#58. Deuteronomy 29-31 | This Command is Not Too Far Off For You

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Welcome to The Dwelling Place from Entrusted Ministries.

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I'm Stephanie Hickox, and today's reading

of Deuteronomy 29 through 31 almost

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feels like an incredibly depressing

graduation speech one of the themes

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seems to be, don't say you weren't

warned or don't say you didn't know.

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Moses knows he's about to die,

and he's giving his parting

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words to the nation of Israel.

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After 40 years of leading them, watching

God do incredible works among them,

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they're about to enter the promised

land, but Moses can't go with them.

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And after years of ministering to them,

encouraging them to be faithful to the

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Lord, God has made Moses aware that they

will fall into grave sin and apostasy.

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They're not going to be

faithful to the Lord.

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Can you imagine a parent standing

up at a graduation party?

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And making a speech and you think, oh, a

blessing is coming and it begins that way,

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but then it takes a turn as the parent

says, I know you're gonna go far away

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from me, and you will completely disobey.

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You'll enter into a relationship that

will take your heart far from God.

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You'll commit sins of every kind.

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And go on and on with

all these consequences.

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Wouldn't your heart just break?

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I'm not sure what this

revelation was like for Moses.

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I assume it was discouraging, but also at

this point he must be so resigned that if

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after hearing all of these words of the

Lord, if they still choose to disobey.

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It's on them.

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He's done all he can do, but

God's faithfulness to warn

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them is so inspiring to me.

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He has clearly laid it out for them, and

it encourages me as a mom to be really

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clear with my kids about my expectations.

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Sometimes I think it

must be fuzzy for kids.

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And between my four, there are

different levels of understanding

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about what my guidelines were.

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Some of their hearts are better soil

for understanding what I'm expecting,

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but I need to make sure that they

each do know what I'm calling them to.

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And I think we can get so distracted

with everything coming at us a mile a

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minute, but slowing down and training

our kids is what God calls us to.

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There was a wonderful, godly educator

named Charlotte Mason and she lays out

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a really clear process of training her

kids, whether it's teaching them how to

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scrub the bathroom or hang up their coat.

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I'm gonna link that in our show notes

in case you feel like, you know what?

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That wasn't part of my upbringing and

I've never seen it modeled Well, okay.

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Back to the God that does everything

well and everything right, and

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his faithful servant Moses.

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Verse 29, 4 almost shocks me,

but to this day, the Lord has not

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given you a heart to understand,

or eyes to see, or ears to hear.

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God has actually withheld

understanding from the people.

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It's so easy for us to look at

them and say, stop complaining

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about the manna and look at all of

their feelings in the wilderness

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but this verse acknowledges that part

of their lack of understanding was

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because the Lord didn't fully unveil

their eyes or allow them to fully hear

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and understand this is a key part of the

new covenant that we have with Christ.

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Not only has salvation been

purchased for us, but the Lord

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has unveiled understanding.

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And we can rejoice at

what we've been given.

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But then let's also take that caution

to not be too comfortable, and to walk

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in humility and gratitude, knowing

that even with these blessings,

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we're just like the Israelites.

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And if we don't intentionally

pursue Christ, we're as likely

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as they were to fall into sin.

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This is what Paul is referring to in

Romans 10 when he says the word is near

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you in your mouth and in your heart.

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That is the word of faith that we

proclaim because if you confess with

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your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and

believe in your heart that God raised

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him from the dead, you will be saved.

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The path to obedience and

restoration is laid out clearly.

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A verse I often think about for

my parenting is Deuteronomy 30 11.

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For this commandment that I command

you today is not too hard for you,

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neither is it far off and in 14,

but the word is very near you.

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It is in your mouth and in your

heart so that you can do it.

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And continuing in 19.

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Therefore, choose life that you

and your offspring may live.

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Loving the Lord your God, obeying

his voice and holding fast to him.

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For he is your life and length of

days that you may dwell in the land

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that the Lord swore to your fathers.

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This command isn't far off.

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They have access to it, and they

have the ability to obey it.

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God isn't confusing them or tricking them.

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It's realistic.

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Scripture says that we have everything

we need for life and godliness, and if

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our kids have a walk with Christ, we can

encourage them to press into the Holy

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Spirit for the strength to obey him.

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And even sometimes my own heart needs

that encouragement when I feel like I'm so

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drained and I can't possibly move forward

with what the Lord is asking me to do.

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but God's expectations

of us are not far off.

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He will help us with what

we need to accomplish.

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In 31 19, God tells Moses to write a song

and teach it to the people of Israel.

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Now, if it were me, I'd probably be like,

I'm here with my dad and I'm singing,

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'cause he asked me to write him a song.

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But not Moses.

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this isn't his first gig.

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He's written other worship songs before.

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And we'll look into God inspires

him to write in the next episode.

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But I'm in awe of all the roles that God

has asked Moses to fulfill for the people.

