Month: November 2024

For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. . . But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it. Deuteronomy 30:11-14 Once we’ve rewarded ourselves repeatedly with any pleasurable behavior, we…
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Return to the LORD your God, you and your children, and obey his voice in all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul, then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have mercy on you . . . Deuteronomy 30:2-3 I’ve never liked the feeling of…
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And the LORD will bring you back in ships to Egypt, a journey that I promised that you should never make again; and there you shall offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but there will be no buyer.  Deuteronomy 28:68 Nearly 30 years ago, when in medical school, I…
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In the morning you shall say, “If only it were evening!” and at evening you shall say, “If only it were morning!” because of the dread that your heart shall feel, and the sights that your eyes shall see. Deuteronomy 28:67 Every morning, upon waking, I make my coffee and, weather permitting, I go outside…
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The LORD will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken me. Deuteronomy 28:20 Have you ever held a secret that you were desperate to keep hidden? Maybe it was…
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“And behold, now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, which you, O LORD, have given me.” And you shall set it down before the LORD your God and worship before the LORD your God. Deuteronomy 26:10 My wife and I recently watched one of those action movies in which the hero…
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When men fight with one another and the wife of the one draws near to rescue her husband from the hand of him who is beating him and puts out her hand and seizes him by the private parts, then you shall cut off her hand. Deuteronomy 25:11-12 I grew up understanding that those who…
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When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not strip it afterward. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow. Deuteronomy 24:21 When in treatment, I met one of those guys who stands on the street corner with the sign – No Money. No Food. Homeless vet. Please help. God…
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Fathers shall not be put to death because of their children, nor shall children be put to death because of their fathers. Each one shall be put to death for his own sin. Deuteronomy 24:16 As I often say, we drink or use drugs for a reason. All of us who’ve struggled with addiction started…
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And you shall not bring sin upon the land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance. Deuteronomy 24:4 It’s not uncommon, in my line of work, to encounter those who desperately try to convince me that they’re not intoxicated while they obviously are intoxicated. They want to hide it, but they…
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