned! The reason why they are in prison is because of the anti-corruption movement!
People neither know it's God who protects us nor knows God gives us prosperity and success! So, dear brothers and sisters, be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid! Do not be discouraged! For the Lord, our God will be with us wherever we go! Because we meditate on the word of God day and night!
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9)
Our God wants every one of us to be like Joshua! There is a strong desire inside me that urges me to tell all of you to be like Joshua! We are eager to meditate on His word day and night! All we delight in is the Law of the Lord and we will be prosperous and successful!
I heard a joke which I believe will make you wonder and I am going to share it with you all! A child told his mum, " Mum, I am hungry!" His mum replied, " You had enough food last year that keeps you going." What strange logic but it makes you wonder! This simply tells us that we will be hungry today even though we had the food yesterday. Likewise, we need to eat spiritual food every day just like our daily food, prayer is the breath of life. Our matter of life is the Law of the Lord! Connection to the Lord is the air of our life!
Don't ever ask the question of how I can live if I do what you just said. How can I work? How can I go to university? Thinking this will impede your life! I have been through the journey, whether you can do the same all comes down to you!
The Soul Gets Along Well, All Goes Well!
Dear brothers and sisters, after many years of practice, it tells me one thing: Our Lord created everything in the universe, and He is mighty! If He blesses you and keeps you, nothing will happen to you! I always think how amazing it's to have the Lord in our life! I cannot live without the Lord as I wouldn't know how to live. How could you live without Him? I read the word of God just like daily bread! Therefore, I want every brother and sister to carefully check this out. It's the spirit that makes you well! If your soul gets along well, you will enjoy good health and all will go well!
Today, I ministered to a couple who were a senior manager and director of a tumour specialist hospital respectively. They were both intelligent and performed many cancer operations. However, they both got some strange illness, the wife could not sleep at all, and the husband felt weak all the time. If a doctor needs God, then every single one of us needs God!
Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. (Deuteronomy 11:19)
This was said by Moses! It means no matter where you go, may the word of the Lord be your life! This is achieved through passion.
Without passion, it's going to be difficult to achieve this. I have loved learning since I was a child, some people like mahjong, and some people like chit-chat, especially people from the northeast of China when the temperature outside was way below freezing point. I usually stayed in to do my homework. How could I do that? Because I loved to study! Nothing could stop me from studying. If you hate it, then any chance you get, you would drift away, but getting any chance to watch TV. It would be amazing if you could train a child to love studying, to love working!
My logic is very simple, enjoy whatever you do! If not, you will live in an ordeal! Likewise, it must be torture when you are a Christian and you don't love God! Today, I want to encourage all of you to love the Lord our God! Be a sound Christian, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength! If you don't, you will not be able to continue this journey! Can you imagine that you hate to study but you have to study, you hate working but you have to work? What a stressful life!
Therefore, Moses said,
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. (Deuteronomy 6:4-7)
Loving Him with your heart, not your mind! The heart is where our soul resides! The spirit gives life! The flesh dies as soon as the spirit leaves the body. Therefore, we must know that we need to keep the word of God in our hearts, where our soul resides. Do you know why our soul needs the word of God? Our souls won't go hungry when we have the word of God in us. Our body consists of spirit, soul, and flesh.
Your spirit will be satisfied because you live off the word of God! Your soul will not hunger because you replenish it with spiritual nutrition. Your flesh will not hunger when you eat! Our soul needs to be satisfied with the word of God! Plenty of people's minds are governed by the flesh, not the Spirit! If your spirit gets weak, you will not live a prosperous life! If your spirit gets stronger, your health will get better! To live a better life, we must be satisfied by spiritual food! People nowadays are governed by their flesh, not by their spirits. Therefore, your spirit will be weak and your health will suffer.
One's mind governed by the flesh doesn't love God, only the ones who are governed by the Spirit love God! You either let your mind be governed by the Spirit and you love God or by the flesh and be hostile to God! A spiritual being must have read the word of God and lived a prosperous life! So, brothers and sisters, we must know that the flesh and the spiritual conflict with each other, you either walk by the spirit or the flesh!
The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit will lack nothing! There is nothing more appropriate for us to say than the flesh and the spiritual conflict with each other. If you let your mind be governed by the flesh, then you will live for the flesh! You will need doctors and no end of hospital visits in your life. Since it's flesh, it will die. It doesn't matter how old you will live to be, it makes no difference.
The Spirit gives life! Do you get that? It means we either live in a spiritual realm or a realm that is governed by the flesh. There will be conflict! Just like Esau and Jacob, they were the grandsons of Abraham, the sons of Isaac, one of whom was governed by the flesh, the other was by the Spirit. They disagreed! This also tells us that the mind governed by the Spirit will be prosecuted by the mind governed by the flesh. How could the mind governed by the flesh love God? As it's written that
The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. (Romans 8:7)
I must tell you to love our God! It's very easy to achieve it! Just being a spiritual being and you will automatically love God and you will live a prosperous life! If you are someone whose mind is governed by the flesh, then all you do is busy with your life! Just eat, work, and sleep! The funny thing is they won't live well because it requires so much to satisfy their needs, such as doctors, money, and many more!
