Sept 18

Deuteronomy 6:20-24

20 “In the future your children will ask you, ‘What is the meaning of these laws, decrees, and regulations that the LORD our God has commanded us to obey?’
21 “Then you must tell them, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the LORD brought us out of Egypt with his strong hand.
22 The LORD did miraculous signs and wonders before our eyes, dealing terrifying blows against Egypt and Pharaoh and all his people.
23 He brought us out of Egypt so he could give us this land he had sworn to give our ancestors.
24 And the LORD our God commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear him so he can continue to bless us and preserve our lives, as he has done to this day.

"Let me show you something," Kyle said to his friend Jason as they climbed into the front car on the roller coaster. He gripped the safety bar and pulled it toward his lap, but not all the way. He leaned over to whisper to Jason. "I know how to keep it from locking into position." As the ride jerked into motion, Kyle turned to Jason. "See?" he said, lifting the safety bar. "Are you crazy?" Jason said. "Pretty cool, isn't it?" Kyle said. "I'm serious, Kyle." The train jerked again as it started up the huge hill that would send them plummeting down the other side. Kyle shrugged. "Don't worry, I've done this before." Jason gripped the bar and yanked it downward. Both boys heard it lock in place. "What'd you do that for?" Kyle asked. "Look, they put these bars here for a reason," Jason answered. "Yeah, because they're wimps." "No, because they don't want to peel your face off the ground after you fall!" "We're not going to fall out," Kyle insisted. "Right," Jason said as they reached the crest of the hill. He patted the safety bar, locked in place across his lap, then lifted his arms high into the air over his head. Some people react to God's laws about right and wrong the way Kyle felt about the safety bar on the roller coaster. They think that God's commands (like "Do not lie," "Honor your father and your mother," and "Flee sexual immorality") are intended to cramp their style and spoil their fun. They think that rules are meant to be broken and that people who break the most rules have the most fun. But God's commands-like the safety bar on a roller coaster-are given to us for good reasons. They're not intended to spoil anyone's fun; they're intended for our own good, for our safety and protection. The people who break those rules may sometimes look like they're having the most fun, but looks can be deceiving. Obeying God's commands doesn't just keep you safe while you're riding; it can also make the ride more fun.

REFLECT: How are God's commands like a safety bar on a roller coaster? How are they different? Do you think a safety bar does any good if it's not used? Do you think God's commands do you any good if you ignore them?

PRAY: "Thank you, Lord, for all your commands. Thank you for protecting me with your commands. Help me to obey your commands, especially when..."

holy...riding a roller coaster without the safety bar securely locked? bye bye you...
the first thing that popped into my head when i read the first verse is Psalm 119 because the first verse talked about the laws and decrees that God has given us. God's commands are for our own good and ignoring them can be worse than a roller coaster without a safety bar...Psalm 119 gives us a whole bunch of laws and decrees that we are commanded to follow, like love your neighbour, hate your enemies, love the Lord, etc. fulfilling these decrees and laws will allow us to safely walk our Christian walk with God alike the example given in today's devotion.
bye!

Can't do it.
Too angry right now.
Met a very frustrating woman at school today.
And I felt very aggravated that I was not able to use volatile measures at the time.

Sorry.
Kinda fumed.
I'll get back to it.
If there's any advice, I'll take it.
Any advice that does not require focus.

eerrm I'm not that great at giving advice but when I'm mad, I usually go to my room and stare at a wall and listen to Another one bites the dust on repeat. Don't judge me, it kind of helps okay?

God doesn't want to spoil our fun. Why would he give us life, if he wanted us to live a boring, and bland lifestyle? Like it is said in the story, rules are "intended for our own good, for our safety and protection."
God allows us to do anything we want but there are a few exceptions! Just like how God told Adam and Eve that they could eat any fruit from any tree in Eden, EXCEPT for the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good or evil.
If we don't follow them, then just like Adam and Eve we will be kicked out of his kingdom. Or to be more specific, once we die, we will not be allowed into heaven!
See you guys Saturday!

After reading the short story i understood what is was saying. In our society, what would happen if there were no rules? if everyone stole and killed people for fun? the law is just a wall that blocks your fun? well if there were no laws this world would be a battlefield all the time. Just like how God has given us the commandments to keep the world in order we should follow them. Of course it is blocking some sort of fun but is it really worth it? is it worth sinning to get short term pleasure? Is it worth stealing something and than regretting it later? i dont think so. There are always rules in the world to keep us safe and to keep the world in order. With no rules there are no boundaries and people can do WHATEVER they want and this would go against all rights and wrongs. there would be no right or wrong.

