Saturday, October 7, 2023
Speaker:
Lauren Snyder, Executive Director of Next Gen, Groups and Outreach
Deuteronomy 6:6-9 (NLT)
“And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
Deuteronomy 8:2-3 (NLT)
“Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”
Deuteronomy 8:6-9 (NLT)
“So obey the commands of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and fearing him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land of flowing streams and pools of water, with fountains and springs that gush out in the valleys and hills. It is a land of wheat and barley; of grapevines, fig trees, and pomegranates; of olive oil and honey. It is a land where food is plentiful and nothing is lacking.”
Deuteronomy 8:11-14 (NLT)
“But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful! Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt.”
Deuteronomy 8:19 (NLT)
“But I assure you of this: If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods, worshiping and bowing down to them, you will certainly be destroyed.”
Bottom Line:
God’s Word sustains in poverty and in plenty.
Action Steps:
- Write it down.
- Keep it close.
- Pass it on.
Additional Scripture:
Proverbs 16:24 (NLT)
Kind words are like honey - sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.
Proverbs 18:7 (NLT)
The mouths of fools are their ruin; they trap themselves with their lips.
James 1:2-4 (NLT)
Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
Matthew 4:2-4 (NLT)
For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Resources:
YouVersion Bible App
CedarCreek App
Bible recommendation: NLT Life Application Study Bible
Song Links:
Take You At Your Word
Firm Foundation
Good Grace
Discussion Questions:
- Icebreaker: What is one of the best gifts you've ever received?
- What do you think holds people back from reading Scripture regularly?
- Read Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 8:2-14. What do you learn about the importance of reading Scripture and obeying God's commands?
- Are you most likely to let the habit of reading Scripture slip during times of poverty or plenty? Why do you think this is?
- What is one thing you can do this week to engage with God's Word? How will you write it down, keep it close, and pass it on?