Staying on Track with God

Hey, welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. The reading for today, titled Staying on Track with God, was written by Marvin Williams. Years ago, a train carrying 218 people derailed in northwestern Spain, killing 79 people and hospitalizing 66 more. The driver couldn't explain the accident, but the video footage could and did. The train was going far too fast before it hit a deadly curve. The allowable speed limit had been created to protect everyone on board the train.

Despite being a 30-year veteran of Spain's national rail company, however, the driver had for whatever reason ignored the speed boundary and many people lost their lives. In Deuteronomy 5, Moses reviewed God's original covenant boundaries for his people. Moses encouraged a new generation to regard God's instruction as their own covenant with him, and then he restated the Ten Commandments. By repeating the commandments and drawing lessons from the previous generation's disobedience, Moses invited the Israelites to be reverent, humble, and mindful of God's faithfulness. God had made a way for his people so they wouldn't wreck their lives or the lives of others.

If they ignored his wisdom, they would do so at their own peril. Today, as God leads us, let's make all of scripture our delight, counselor, and the guardrail for our lives. And as the Spirit guides us, we can keep on track within his wise protection and devote our lives wholeheartedly to him. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Deuteronomy 5, verses 1-11. Moses summoned all Israel, and said, Hear Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today.

Learn them, and be sure to follow them. The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. It was not with our ancestors that the Lord made this covenant, but with us, with all of us who are alive here today. The Lord spoke to you face to face out of the fire on the mountain. At that time I stood between the Lord and you to declare to you the word of the Lord, because you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain. And he said, I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. Now let's pray. Dear God, even as adults, we are often like children who try to push and at times step right over the boundaries that you have laid out for our safety and our benefit. Help us to live with humility and show our love for you through our obedience to you. Thank you, Lord. It's in Jesus' name that we pray. Amen. We are so glad that you've listened today. My name is Wes Ward and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.