Deuteronomy 13:1-5 (NIV 2011)

¹If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a sign or wonder, ² and if the sign or wonder spoken of takes place, and the prophet says, “Let us follow other gods” (gods you have not known) “and let us worship them,” ³ you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. ⁴ It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. ⁵ That prophet or dreamer must be put to death for inciting rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. That prophet or dreamer tried to turn you from the way the LORD your God commanded you to follow. You must purge the evil from among you.

Reflection:

There is a similarity between the situation described in this passage and that of the Corinthian church. Other prophets are coming in and preaching another gospel, telling people to follow another god.

It is exactly in these situations when God’s people are tested to see if they love Him with all of their heart and all of their soul. God’s heart for His people is revealed here - He wants them to follow Him alone.

This is just as true for us today. We are constantly being tempted to stray away from the Lord, turning our hearts to such idols as money, achievements, fame, sex, or entertainment. In the midst of these tests, may we choose Him above all other “gods”, loving Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Response:

Let’s turn to the Lord again, proclaiming that He is the only God we want to serve and love. If other idols have been tempting us away, let us repent and turn away from them and toward God, asking Him to guard our hearts and protect us from temptation.

With Terror mastermind Osama Bin Laden vanquished, some are suggesting the US and NATO wind down their 10 year engagement in Afghanistan. The cartoon above sheds light on that question. (cartoon by KAL)

Where Osama Bin Laden was found

The death of big time bad guy Osama Bin Laden prompted a worldwide celebration.

Now a hangover is settling in.

The raid at Bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan took place a short walk from the nation’s military academy (like West Point). The Economist reports

Local residents say that police regularly swept the area, roughly once a week, checking residents’ IDs and sometimes looking inside homes. It is hard to believe that this house could have escaped scrutiny for long.

Some think it is hard to believe important people in Pakistan did not know the presence of Bin Laden in their midst.

This is a reminder of Pakistan’s uncomfortably cozy relationship with extremist groups.

While the government fights terrorist groups with vigor on one hand, other elements in the government turn a blind eye.

The country of 200 million people is a combustible mix of tribes and religions. Political stability in Pakistan remains elusive with leading politicians, even Prime Ministers living in fear of assassination.

To make things worse, it borders on the tumultuous state of Afghanistan where Taliban extremists use Pakistan’s mountain as hideaways.

To help keep Pakistan from tumbling into civil war, the United States gives nearly $3 Billion in aid to the country. Why?

Pakistan has a large arsenal of nuclear weapons.

Should Pakistan dissolve into chaos, the extremist groups already present in the country may get access to some true terror.

Thanks to the death of Bin Laden Pakistan is currently the center of the world’s attention… and will likely remain a central focus for years to come.