Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven. (Deut. 30:11–12)
Expanded Passage: Deuteronomy 30:11-14
Dusty is coming to our backyard via the friendly skies. This Albanian mutt adopted my sister a couple years ago as he roamed her village neighborhood. He’ll soon be slobbering, sleeping and romping in our Midwest subdivision’s fenced-in backyard.
The details for Dusty’s transfer from her home to ours have been many! Who will fly over and bring Dusty back to Indiana? Which airline accepts animals? What vaccinations, training and passport will he need? Will he jump over our fence, and how can we be proactive to keep him on our property? Will he do well with our kids and the neighborhood dogs? As soon as we were able, we signed Dusty up for training, so that he could learn to obey and lead a flourishing life in our neighborhood.
As Moses urged his people one last time toward obedience, he reminded the Israelites that God had not given them some baffling instruction too hard to obey or too distant. They didn’t need a hero to sail the seas or ascend to heaven to help them understand the covenant. Rather, they’d listened to Moses’ voice instill the laws into their memory during their forty years of desert wandering. Their God had adopted them, and given his people everything they needed to respond—his instructions had been hand delivered.
God’s confidence, detailed planning and repeated words made it possible to obey him in a new home. We also have God’s loving training deep within our souls—we can and must obey.
Cultivate obedience to lead a flourishing life: it’s not beyond your reach!
Jamie Hilty lives in northern Indiana with her pastor-husband Josh. She spends her days reading aloud to her kids, planning retreats, and avoiding the dishes.
© 2025 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
