Imagine experiencing everything the Israelites witnessed. Plagues descending on enemies, water parting in two, a quaking, thundering, smoking mountain, Moses’ shining face, food appearing from nowhere, pillars of fire, the ground swallowing up traitors. The Israelites’ experiences with God were tangible, magnificent, terrifying, yet intimate. God was among them. The very clothes on their backs that never wore out served as a tactile testament to God’s unwavering provision. Not an aspect of life was untouched by the great I AM. 

This list of extraordinary wonders seems like it would be permanently etched into their memories for as long as they lived and breathed. Yet, Moses, in his farewell speech before Joshua leads the people into the Promised Land, gives a sobering warning: “lest you forget.” Simply experiencing God up close and personal isn’t enough to keep a personal relationship with God. Being rescued by God’s mighty hand doesn’t ensure God will be held in wandering hearts. The freedom found through God can be lost. Moses spoke the following words to God’s people: 

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” 

“And when the LORD your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, then take care lest you forget the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. It is the LORD your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you—for the LORD your God in your midst is a jealous God—lest the anger of the LORD your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-15) 

Love the Lord with All 

All. Not part. Not just on Sundays. Not during our family devos. All the time, with all we have. What does that look like? Do you know a young bride-to-be? Perhaps you remember that love-struck period in your own life. Young love is passionate, consuming, and present. It looks like multiple text messages or phone calls a day. Conversations that seem to drift to wedding plans, hopes, and dreams. The mind wanders to whom the heart loves. If you talk to a bride-to-be, we are not surprised when they talk about their love. Is our love for Christ as evident or has it grown stale? Are we praying to the God of Love multiple times a day? Are we eagerly awaiting time with Him? Do we find ways to integrate Christ into our daily conversations? Or are we forgetting like Moses feared we would? 

Teachable Moments 

From sunup till sundown. Through the big and all the mundane. Rain or shine. In the house and in the world. There was not a moment in life that was to be void of God. Moses commands God’s people—then and now—to love and glorify the Lord in all things. Beyond that, love for God was to compel the Israelites—and us— to diligently teach the next generation of the love and might of God. How are we as Christian women embodying this command? 

Is our love compelling us to seek the teachable moments when hearts are soft? Are we seeking opportunities from the boardroom with a CEO to the messy kitchen table with a squirmy child? There is nothing too big for God, and nothing too small. There is nowhere in the world where our God is far. He is in our midst, but often, we ignore him. 

In theory, it seems like it would be simple to acknowledge God through all that we do, but in practice, it gets harder. Many of us have likely established habits of starting meals with thanksgiving to God and beginning or ending our day with a prayer, but do we talk about God while we are doing the dishes? Can traffic jams turn into a teachable moment? Is God welcomed into our love for sports? Can a bully help us better appreciate the humble love of Jesus? How can Jesus sit with us in the office or come with us to a classroom? 

Along the Way se

[Looking back.] God has a history of encountering people in the midst of everyday situations. Sarah was in her tent. Moses was tending sheep. Joshua was camping. Gideon was threshing wheat. Samuel was going to sleep. Jesus called Peter while he was working. He met a woman at a well. Jesus visited sickbeds and spent time in bustling houses. He ate meals with people and walked with them. 

We aren’t being asked to carve out huge blocks of time from our overfilled days. We aren’t required to go to certain places to encounter God. Instead, we are instructed to invite God to walk with us along the way. He wants to join us in our busy, authentic, and often messy lives. He wants us to acknowledge His presence in our celebrations, our disappointments, and even the mundane. With Moses’ command as our guiding verse, through this series, we will explore how everything in life can point us back to the God who eagerly calls us. Why is this important? Our “why” is the same “why” that Moses gave the Israelites. Whether we acknowledge Him along the way or not, God is already in our midst and He is a jealous God. Ignoring our Provider and Savior could kindle His anger and lead to destruction, either in this life or the next. So join us as we seek practical and simple ways to invite God into all parts of our life and through His presence, to teach those around us about His unfailing love.

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Kristin Arbuckle

Kristin Arbuckle is a writer, designer, photographer, and homeschooling mama. She and her husband, Andrew, studied at Bear Valley Bible Institute, served as missionaries in Hawaii, and worked with a church plant in Omaha before moving back to Michigan to be closer to family. Kristin enjoys art, traveling, and spending time in God’s beautiful world. She recently published her first book, Where Hope Grows Free.

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