What does a spiritual being need? Nothing but the word of God! A spiritual being always receives benefits from God! You may wonder how you could run your life when you need to meditate on the word of God day and night. What about your job? Moses gave us his wisdom on this:
houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, (Deuteronomy 6:11)
We must understand how spiritual principles work. Loving Him and Relying on Him, He will drive out our enemies! The spiritual principle is when God is fighting for us, whatever we have received does not come from us! It comes from our Lord for us! If everything comes from the Lord, are you still wondering how to run your life?
God Makes Our Name Great!
Many people are worried about their careers for being Christians. I can firmly tell you that this is not the case. Those who have trusted God never fail at what they do, they have all excelled in their job! Josep was the ruler of the entire Egypt; Daniel had an unsurpassed career where he served in the kingdom of Babylon and Persia, and served several kings. Have you ever wondered how Daniel managed to survive in such a difficult political environment where infighting was common? Later on, Mordecai fought against Haman to save the Jew, and Haman was impaled on a pole. Mordecai became second in rank to King Xerxes.
All of these are to tell us that we must pay attention to what it says in the Bible. Do you believe when you have seen those who were blessed by God? Do you think the king of Babylon believed in God? Not at all! Do you think the king of Persia believed in God? Not really! The Pharaoh did not believe in God either! However, those who believed in God could hold very important posts in those countries serving those kings! Therefore, we don't need to worry about anything!
Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:7-9)
Dear brothers and sisters, we must know what we are doing. We are serving the Lord! We are going to be a blessing to many nations! We will not cause any trouble, instead, we will be a positive power for society! If we aim to do what we set out to do, we will be rewarded in abundance!
Fear the Lord, Meditating on His words Day and Night
One sister said that Christians were full of great stories! This is because we meditate on the word of God day and night! We will experience many miraculous moments as a result! We had one sister, who lived a miserable life, who came to see us last year. She had over ten years of experience as a lawyer, with graduate pay. How could she have a good life? She was under tremendous pressure! Now, her life has been turned upside down! She got promoted at a pace that was never seen before! But never forget that it's our God who makes things happen!
A little while ago, she told me that her law firm had made her a business partner! But she did not know how to deal with her relationship with one of her colleagues who gave her a hard time at work. I told her not to worry about anything! God gave her the promotion, he would also help her desk with the relationship with her colleague. She believed in what I told her and started to trust the Lord and fear Him!
Do you know why people read the word of God daily, or monthly? If you don't know why then I can tell you that it is because we have very short memories. Once, I was paying for a girl who got stiff shoulders. Her shoulders healed. Three days later, she said to me that she had never experienced a miracle! How forgetful due was! How could she forget what happened three days ago when her shoulders were healed? We cannot be someone who forgets what God has done for us.
In the future, when your son asks you, “What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the LORD our God has commanded you?” tell him: “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Before our eyes the LORD sent signs and wonders—great and terrible—on Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land he promised on oath to our ancestors. (Deuteronomy 6:20-23)
After we have seen the miracles, we need to spread the word. Whatever our brothers and sisters do, they always prosper! Because we get it from God!
houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, (Deuteronomy 6:11)
You must not forget the Lord our God who brought us out of Egypt! And today, I must tell you to not forget about our Lord! It's very dangerous when you often forget about Him! And You will not see His might work on you anymore! All you will receive is bad things. You cannot get away with it! You either get good things or bad things, no middle ground! As Moses said,
for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land. (Deuteronomy 6:15)
Don't ask me why our God is like this. This is our God! Just like you come into contact with the high-voltage cable and you will certainly die!
Fear the Lord Your God, Serve Him Only!
We must fear the Lord our God, and serve Him only! Do not follow other Gods! This has a much deeper meaning! Why do people follow other Gods so easily? Simply because we have seemingly logical "secular logic". Obeying the word of God does not sound very logical! Many people ask how they will love when they need to meditate on the word of God day and night. It's more interesting to play mahjong instead! God's word is dull compared to mahjong. After a few rounds, you will not remember who our God is. You may want to travel because it's much more interesting! This is human nature! Once they have a comfortable life, they will not cry out to the Lord!
Do you know that both South Korea and Singapore had a strong revival thirty years ago, and God blessed the countries immensely? However, it's a completely different picture now. They may not agree with me on this. Do they want to read the word of God every day? No is the answer! They don't have the time! But if you talk about how to make money, to go on holidays, somewhere to enjoy their life, they will definitely have time! And a plenty of time!
This is the reality! After seeing and experiencing the signs and wonders, you must not forget the Lord our God who brought us out of Egypt! God is a jealous God, His anger will burn against you and destroy you from the face of the land! The same as what happened to South Korea, the USA, and Europe. The churches in Europe are so desolate and have to close their doors. Then similar things happen in the USA. We'd rather spend time on anything but not on our God!
