We are reminded to live generously in response to God’s faithfulness as we live obediently. Every verse of Deuteronomy 26 is grounded in the remembrance of God’s faithfulness. The Israelites are reminded of how God brought them out of bondage into the promised land and how they owe their lives to him. In response, they are to tithe generously, obey the commandments, walk in His ways, and keep His statutes. As believers in the new covenant, our tithing and other giving bring honour to God.
In Acts 20:1-16, Paul was a wanted man the people sought to kill, but he seemed unbothered as he continued looking for avenues to preach the gospel. We see Paul’s commitment to establishing and strengthening the local church. A deep sense of responsibility stemmed from realising how much had been given to him. Paul, who was once persecuting believers, now sought to encourage and build up every local church he could attend.
On a particular occasion, as he held a long bible study, Eutychus was tired, fell asleep and fell from the third floor to his death. Paul, by the power of the Holy Spirit, raised him from the dead. Despite this incident, Paul continued his teaching till daybreak. This shows the priority of the teaching of God’s word.
Prayer: Help me, Lord, to prioritise your word above all else
Today’s reading
Deuteronomy 26-27
“And it shall be, when you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you possess it and dwell in it,
that you shall take some of the first of all the produce of the ground, which you shall bring from your land that the Lord your God is giving you, and put it in a basket and go to the place where the Lord your God chooses to make His name abide.
And you shall go to the one who is priest in those days, and say to him, ‘I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come to the country which the Lord swore to our fathers to give us.’
Acts 20:1-16
After the uproar had ceased, Paul called the disciples to himself, embraced them, and departed to go to Macedonia.
Now when he had gone over that region and encouraged them with many words, he came to Greece
and stayed three months. And when the Jews plotted against him as he was about to sail to Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia.