October 1, 2021 8:00 pm
The teenage years are sometimes among the most agonizing seasons in life—for both parent and child. In my adolescent quest to “individuate” from my mother, I openly rejected her values and rebelled against her rules, suspicious their purposes were merely to make me miserable. Though we’ve since come to agree on those matters, that time in our relationship was riddled with tension. Mom undoubtedly lamented my refusal to heed the wisdom of her instructions, knowing they would spare me unnecessary emotional and physical pain.
God had the same heart for His children, Israel. God imparted His wisdom for living in what we know as the Ten Commandments (Deuteronomy 5:7–21). Though they could be viewed as a list of rules, God’s intention is evident in His words to Moses: “so that it might go well with them and their children forever!” (v. 29). Moses recognized God’s desire, saying that obedience to the decrees would result in their enjoyment of His ongoing presence with them in the Promised Land (v. 33).
We all go through a season of “adolescence” with God, not trusting that His guidelines for living are truly meant for our good. May we grow into the realization that He wants what’s best for us and learn to heed the wisdom He offers. His guidance is meant to lead us into spiritual maturity as we become more like Christ (Psalm 119:97–104; Ephesians 4:15; 2 Peter 3:18).
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Welcome to this Saturday edition of Our Daily Bread. I'm Kirsten Holmberg, and I titled today's reading Adolescent Faith. The teenage years are sometimes among the most agonizing seasons in life for both parent and child. In my adolescent quest to individuate from my mother, I openly rejected her values and rebelled against her rules, suspicious that her purposes were merely to make me miserable. Though we've since come to agree on those matters, that time in our relationship was riddled with tension.
Mom undoubtedly lamented my refusal to heed the wisdom of her instructions, knowing they would spare me unnecessary emotional and physical pain. God had the same heart for his children, Israel. God imparted his wisdom for living in what we know as the Ten Commandments. Though they could be viewed as a list of rules, God's intention is evident in his words to Moses in Deuteronomy chapter 5, so that it might go well with them and their children forever.
Moses recognized God's desire, saying that obedience to the decrees would result in their enjoyment of his ongoing presence with them in the Promised Land. We all go through a season of adolescence with God, not trusting that his guidelines for living are truly meant for our good. May we grow into the realization that he wants what's best for us and learn to heed the wisdom he offers. His guidance is meant to lead us into spiritual maturity as we become more like Jesus. Join me as I read today's scripture reading.
It's from the book of Deuteronomy chapter 5 verses 28 through 33. Go, tell them to return to their tents, but you stay here with me so that I may give you all the commands, decrees, and laws you are to teach them to follow in the land I am giving them to possess. So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you.
Do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess. Let's pray. Loving God, help us to trust that you know what's best for us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.
Whisper: medium.en / 2023-08-15 08:03:14 / 2023-08-15 08:04:37 / 1