Let me tell you, our church runs every day! We pray every day and we study the word of God every day! I believe this is incomparable for other churches! I knew a brother from Australia who was studying for a Ph.D. He said he went to a famous church, a church that has composed many hymns. They had Bible study every fortnight! Why can't they eat every fortnight? Because they will be starving! We can only get fed well when we have plenty of spiritual supply!
Do you know what it means by "not to follow other Gods"? I have mulled over this for a long time and finally, I got it! I'm very grateful for the revelation that God has given me. What we live for, will be our God! Because we will live for it! If we live to eat, then the food will be our God! If we live for our God, love the Lord with all our heart and all our soul and all our strength! Because He is our God! What do we live for? We need to check ourselves out!
Living for the Lord Our God
I can tell you I live for our God, I serve Him with my heart and all my soul, and all my strength without a word of complaining. I love the lord our God because he brought me out of the land of slavery. I will never forget what our God has done for me! He is a faithful God! I often minister until midnight. No matter how late the call comes in, I always answer. I will never refuse to answer a call because I need to sleep. Because I live for God, and I serve the people of the generation. I will never retreat!
Therefore, I build many teams, from the group leaders to team leaders all follow in my footsteps. Do you think I only started this recently? No! I started when I was working, way before I became a pastor. This isn't because I have nothing to do, I also work hard.
We must understand one thing, our destiny is to serve our God! That's what I have chosen to live for! If serving the Lord is my destiny, then I will live for Him, and die for Him! I will speak the word of God whenever I can!
Some of my friends blocked me because I became a Christian. However, one thing they have missed is they don't have the same things that I have got from God. Dear brothers and sisters, ask yourself this question: What do you live for? If your life is centred around your parents and living for them, what would you do after they have gone? You will lose the will to live! Because you have lost the purpose of life. Therefore, nothing should become our goal in our life, it will become our God otherwise! If you live for the money, then the money is your God! Don't ever forget that if you live for anything other than our God, you will be in big trouble! Because He is a jealous God! His anger will burn against you and destroy you from the face of the land!
Don't forget about His Kindness
You may wonder why I say this! It's written in the Bible, I can't change the word! I'm very proud of myself for not having many hobbies. My only hobby is serving the Lord! So you see those who trust Him all have a prosperous life! I'm not interested in mahjong even though I can play it. It's a boring game for me! I don't like golf, not so interesting either! I can't imagine the fun of being in the heat, wearing a cap, a polo shirt, and golf shoes, carrying the bag walking around the golf course. What kind of fun is that? I only talk about this on my behalf!
When we eat and are satisfied, we must not forget that our God brought us out of Egypt, the land of slavery. This has had a far-reaching impact on me. Do you know why? I have great gratitude to our God because He saved me when I was in a mess. I am still grateful today and I often say to our Lord, " I will devote all my life to Him!" Have I lost out on anything? No! I have gained more than I could ever imagine!
The LORD commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the LORD our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. (Deuteronomy 6:24)
This is an amazing promise from our God! Do you want to read the word of God and obey them? You cannot be a Christian who only reads the word of God on Christmas day, we have to do it daily! When we eat and are satisfied, we want to go on holiday, we want to do many things that have nothing to do with the Kingdom of God! We put our God at the bottom of the pile! No! We cannot do this to our God! You cannot put the Lord our God to the test! What does that mean? Let me put this into a simple analogy. What would happen if you just lightly touched the high-voltage cable? Maybe nothing will happen. What if I just disobey the word of God lightly? I'm sure nothing would happen. Because Our God is Father Christmas! He is kind enough! However, it will be irresponsible for me to not tell you the truth. Our God is the high-voltage cable and you will certainly crash and burn if you disobey Him! Just like standing on a high building, you will die if you jump off it. Therefore, do not put the Lord our God to the test!
In the previous chapter, we talked about not breaking the Ten Commandments, so we can live long and prosper on this land! At the beginning of this chapter, it says,
These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. (Deuteronomy 6:1-2)
Summary
The saddest thing in this world is we don't know the purpose of our life. Living for God is called Ming-Ding, and also called Destiny! We talk about Ming-Ding all the time. Because we know that's the key to life. If you live for money, your life will be devoured by it! If you live for anything besides our God, it will cost you your life. That's why I keep telling you all to live for our God!
I feel like I have reiterated the same thing over and over again. However, when you read what Moses said, it's exactly the same! He repeated the same thing over and over again. I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that you need to choose between blessing or curse, life or death. You need to obey the word of God! Fear Him! Live for Him only, we will be prosperous!
Amen!
Tags Meditating on His word day and night prosperous and successful be strong and courageous fear Him live for Him only the Law of the Lord enjoy good health Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength mind governed by the flesh the mind governed by the Spirit the flesh and the spiritual conflict with each other the word of God the Spirit gives life mind governed by the flesh is death the mind governed by the Spirit will lack nothing do not follow other god a jealous God Ming-Ding Destiny obey the word of God put our God to the test God makes our name great