My quote for the day is not God bless America, but:
America bless God.

Better still, those who claim His name bless HIM.

I am thinking back on how many times the Lord has spoken to His people and said, “serve me with all your heart and all you soul” If we His people would just do that, then all of the wonderful promises in the Bible would be there.

In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses speaks to the people of God’s declarations.

v. 12“When you have finished paying all the tithe of your increase in the third year, the year of tithing, then you shall give it to the Levite, to the stranger, to the orphan and to the widow that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied. “

v.13 “You shall say before the Lord your God, I have removed the sacred portion from my house, and also have given it to the Levite and the alien, the orphan and the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me; I have not transgressed or forgotten any of Your commandments.”

v. 14 “I have not eaten of it while mourning, nor have I removed any of it while I was unclean, nor offered any of it to the dead. I have listened to the voice of the Lord my God; I have done according to all that You have commanded me.”

v.15 “Look down from Your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel, and the ground which you have given us, a land flowing with milk and honey, as You swore to our fathers.’

v. 16 “This day the Lord your God commands you to do these statutes and ordinances. You shall therefore be careful to do them with all your heart and with all your soul.”

v. 17 “You have today declared the Lord to be your God, and that you would walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments and His ordinances, and listen to His voice.”

v 18 “The Lord has today declared you to be His people, a treasured possession, as He promised you, and that you should keep all His commandments; and that He shall set you high above all nations which He has made, for praise, fame, and honor; and that you shall be a consecrated people to the Lord your God, and He has spoken.”

v 19 and that you should keep all His commandments; and that He will set you high above all nations which He has made, for praise, fame, and honor; and that you shall be a consecrated people to the Lord your God, as He has spoken.”

This is a lot to read from Moses, but he declares two things: God has given the nation of Israel a high honor and position above all other nations and He commands their obedience. However, read verse 16 again. The warning was that this should be done “with all your heart and with all your soul.” I thought about some questions that some of you have asked me:

• Are the Jews the only people God chose?
• Why do Jews not recognize Jesus as the Son of God?
• Am I supposed to follow the ten commandments and statutes laid out in the Old Testaments?

Paul made the point that God has allowed the Gentile (non-Jew) to be expanded into the family of God because the Jews did not put their “heart and soul” into their obedience and worship of God. They might have had a “zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge.”

“For not knowing about God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.” Romans 10:2-4

They were missing the “heart and soul” of the Lord and His goodness and His lovingkindness and His mercy and His grace.

You might be asking the question how does this apply to me; I am not a Jew? God’s word says we are Gentiles (non-Jew) grafted in as children of God through the blood of the Son of God. This gives you and I who believe in Him the right to be called the “children of God,” and the right to the inheritance of God.

“For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, GOD DID; sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh.” Romans 8:3

In Matthew 5:17 Jesus is teaching his disciples with a multitude of others listening to His words about God and His own purpose for being on earth.

“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets, I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.”

He did what we cannot do: He lived the perfect life and became the perfect sacrifice which was required by God for our entrance into the Kingdom. Even the Jew will one day be compelled to recognize that Jesus was, is, and will always be the Son of God.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever.” Hebrews 13:8

Until this chaos came into our lives worldwide, we were so busy, and our agendas were so full, we had no time to serve Him. This worldwide pandemic has now given us time to sit and reflect, to pray, to study God’s Word, to think about what will be the “normal” in the coming days. I trust that you will find a way to:

Bless God with all you heart and all your soul!