Lent - Pt 32

So Moses continued to speak these words to all Israel. And he said to them, “I am 120 years old today. I am no longer able to go out and come in. The Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not go over this Jordan.’ The Lord your God himself will go over before you. He will destroy these nations before you, so that you shall dispossess them, and Joshua will go over at your head, as the Lord has spoken. And the Lord will do to them as he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when he destroyed them. And the Lord will give them over to you, and you shall do to them according to the whole commandment that I have commanded you. Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:1-6 ESV).

We are continuing our trek through Lent today with a bit of a different turn. It is also David’s 40th birthday! I looked for pictures when he was a newborn, though they didn’t quite convey the message I wanted to communicate. Our reading today is one of my favorites, for many reasons. The last verse is most important: Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you (v. 6). The picture for today was taken in 1980. From left to right there is Kyle (my oldest), Rosa Emmitte (my Mom), and David. Aaron, the youngest had not yet been born. This picture was made soon after we had moved to Mt. Pleasant, Texas to be the pastor of First Baptist Church. I was young, with a young family and worlds to conquer; my thoughts were centered on the job ahead. There were many challenges and the verse in our reading was a mainstay through all of them. Little did I know, however, that the greatest responsibility would not be this large, prestigious church; here I learned the bigger lesson. Family is the greatest privilege and carries the greatest responsibility in life. On many occasions that lesson would be put into practice. Never did I resent or regret the incredible gift God had given to us in any of my sons. Nor do I now regret it. I cherish the time past and the time yet to come. There was nothing to fear then; and, there is nothing to fear now or in the future. That truth is made possible in the unfailing promise of God proven in His work of grace through His Son, Jesus. I cannot fathom facing the day without knowing that God strengthens me for every task yet to come. That is the lesson I learned; and, that is the lesson I have sought to pass on to my children and grandchildren. I am convinced that whatever enemy might seek to keep us from our “Promised Land,” they will not stand in our way. I am grateful to celebrate this day. Happy Birthday, Dave! You have made life a great joy for me!