King James Daily Bible Study: Children of God
Date: Sunday March 06, 2011
Chapters: Deuteronomy 14-16
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Details of Today's Reading: God's children to be distinguished, clean, honor tithe, the year of release, helping the poor, and the yearly feasts.

Hello My Friend/Guest,
The word distinguished is defined as to be recognized as an individual with features or characteristics different from others. In other words, when one of God's children enter a room a person should be able to recognize the godly features or characteristics of that person the second they walk into the room. Who are God's children? God's children are those whom have put their faith and trust in His Son, Jesus Christ, and called on Him to save them. The Bible says, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy...For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.” - I Peter 2:9,10,15,16.

Moses continues to speak to the Israelites about their going into the promised land, he reminds them of the blessings, laws, and warnings of God as well as how they were to present themselves to the strangers that were already possessing the land. Moses reminds them that God chose them specifically and they were to present themselves honorably as His people.

“Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead. For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth. Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing...And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always...And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.” - Deuteronomy 14:1-3,23,29.

This is a reminder to all of us that being children of God means that we are to keep ourselves clean, to distinguish ourselves from the world and to show them that we truly are a child of the living God. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” - Romans 12:1,2.

To be released means to be free from confinement, bondage, or obligation, God enforced a release every seven years on any debt owed by any person that was not paid. If a person owed money to a creditor and could not afford to pay it, the creditor had seven yours to try to claim it, at the end of the seven years, if it has not been pain, that person would be released from paying the debt. Moses explains this further.

“At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release. And this is the manner of the release: Every creditor that lendeth ought unto his neighbour shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbour, or of his brother; because it is called the LORD's release...If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth. Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the LORD against thee, and it be sin unto thee. Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto.” - Deuteronomy 15:1,2,7-10.

The year of release is representative of the grace of the Gospel in which it is proclaimed the acceptable year of the Lord. The Gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, when one believes in the Gospel and asks Jesus to save them they are released from the debt owed for their sins. All who call upon the Lord obtain the release of our debts, are pardoned of our sins, and teaches us to forgive others debts as we have been forgiven. “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors...For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” - Matthew 6:12,14,15.

Did you ever receive a gift from someone out of the blue and wonder what that person was up to? Then later on you found out that it was only something to deceive you? I am sure we all have fell for someone's gift of deception, As children of God, God warns us about receiving questionable gifts.

“Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment. Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous. That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.” - Deuteronomy 16:18-20.

Gifts that come from questionable people are merely bribes and we are all cautioned about accepting them. Why? You never know where that stuff comes from. Do you think that God wants to receive money that has been received by gambling, prostitution, or selling drugs? It's corruptible and causes the person receiving it to fall into their be corrupted. While God is not a respecter of persons and forgives all who come to Him, He will not have His people corrupted by the corruption of others, no matter how sincere the gift is and we are no better then they are for receiving such a gift. “Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” - II Peter 3:17,18.

Yesterday I visited a friend that I have not seen in three years, the first thing he said to me when he saw me was, “You are not the same person I knew three years ago, you shine, you have a confidence in you that I have never seen before.” My response was, “It is not me, it is Jesus, He shines through me.” When you are a child of God people see it, they might not know right away that Christ is in you, but they know you are a new person. When they realize Christ is in you they want to see what He can do for them. The whole purpose for God placing His children amongst the heathens is so that they too can see what the one and only living God can do for them. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” - II Peter 3:9.

Jesus Christ Revealed: Today Jesus is revealed through year of release, which represents Christ's forgiveness of our sin debt. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” - Romans 6:23.

Thanks and God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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