This makes me want to shake my fist in defiance
Follow the Lord
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You must follow the Lord your God and revere only him; and you must observe his commandments, obey him, serve him, and remain loyal to him.
Deuteronomy 13:4 (NET)
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I don’t know about you, but I dislike seeing words like “you must.”
Something inside me thinks, “oh, really, I must, huh? I’ll show you.”
Then I shake my fist in defiance.
We’re all human, we all have a bit of that rebellious streak in us.
After all, if we weren’t rebels against our one true King, then we wouldn’t be sinners in need of a savior.
Well, the Israelite people were no different. They couldn’t keep this command, just like I struggle to keep this command.
They strayed to worship other gods, disobeyed the Lord’s commandments, disobeyed Him, ignored him, and were disloyal … a lot.
Lest I look down upon them with my own pride, I must remember that I have something they did not:
The Holy Spirit living inside me.
They were a part of the old covenant and the interaction with the Lord was different (even though it still required faith in God to be saved).
Because we live on this side of the Cross, we can finally be in a personal relationship with the Lord.
And He helps us to follow Him, revere Him, observe His commandments, obey Him, serve Him, and remain loyal to Him.
Just like any relationship, it takes work and communication.
God is always ready to listen & He’s always working around us.
The question is: are you ready & willing to relate with Him?
— Ricky Ketchum
Copyright © 2026 by Ricky Ketchum. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.
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