Bible Challenge--Book of Deuteronomy

On the plane from Dallas to Providence (with a layover in Atlanta) I had quite a bit of free time, so I was able to work through all of the book of Deuteronomy and about a quarter of Joshua.  I'll admit I'm a little sad to leave Moses behind as the Israelites cross the Jordan into the promised land.  The last scene of Moses standing on the mountain beholding the fullness of the land he led his people into but cannot enter himself is quite moving.  A bittersweet end to a long journey.  Moses and the people faced countless struggles, and not without a good amount of whining.  But ultimately, they followed God's commands, and heeded God's warnings when they faltered.  Over and over in Moses' addresses he comments that the people are a "stubborn" people.  It is clear that God is not giving them this land because of anything they did, but because they are his chosen people.  God made a covenant with Abraham, and God is true to His word.  We are like the Hebrew people in that we cannot do anything to make us worthy of God's love.  We must strive to love God with all our heart and mind and soul, but we can take comfort that when we fail, and we all do now and then, God will still love us.  He will still forgive us.  He will keep his promise, and we, too, can cross the Jordan into the Promised Land.