Deuteronomy 8:1

Deuteronomy 8:1 says, All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers.  Moses told the people of Israel that they were to observe, or obey, all the commandments of God that He commanded them to do that day, so that they might live, multiply and possess the land that God had promised to their fathers.  Verse two adds, And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.  Moses also told them to remember the wilderness wanderings when God had humbled them and learned what was in their hearts, whether they would obey Him by faith or not.  As Christians, we need to humble ourselves before God today so He will know what is in our hearts, and that is that we put our faith in Him alone.  Verse three continues, And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.  Moses said God allowed them to hunger in the wilderness until He fed them with manna, which they knew nothing about.  Moses said God did this to teach them that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of God's mouth.  We still need to put faith in God above physical needs and desires.  Verse four states, Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.  Moses reminded them that their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet swell during all their movements.  God will still meet the needs of His people today and enable them to physically do what He calls them to do.  Verse five adds, Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee.  Moses told them that they were to understand that as a father chastised his son when he did something wrong, so would God chastise them.  If God is not chastising us today, we must be either living perfect lives in His sight, or we are not really His child.  Verse six continues, Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.  Just as Moses told the people of Israel, we as followers of Christ are to walk in His ways and obey His commandments.  Verse seven declares, For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills;  Moses said the people of Israel were to keep God's commandments and walk in His ways because of all that He had given them.  God has given us something even greater, and that is everlasting life through faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, and for that reason we are to obey His commandments and walk in His ways.  Verse eight adds, A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of olive oil, and honey;  Verse nine continues, A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass.  Moses said that the land God was giving them was a land that would more than meet their needs.  One day, as followers of Christ,  we will be called home to heaven, a place that will more than meet all our needs.  Most importantly though, as with the people of Israel, it will be where God is.