What Does God Require of Me?
Ps Thian Chye shares how God uses Deuteronomy 10:12–13 to counsel him through difficult situations and decisions.
Recently, I was reflecting on my Christian life and recalled some of the difficult situations and circumstances that God has allowed to happen in my life. There were many situations to navigate and I was confronted to make critical and necessary decisions. It was one of the deepest valleys of my life. I felt helpless and desperate. Where do I find the answers to all my struggles? What shall I do, what decisions do I need to make? What is right in God's sight? How should I weigh my options? How is it possible for me to seek God's will in those tough times? If I know His will, am I willing to listen and obey without a doubt?
Let me share how God worked in those difficult situations, for my good and necessary for my sanctification. I was reading Deuteronomy 10:12–13 during one of my devotional time with the Lord. It says,
And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good?
What I was expecting to hear was God helping me in my situations with steps 1, 2 and 3, say yes to option (a) and followed by this and that. But no, instead, God directed my heart to where I need to be restored through His Word. At that moment when I read these two verses from the Book of Deuteronomy, I was convicted of my sins. All along, I was trying to live my Christian life in the world and according to the world, amidst the pressures and distractions of this world. Though I was in need of many things, what was only required of me was to seek God for He desires and gives only the best for me. God in His grace has reached out to me.
Let me share some of those wonderful counsel of the Lord:
To Fear: We ought to fear God not in punishment but in His love and mercy, for who He is. This fear is out of reverence and awe of Him who is our Creator, Giver of life and all that we have. This fear should lead us to worship Him.
To Walk: In life, we will be confronted with many options and decisions to make. We need to pause and consider, which way leads to life, which way leads to destruction. We need to walk in all His ways, not some but all His ways.
To Love: As Christians we do love the Lord but the question is do we really love Him more than anything else in this world including our family, jobs, relationships, comfort, financial security and even ministries?
This love should lead me towards wanting to serve Him with whatever resources (time, money and energy) that He has given me. At that time, I had very little of these resources, almost bare minimum but I was challenged and convicted to give that little that I have to serve God and trusting that this is the will of God, for this is what He has said in His Word.
Finally, I learned to keep God’s commandments and instructions through His Word so that in following Christ, I may keep my way pure. Psalm 119: 9–11 says, ”How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”
I thank the Lord that despite the trials of life, He opened my ears to hear His perfect counsel, opened my heart to receive His Word and give me the desire to follow Him. It is contrary to what the world is trying to mould us into, but there is joy and peace in fearing the Lord, walking in all His ways, to love Him above all things that you have, to serve Him with our all whether in need or want and to keep and obey His Word all the days of our life!