20 “In the future your children will ask you, ‘What is the meaning of these laws, decrees, and regulations that the LORD our God has commanded us to obey?
God knew that in the future the world would be full of chaos so he prepared and made these laws. If God had not given us these commandments, what would have been sin? there would have been no guide to what to do and what not to do. No good or bad and just doing something.

So all in all follow the rules, dont break them, it doesnt mean your cool but means that your breaking the rules lol

Gnite

Metal always works for me Jake.
Anyways, reflecting on about the passage, this strikes me like a punch in the stomach.
As it says that the Jews were slaved, does God already pre-plan everything that is to come?
So, did He slave the Jews for a particular reason that we could not possibly comprehend or was it because of the Pharaoh?
Obviously He freed them from Egypt, but was it really planned since the beginning?
Just like he dies for everyone on the cross, from beginning to end, it's still very confusing.
Based on the free-will that he gives us, is everything truly set, for a certain purpose?
Or does he set everything based on our actions and our attitudes, especially when Jesus told Peter that he was going to deny Him three times.

Like a safety bar on a roller coaster, God sets these commandments and laws for US and for our own good.
My own father keeps reminding me to study, not just to bore me to death, but really and truly for my own good.
My parents DID come to Canada for my brother and I, but sometimes I need to be reminded why my dad works his tail off for the whole family.
Just like God has set rules, he only did it for us.

Really sorry guys! I cant think right now....have a french test and a bunch of homework (Our french teacher gives us a bundle of work each day....) and I have to leave home really early so i'm going to have to post todays and tomorows devo tomoro....

Sarah Oh wrote:I usually go to my room and stare at a wall

Thanks but no thanks.
but LOL
that made my day.
so in celebration.
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So, in reference to the whole sudden switch before the fall, I really think that's a practice that we should begin to learn how to avoid. With the way we're living in this world, it's kinda hard to expect when to die. If we keep on putting things off and say "I'll do it next time", nothing will get done. We should always be looking towards doing something more everyday. With such an unsteady life, where there's so many changes we could go through, we should always see that we're doing more for God than yesterdays.

Yeah. That's about it.

Interesting illustration.

I don't really have much to say on this topic.
um...
Well we sin because it feels good. Not to say God's love doesn't feel good as well, but in terms of that instant gratification stuff that pastor k talked about, in this very moment, sinning will please us more than loving God. God said that the wages of sin is death, but to save us from that fate he sent his only son to sacrifice himself. Now we have to be living sacrifices and live the way he did and delay that gratification, because we are living in a marshmellow world, while the factory in heaven. So don't do anything worth regretting because the reward for resisting temptation is far greater than giving into it.

DUN DUN DUNNN, ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST

jaake kwon wrote:If there's any advice, I'll take it.
Any advice that does not require focus.

Find the QWOP gif. Watch the QWOP gif. Enjoy the QWOP gif.

Guys... organic chemistry is actually so much fun. One day you will understand... or not. ANYWAY!

God, I think, laid out these rules for us so we can try to repay him for his patience and endless love, but also to allow us to live up to our true potential as sons and daughters of Christ. To truly become like him.
Without these rules, imagine where we'd be in life...
We wouldn't have good and bad, right and wrong.

But my point is, try to follow the guidelines we were given because they're there to benefit us and God.

It's really hard to follow rules without knowing the reason for the rule. It's in our nature to question and doubt. Just like how Adam and eve did. Sometimes it's frustrating why god won't give you an answer to this comands. You just gotta listen and do it! And that's a difficult thing to follow. Why are we given these tasks then? Well, like the safety bar example, it's for our own good. God knows what you need. We may desire other things but we just have to trust God in his choices and know in our hearts that he always has the right answer.

~Audrey~

24 And the LORD our God commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear him so he can continue to bless us and preserve our lives, as he has done to this day.

God saved us in many different way... The least we could do is follow him. Obeying his decrees and commands gives us protection and the safety from God. If broken, i dont know what to tell you... but im sure nothing good will be brought upon you. And if broken, we should repent for God will punish us.

I guess that God is like a safety bar on a roller coaster because He is there always watching us and if needed, will come. The coaster itself, is our life journey and as we move on and on, as there are struggles ( steep drops ) God will be there to stop us from falling.