Deuteronomy 26:18
“The LORD has today declared you to be His people, a treasured possession, as He promised you, and that you should keep all His commandments”.
All of us want to be loved and appreciated. I think of the self esteem movement. We are attempting to build worth into our young people. We know how important it is to feel loved and competent. Today’s verse tells us how The Lord thinks of us. First off, He tells us we are His people. Secondly, we are described as a treasured possession. These two fact are meaningful.
We are His people. This is huge. Belonging is important. All of us seek to be connected. In school, the young people walk around looking for groups to belong. Most get connected. Some never do. Some in a group are looking for a better one.
There are several aspects of connection that are sought: safety, fun, enrichment, at our level and so on. If all these needs are met, then we are satisfied. Otherwise we may seek another group.
When we accept Christ, we are His. How does this apply to being connected. We are part of the church. This is our new social network. The bible tells us how we are to act. There are many “one another” statements in the bible. They tell us much about our behavioral expectations in this new social network. Here are several of them: love one another, pray for one another, encourage one another, build one another up, confess your faults to one another, be devoted to one another, honor one another, serve one another, bear with one another, submit to one another, spur one another on, be hospitable to one another, greet one another, and so on.
The “one another”‘s are part of our being “His people”. It’s how we should behave. It’s how everyone should treat one another. The Lord will work them into our lives. It’s part of the maturing process as a christian. There may be up to 59 “one another”‘s. So, this will take time.
Lord, thanks for taking us in as Your people. Thanks for the direction given with the “one another”‘s. Help us to be connected and to behave as we should.