Deut 6:6-9 – Bind God’s words to your life

Ever since I have begun studying God’s word on a daily basis, everything has changed for me with the way I think, feel, my conversations, and my desires.

Studying God’s word is so important and people like Paul and others who wrote letters in the New Testament understood how important it was to bind God’s word to their lives and they lived by it. The fruit of their decision to do this is so obvious in the letters that they wrote and the things that they did.

Often times, people look at the 10 commandments and the law and just see it as a list of rules or restrictions on their life and fail to see what it calls from them…I want to encourage you to do more than just refrain from disobedience but to go above and beyond.

For example:  Obeying the commandment not to commit adultery is great, but we need to look deeper than surface obedience and ask ourselves: “how am I honoring my wife, or husband, or men or women lately?” – “How have I demonstrated faithfulness and love to them?”Instead of just “not being unfaithful”, we need to show how much we love them and demonstrate love and honor to them.

I want to challenge you to take a look at Exodus 20 or Deut 5 and consider how you can go above and beyond the call of obedience, not because you will look good in the eyes of people but because you want to honor God. Which is another thing to consider about yourself. Ask yourself, “Am I doing what I am doing because I want to look good for people or because I want to honor God”

 That was a major difference between -Saul (Israel’s first anointed king who failed time and time again) and

-David (Israel’s second anointed king and the greatest king in Israel’s history)

-Saul had great fear of man and was primarily concerned with how the “people” viewed him and

-David understood fear of God and was primarily concerned with obedience to “God” over people.

Too many times we can see in history how fear of man leads to destruction.

Love people well and go above an beyond what is asked or desired with both actions and words.

Ministry and study in Taiwan is going great! I am studying the book of Kings right now.I have had many deep things in my heart come up lately and God is teaching me how to grow more. It is not easy but I see that it is necessary to face the challenges in my heart.Friendships here are becoming so deep and I am learning how to be more vulnerable which is really uncomfortable but totally necessary..Please pray that I can continue to be vulnerable and rely on God for courage.

I will also be taking the challenge and asking myself the above questions and putting them into action. I am also praying for those of you in Canada and the US and around the world that God will continue to work in your life and that God would help you to see the world the way He see’s it and you would gain a heart for the world like God’s heart.

Like David, a man after God’s own heart.

Love is the Answer-Humility is the key-Jesus is the way

Jacob President