Have you ever noticed how we complicate the simplest things in life? "You know, there are some things that are very complex in life, but when you get down to it, it's really simple." That's what struck me as I was preparing this message from Deuteronomy 4:39-42, and I realized that our relationship with God - the most important relationship we'll ever have - is actually beautifully simple.
Let me start with something most of us can relate to. "Marriage is one of those things. It requires work, it requires patience, it requires love, it requires diligence. It requires sacrifice. And we could go on and on and on and on and talk about what is required in marriage. But the bottom line is, marriage is about allegiance. It's about allegiance. It's about loyalty to your partner. That's it. That's the bottom line. You got that mastered, you're going to be okay."
After 39 years of marriage, "Do I ever have to stop and think, say I'm in a situation that would be more appropriate if I were single. Do I ever have to stop and say, oh, wait, I'm married. I can't do this?" The answer is no. "I know it. I don't have to feel the ring. I just know that I have made a commitment to her. And that commitment that I've made to her impacts everything I do in life."
Just like marriage, "I think our relationship with God is a simple thing. It is a truly simple thing. It's either yes or no." In Deuteronomy 4:39, Moses gives us what I believe is "the single most important truth in life": "Know therefore today and take it to your heart that the Lord, he is God in heaven above and on earth below. There is none other."
This isn't just intellectual knowledge we're talking about. "Biblical knowing means moving from intellect or the mind to experience. You know, it's one thing to know, but it's another thing to experience. It's one thing to read about, it's another thing to do."
"The word that just really leaped out at me in verse 39, the very first part of that verse is today." Not tomorrow, not next week, not when life gets easier. Today. "There's a sense of urgency. Why would you postpone it?"
I was reminded of this urgency recently at a funeral. A man who "was kind of a party animal" and "lived a life for a long time apart from Christ" finally accepted Jesus "in the last months of this man's life." While I rejoiced in his salvation, "I thought, what a shame. Here was a man who was loved, respected, admired... And he made a life change that was so significant, so big, so powerful in his commitment to Christ. He didn't have a lot of time left."
"Sometimes when you start on that journey away from God, it's amazingly easy to get farther and farther and farther away from God before you know what's happened."
Moses doesn't just say "know" - he says "take it to your heart." This means it becomes "second nature." "You shouldn't have to be reminded about who God is and what your response toward God ought to be. It needs to be ingrained in your heart, in the inner core of who you are."
"It's in your heart where the decisions about life and how you are going to live your life are going to be made. It's in your heart that determines whether or not you'll be faithful to God or you'll be rebellious toward God or betray God."
Here's something beautiful about our God: "He says in Isaiah 66:1 heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool." God isn't just distant and transcendent - "he's here. He's here."
"You know, he hears my prayers. When I talk to him, he hears those. He tells me what he wants me to do." For someone facing loss or hardship, "I have a God that will go with her each and every step of the way. In the hard times and in the easier times, the God that will comfort her, the God that will wrap his arms around her."
"So what do we do in our relationship with God? It's pretty simple. We obey. He's God. We're not." When we obey God's statutes and commandments, as Deuteronomy 4:40 promises, "it may go well with you and with your children after you."
"Everything that God tells us to do or to not do is good. And it glorifies him when we respond appropriately, but it also helps us." This obedience leads to two things: wellness and long life. Not because God is keeping score, but because "we're in harmony with God. We're not in conflict with God."
"Folks, it's simple. It is simple. I'm not trying to be simplistic, but it's pretty simple. Get this thing squared away in your life about who God is and what God wants from you and respond appropriately and you're going to be okay. You'll be more than okay. You're going to flourish."
Here's how to live this out today:
Make the Decision Today: Stop postponing that spiritual decision you know you need to make. Whether it's accepting Christ, recommitting your life, or taking a step of obedience - do it today.
Move from Head to Heart: Don't let your relationship with God stay intellectual. Ask Him to make His truth real in your daily experience.
Practice Simple Obedience: Look for one area where you know God wants you to obey, and take that step. Remember, "when God says something, it's for our benefit."
"It all goes back to your understanding and your willingness to accept who God is, not just out there, but in here."