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He's been Judge intercessor,

emancipator worship leader, covenant

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recorder commander in chief.

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Healer and foreign implement

trainer of priests.

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It's amazing

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and you might be inspired that

the Lord can equip you with all

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the hats you wear as a mom too.

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the beginning of chapter 30, God says,

and when all these curses come upon you,

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and you return to the Lord your God, you

and your children, and obey his voice

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in all that I command you today with

all your heart and with all your soul.

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Then the Lord, your God will restore your

fortunes and have mercy on you, and he

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will gather you again from all the peoples

where the Lord your God has scattered you.

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And in verse six, and the Lord your God

will circumcise your heart and the heart

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of your offspring so that you will love

the Lord your God with all your heart and

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with all your soul, so that you may live.

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And the Lord your God will put

all these curses on your foes

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and enemies who persecuted you.

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And you shall again obey the

voice of the Lord and keep his

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commandments that I command you today.

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the Lord your God will make you

abundantly prosperous in all the work

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of your hand, in the fruit of your

womb and in the fruit of your cattle

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and in the fruit of your ground.

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For the Lord will again take

delight in prospering you as he

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took delight in your fathers.

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When you obey the voice of the Lord

your God, to keep his commandments

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and his statutes that are written

in this book of the law, when you

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turn to the Lord your God with all

your heart and with all your soul,

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it makes me a little bit emotional

to think about how unworthy I am,

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how sinful and fickle I can be.

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How one moment I'm strong

in my faith, and the next.

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I'm doubting that a disappointment

can end up for my good.

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But when we go off course, or when

we lack faith and we repent, he's

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a God that delights to prosper us.

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And as if that wasn't enough in

31, he continues to promise that

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he will go with us in verse six.

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Be strong and courageous.

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Do not fear or be in dread of them.

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For it is the Lord your

God who goes with you.

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He will not leave you or forsake you.

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His blessings are beyond what we

deserve and yet they're ever available.

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And 31 10 Moses commands them that

at the end of every seven years,

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at the set time, in the year of

release, at the Feast of Booths,

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when all Israel comes to appear

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before the Lord God, at the place where

he will choose, you shall read this

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law before all Israel in their hearing.

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Assemble the people, men, women, and the

little ones and the sojourner within your

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towns that they may hear and learn to

fear the Lord your God, and be careful

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to do all the words of this law and that

their children who have not known it may

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hear it and learn to fear the Lord your

God, as long as you live in the land that

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you are going over the Jordan to possess.

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Sometimes I issue a

warning for mom ears only.

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But that's not what God does

here for the nation of Israel.

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These kids, no matter their age, will get

an earful about these abominations that

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the Lord prohibits them from committing.

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It says the little ones are there.

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I can almost picture their eyes getting

big and them pulling on their moms cloaks

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saying, mommy, mommy, I've got a question.

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And I'm thinking about these parents

knowing, all right, it's almost that time.

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You know what they're gonna

hear and preparing their kids.

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I have a friend whose husband is a

pastor, and their church operates

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under the principle that you let the

word of God lead your conversations.

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There are a lot of topics in scripture

that we wouldn't bring up with our kids at

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a young age, but sometimes you're covering

a story and you're going through it and

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they ask a little question like, Rahab?

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Was a prostitute?

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What's a prostitute?

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And you get to decide and the Holy Spirit

will lead you, whether you just say.

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She was in sales, but she

was selling something that

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God didn't want her to sell.

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Or if you need to go a little bit

farther if they're older, but we need

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to be intentional to equip our kids

to obey the Lord, and our training

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needs to proceed the opportunities

that will be presented for them.

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And it breaks my heart to read it,

but God tells Moses in 31, 21 for

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I know what they're inclined to do

even today before I have brought them

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into the land that I swore to give.

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And that's why Moses's

song will be so important.

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It's supposed to call to remembrance

what the Lord has commanded them

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to, and it holds them accountable.

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Let's pray.

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Heavenly Father.

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We thank you for the grace and mercy that

you continually offer and the clarity

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and consistency in which you lead us.

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We are humbled that you've allowed

us to be born in a time, that

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we get to hear and understand

and see and receive the sacrifice

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Speaker 12: of Jesus Christ

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Steph: for our sins, and that we

have a helper that enables us to

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do all that you command us to do.

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But help us to take care, to love

you with all of our heart, all of

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our soul, all of our mind, and all

of our strength, and guide us in

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diligently teaching your statutes

and your commandments to our kids.

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May we focus on what's important

to your heart and not confuse them

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by requiring too much or requiring

things that are too off for them.

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Guide us in wisdom as we parent different

personalities and even different special

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needs, and give us patience when things

need to be repeated over and over knowing

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that you are a God who has graciously

done it for us so many times in your word.

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Thank you for Moses' example

of faithfulness with the

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Israelites and Jesus.

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Thank you for your patience

with your disciples.

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Help us to follow you.

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It's in your name we pray.

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Amen.