Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.” What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him?

Devotion based on Deuteronomy 4:6,7

When you ask an engineer how his machine works, he lights up and is eager to share his knowledge and expertise. When a child learns something new, she can’t wait to share what she knows. We don’t want to hide what we are passionate about. We are eager to share knowledge of what we believe is important.

As God’s people, past and present, live their lives, their hearts beam with joy, eager to share what we know to be true and eternally important. Following Jesus and his commands is not about a rigorous religious life trying to appease a harsh god. We don’t serve out of fear. We live in the freedom of sins forgiven! Our joy comes from what God has done for us. Jesus drew near to humanity when he became truly human. He made known to us the true God and his salvation. He rescued us from sin by his life, death, and resurrection and made us his holy people. He is not distant. He is real, and he is near.

Our passion is to live for the one who lived and died and rose for us! As we walk in God’s ways and follow him with a joyful heart, we are letting the knowledge of Jesus and his salvation shine to the world around us. The lives we live are not so that people will praise us. We live so that we and others may praise our God and Savior. We don’t wish to blend into the world. We want to let our speech and lives reflect our faith that God has saved us and that he is with us. We want to eagerly answer those who wonder who God is and how he works. We want to share the joy of knowing Jesus.

Prayer: