He Cannot be Bribed

Scripture:

Deuteronomy 10:17 "For the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords.  He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed".

Observation:

In this passage, the Lord is preparing His people to enter the promised land.  As they are preparing, He teaches them how He wants to be worshiped and gives them many instructions about how He wants them to live their lives.  He says of Himself, "who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed".  This tells me that God can do whatever He wants to do and is honest enough that He can't be bribed.

Application:

Most people would say that they would never bribe God, but many of our prayers of desparation are bribes.  When trouble strikes, God's people say things like, "If you will fix this problem, I will serve you everyday the rest of my life".  "If you will bless me with this job, I will tithe faithfully".  God doesn't want to be bribed and doesn't respond to bribery.  He responds to the prayers of faithful people who are going to serve Him whether He answers their prayers or not.  He takes care of those who don't have to make bribes, but walk in faith on a daily basis.  We need to live lives of faithfulness to God's written word, therefore we won't be in a position where we need to bribe Him very often.

Prayer:

Father, I want to be a servant of Yours.  I want to serve you faithfully and not try to bribe You by offering you something special if you will bless me.  I will serve you with all my heart and trust You to take care of all my needs.  Help me walk in obedience and faithfulness every day.

Yours,

Jeff