Overtaken by Blessings

 

 

  

Deut 28:1-2

 

"Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord  your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord  your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord  your God..."    NKJV

I have worked from home for our youngest child's whole life. Although it is a tremendous blessing to be with him (and my older children as well) it is quite a challenge to get much done with a preschooler underfoot and only 1-2 days per week of child care.  Because of that, I have often found it cheaper to bribe him than to hire a babysitter.  I negotiate with him, "Andrew, if you will play and let me work from now until Daddy comes home, I will take you to the Dollar Tree and get two prizes!" Two dollars is cheap childcare by most anyone's standards.  The pitfall to that is that he began to think that every time he was good he should be rewarded with a prize.   A habit I neither want, nor can afford, to perpetuate!

 

When I read the first few verses of Deuteronomy 28, I get so excited about all of the blessings that the Lord outlines that are available to me, His child!  I deserve death, judgment and an eternity in hell, but He saved me- and gave me everlasting life.  How could I dare to ever hope for more than that? And yet I can do much more than hope!  I can rest in His promise that it will come to pass.

 

It pleases the heart of God when we grant Him lordship and obey his decrees.  His commandments are for out benefit.  They are given to keep us from bondage, pain and sickness.  Avoiding the things that He prohibits is a blessing in itself.  But He will place an additional blessing for obedience on top of that.  It is essentially a triple-fold blessing.  That is the best deal around!

 

Are there areas of life that seem to be cursed?  Do you feel impoverished rather than blessed?  I urge you to check out the rest of this passage to see if you can find an area of concern that you can correct, and put yourself back under the spout of God's  provision and blessing.

 

Dear Lord, thank you for all of the wonderful blessings that you constantly pour out into my life.  Show me any areas where I am not walking in obedience.  I desire to  walk i the center of your will for my life.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

                                         

Light Loving

 

"Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.  This is how we know that  we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.  This is love for God: to obey his commands.  And his commands are not burdensome,"  I John 5:1-2

 

"I would serve God, but there are too many rules!"  You have heard the excuses from people, just as I have.  Unsaved people tend to think that Christianity is a burdensome list of do's and don'ts that we laboriously carry out like robots.  It is not surprising that people feel that way.  For one thing, Satan is the deceiver, and he likes to present the gospel to people as too much trouble.  Another reason is that (possibly) well-meaning people have so legalized Christianity with their own rules that they make it seem unappealing to those on the outside.

 

The truth of the matter is, there is no greater joy in all the world than walking with God.  There is no greater delight than basking in his presence.  Obeying God's commands brings fulfillment that cannot be found in any other way.  For a child who feels loved by his parents, and who loves his parents in return, obedience is not hard to do.  When we are motivated by love, the grace to carry out the commands comes easily.

 

The Bible is full of the commands of God.  Some are reflected in the Ten Commandments, others  are found  in the New Testament.  They all tie back to loving God and loving people.  This endeavor is a lifelong pursuit that we meet with relative success at times and failure at others.

 

The commands of God are not burdensome because he lives inside of us and gives us what we need to complete it.  He shapes our motives and character and enables us to want what he wants.  He gifts us with the Holy Spirit to enable us to become more like him and to empower us to do his  will.  If we are only willing, God offers a no-fail plan of success.  He can redeem even our mistakes and turn it for our good.  What an amazing God we serve!

 

 

Dear Lord, help me be obedient to your commands.  Help me live your Word in my everyday life.   In Jesus' Name. Amen.

 

Sherri

 

 

 

Steps to a Successful Life

 

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin.  But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense- Jesus Christ, the righteous One.  He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but for the sins of the whole world.  We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.  The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.  But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him:  Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning.  The old command is the message you have heard.” I John 2:1-7

Jesus came into the world not to abolish the law, but rather to fulfill it.  Every principle in the 10 Commandments was righteously fulfilled in Christ.  But not only those, but all commands in the Old Testament and New Testament were fulfilled in Jesus.  Additionally, all prophecies about the coming Messiah were wholly fulfilled in Him.  Jesus is the beginning and ending of all things.

Thus, the command to walk as Jesus did in verse six is not a new command.  If we walk as he walked, then we will not sin against any other command given in the Word of God.  If we walk as he did, we won’t have to add anything extra to our way of living.  We will be wholly pleasing in the eyes of God.

I love the beauty and totality of the Bible.  Anything foreshadowed in the Old Testament is fulfilled (in Christ) in the New Testament.  It is a breath-taking tapestry beautifully and intricately interwoven throughout time.  The theme of his love, his holiness, his purpose for us and his desire to see us reconciled unto him, all of it is shown in Jesus’ life and in the Word.

I challenge you to begin to purpose in your heart to do it the way Jesus did.  No excuses, no rationalizations.  Just living in his steps. Recently, my husband and I were walking through dense woods with hidden holes, vines and thorns hanging everywhere.  My six-foot-four husband walked in front of me, navigating the landscape, holding the briars and pulling the vines off the path.  As long as I walked right in his footsteps, I was not likely to be harmed.  If we just put our steps trustingly into the larger footprints that he left, we will finish this life knowing we will one day here the much-coveted words “Well done my good and faithful servant.  Enter into the joys of the Lord.

Jesus, help me to pattern my life after you.  Help me to be a true follower of yours, and not in name only.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri

To Know Him is to Obey Him

“We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.”  I John 2:3

 Are the commands of Jesus optional?  Many Christians live as if they can approach the Bible as a menu.  They pick and choose which commands they want to obey, and those which they want to skip.  They choose promises they want to stand on, but ignore rebukes and warnings.  Is such a person a Christian at all?

According to this passage, the proof that we know Christ is IF we obey his commands.  If we read the Word, if we put it into practice, then we can be sure we know Him.

This truth seems so simplistic and elementary that you may be wondering why I would belabor the point at all.  I guess the bottom-line for me is the number of people who would check “Christian” as a religious preference, but yet do nothing that would affiliate them with Christ in word or deed.  There is no proof they are following His path.

Jesus paid the price for our sin.  We cannot add anything to His sacrifice.  The bill for our redemption is paid in full.  But that does not mean that following Christ will not cost us anything.  The commands of Jesus are often foreign to our fleshly nature and therefore are difficult to carry out.  But carry them out, we must, if we know Christ.

There are many public figures that I feel I know because I have read so much about them, or watched enough of their shows. But if someone were to tell them that I was there to see them, their response would be “Sherri who?”

I want to live in such a way that I can be sure I know Christ and He can be sure that He knows me.  We have to live a life of convincing proof, because as the Bible declares, we are an epistle of God, read of all men.  (II Cor. 3:2)

Dear Lord, help me to live out your commands.  Please help me to be steadfast in following you; letting your Word be my guide rather than my own feelings.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri