Deuteronomy 11:8 says, Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither ye go to possess it; Moses said the people of Israel were to keep God's commandments, be strong, and go in and pseesss the land that God was giving them. It all depended on putting their faith in God, just as our success as Christians in the world today does. As Christians, we need to be strong in the Lord. Verse nine adds, And that ye may prolong your days in the land, which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land that floweth with milk and honey. Moses said that they needed to obey God in order to prolong their days in the land that He had promised to their fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey. We need to obey God as followers of Christ because He has promised us a heavenly home one day. Verse ten continues, For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs: Moses said the land they were going into was not like the land of Egypt, where they had to water things after they were planted in order for them to grow. In the same way, our heavenly home will not be like this earthly one, where we have to sometimes work just to survive. It will be a perfect place, maintained by God's power. Verse eleven states, But the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven: Moses said that the land they were going into was watered by the rain from heaven, or in other words by God Himself. Since Moses had never been there, he had to be relying on God's revelation in order to know this. Since we have never been to Heaven, we have to rely on God's revelation in order to know that our heavenly home exists and that it is a place of perfection. Verse twelve adds, A land which the LORD thy God careth for: the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year. Moses said that God cared for the Promised Land and that His eyes were always on it. This is certainly be true of Heaven, where we will walk and talk with God as Adam and Eve did before they gave in to sin. Verse thirteen declares, And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, Once again, the fact that the land would provide for all their needs was dependent on their keeping God's commandments and serving Him with all their heart. Today, our going to heaven is dependent on our putting our faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, and if we do, then we should want to keep all His commandments. Verse fourteen adds, That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. God said that if they were obedient to Him that He would send the rain on the land in due season, both the first and latter rains. Once more, this was dependent on their obedience to God, just as our going to Heaven is dependent on our putting our faith in Jesus Christ. Of course, even having God meet our needs here in this world as Christians is dependent on our putting our faith in Him. Verse fifteen continues, And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full. God said that if they were obedient to Him that He would provide enough grass to keep their cattle full. He did not promise them big houses and a life of ease. I am not sure what Heaven will be like, but I am sure that we will be there to serve and praise God, just as we should do here today as followers of Christ. Verse sixteen says, Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; God warned the people of Israel to take heed of themselves so that their hearts weren't deceived and they turned aside from Him and followed other gods. If we have truly accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we should never be deceived and turn away from Him and serve false gods. Verse seventeen adds, And then the LORD’s wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you. God said if the people of Israel turned away from Him that He would no longer provide the rains and fruit to meet their needs, and they would perish off the face of the earth. If we have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we are forever His, sealed to Him by God Himself, but if we are only going through the motions of professing to put our faith in Him without truly believing, when judgment dsy comes, we will be sent away into everlasting punishment.
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