Deuteronomy 10:12 KJV
12 And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,
Have you ever had the burning desire for something but didn’t have the money to purchase the item at the time? I don’t know about you, but I’ve been in that situation a time or two. In my case, I work and save the money to get what I want and then make the purchase. Therefore, I am not indebted to anyone and it gives me something to work toward.
However, when my children were younger, they would ask for various gifts, and to teach them responsibility I would have them do things to earn the gift before I gave it to them. Especially the video games that they loved so much. Whether it was good behavior, doing a chore, or good grades, some criteria had to be met before the gift was awarded. Otherwise, the deal was off.
Well in this story God is ready to deliver on his promise to the children of Israel. But surprisingly unlike me or my children working for the item in advance, was not a requirement that had to be met. As the children of Israel were already guaranteed the promise because of who their forefathers were. They on the other hand had requirements to fulfill on the backend once they received the promised gift.
But look at Deuteronomy 10:12 God is not requiring much. Who wouldn’t love, walk with, fear, and serve a God that repeatedly rescues you time after time, regardless of your wrongdoing?
He’s not asking for a down payment in advance like the mortgage lender does, or forty hours a week like your employer asks, or good behavior and good grades like your parent’s demand. Instead, he is simply asking for a genuine and sacred god-fearing relationship that is filled with love, compassion, faithfulness, dedication, loyalty, honesty, communication, oneness, and righteousness.
The children of Israel were heirs of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but we are heirs of God. Because we are his heirs the promises spoken in the holy bible also belong to us, and even those that he said, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9 KJV).
When Jesus died on the cross, he never asked us for anything he just suffered and died. All he wants now and ever wanted is our love and obedience. If he can lay down his life for us. How much energy does it take to fear God, walk in his ways, love, and serve him? We are his heirs, if he will do things for us while we were yet in sin, just imagine what he will do if we make a decision to follow him all the days of our life.
God Bless You.