Day 70: Deuteronomy 14-19; Mark 13:14-14:31

So many of the regulations in Deuteronomy have to do with the fact that we are human beings, living in a material world with physical needs. The Bible never divorces our bodies from our souls. It recognizes that we are complex persons created in God's image, but that we come as a total package. That's one reason I like the Complete Jewish Bible's rendering of The Shema. We are to love God with our whole heart, being and resources...all we are. In return, the blessing of God is concerned with our total well-being.

Part of the reason I am writing this is that tomorrow we will deal with Article 14 of our statements of belief: Divine Healing. Sometimes we think that it is not spiritual to pray about the physical and material. Jesus taught us to pray for our 'daily bread', so these areas of our lives matter to God. E.M. Bounds (prayer warrior and leader) in my devotions today, made this statement: "That which concerns our bodies necessarily engages our minds. These are subjects of prayer...If we do not pray about worldly matters we exclude God from a large area of our lives." If it matters to us, it matters to God!

"Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7, NLT)