Deut. 16:20 - "'Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, that you may live and possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you.'"
There is a pattern seen here; "That you may live and possess the land." We are seeing that there are rules and regulations that must be adhered to in order for the Israelites to experience the blessing of "full living" and "peaceful possession" of the land. In this verse, they must live justly in the land. They are not to "distort justice or take bribes or be partial," according to verse 19. In other words, they shall not be corrupt or allow anyone to corrupt them. When they stand firm on what is right in the eyes of the Lord, if they treat all as equals and defend the defenceless, God will bless them in that land. If you think about what the heart goes through when one is trying to cheat another, to get revenge, or to cause another to fail, you see a heart that is motivated out of self-ambition, jealousy, anger, envy, and the eyes are totally focused on "self". That is what God is trying to warn his people against. He doesn't want them to become selfish and so self-absorbed on what they can get and how they can better themselves that they forget who He is. I believe there are many societies in this world who have forgotten who God is. Politicians rule out of fear and selfish gain, if not for themselves, for their own political party. They have forgotten what it means to look up and to see who God is, therefore, they are not experiencing the promised blessing of the fullness of life and peaceful possession of their land. "Whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is right (just), whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think (dwell) on these things. (Phil. 4:8)" Are we doing this? As a nation, I think not. Look at the blessing we miss out corporately. But I do believe, individually we must strive for "just" living, and when we do, He blesses us.
Saturday, August 23, 2014
Friday, August 22, 2014
Promise 58 from Deuteronomy: 16:15
Deut. 16:15 - "'Seven days you shall celebrate a feast to the Lord your God in the place which the Lord chooses, because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful.'"
The Lord delights to se His people joyful! The Israelites were told to plan a big party into their schedules because God was going to bless them. Instead of setting out to do their work in hopes of success, they already knew they were going to be successful, their crops would be plentiful and their herds will be large enough to have plenty to sacrifice, yet provide for their families. What if we too approached our work with expectations of success and not failure? What if we automatically planned in celebrations of success even before we laid a hand on the plough, in anticipation of God's blessings? God desires to bless us so that we will be joyful. Let's schedule in a joyous celebration in anticipation of God's blessing. He already promised that of His people, why not grasp ahold of it now?
The Lord delights to se His people joyful! The Israelites were told to plan a big party into their schedules because God was going to bless them. Instead of setting out to do their work in hopes of success, they already knew they were going to be successful, their crops would be plentiful and their herds will be large enough to have plenty to sacrifice, yet provide for their families. What if we too approached our work with expectations of success and not failure? What if we automatically planned in celebrations of success even before we laid a hand on the plough, in anticipation of God's blessings? God desires to bless us so that we will be joyful. Let's schedule in a joyous celebration in anticipation of God's blessing. He already promised that of His people, why not grasp ahold of it now?
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Promise 57 from Deuteronomy: 15:18
Deut. 15:18 - "'It shall not seem hard to you when you set him free, for he has given you six years with double the service of a hired man; so the Lord your God will bless you in whatever you do.'"
Some times we fall into a trap of thinking that God only has one way or answer for us for each decision that needs to be made. In this passage Moses is teaching the law on the sabbatical year. "If you purchase a kinsman as a slave, then on the 7th year, you set him/or her free. But if you all get along nicely and the slave doesn't want to leave then you have the choice to take him or her into your household to serve you forever, "You can keep them or let them go, the Lord will bless you in whatever you decide." Because the Lord knows us, if we are trustworthy, He will trust us and bless us with whatever decisions we make in life. Often times He throws many options out there and says, "Here, help yourself!" God is not a Dictator God, He is loving and compassionate and trusts those who love and honour Him. He will bless the choices we make, we can't go wrong.
Some times we fall into a trap of thinking that God only has one way or answer for us for each decision that needs to be made. In this passage Moses is teaching the law on the sabbatical year. "If you purchase a kinsman as a slave, then on the 7th year, you set him/or her free. But if you all get along nicely and the slave doesn't want to leave then you have the choice to take him or her into your household to serve you forever, "You can keep them or let them go, the Lord will bless you in whatever you decide." Because the Lord knows us, if we are trustworthy, He will trust us and bless us with whatever decisions we make in life. Often times He throws many options out there and says, "Here, help yourself!" God is not a Dictator God, He is loving and compassionate and trusts those who love and honour Him. He will bless the choices we make, we can't go wrong.
Monday, August 18, 2014
Promise 56 from Deuteronomy: 15:10
Deut. 15:10 - "'You shall generously give to him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing, the Lord your god will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings.'"
This verse is speaking about giving to a brother in need. The thing that sticks out to me in this verse is that it doesn't address the motivation or condition of the heart of the one in need, but of the heart of the one who is to give. There are many fine books out there that caution people to not be enablers for the poor, in other words, don't give so much so as to cause a dependent lifestyle on others. I know I question the motivation of those who beg: Are they lying to me? Are they just wanting drugs or alcohol? Have they chosen begging as their career? I don't want to give to one who lies to me about what they want the money for, or if a family member has a gambling addiction or has made poor choices in overspending. Out of distrust, or fear, we don't want to give to that brother or sister in need. But God doesn't put conditions on our giving, He says, 'give to him generously and don't be grieved in your heart.' The Lord delights in this, He promises to bless us in all we do as a result. We need to leave the motivation and condition of the heart to God and be responsible for our own.
This verse is speaking about giving to a brother in need. The thing that sticks out to me in this verse is that it doesn't address the motivation or condition of the heart of the one in need, but of the heart of the one who is to give. There are many fine books out there that caution people to not be enablers for the poor, in other words, don't give so much so as to cause a dependent lifestyle on others. I know I question the motivation of those who beg: Are they lying to me? Are they just wanting drugs or alcohol? Have they chosen begging as their career? I don't want to give to one who lies to me about what they want the money for, or if a family member has a gambling addiction or has made poor choices in overspending. Out of distrust, or fear, we don't want to give to that brother or sister in need. But God doesn't put conditions on our giving, He says, 'give to him generously and don't be grieved in your heart.' The Lord delights in this, He promises to bless us in all we do as a result. We need to leave the motivation and condition of the heart to God and be responsible for our own.
Saturday, August 16, 2014
Promise 55 from Deuteronomy: 15:6
Deut. 15:6 - "'For the Lord your God will bless you as He has promised you, and you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow; and you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you.'"
I think of the trillions of dollars of debt our country has because of the poor choices that our country's leaders have made and it saddens me. At one time, it was evident to see God's blessings over our country, but those were times when our leaders actually feared God and looked to Him for wisdom. Of course there are still God's blessings that flow throughout our land, but I just wonder how long He will tolerate the continued decisions that are made with no regard for Him. In order to get out of debt as a nation, we will have to depend on others, such as Japan or China. Maybe a good dose of humility is just what our nation needs. But to what cost? It just seems it would be so much easier to turn to God once again. He will bless us with the answers and bring us out of debt and into honour once again.
I think of the trillions of dollars of debt our country has because of the poor choices that our country's leaders have made and it saddens me. At one time, it was evident to see God's blessings over our country, but those were times when our leaders actually feared God and looked to Him for wisdom. Of course there are still God's blessings that flow throughout our land, but I just wonder how long He will tolerate the continued decisions that are made with no regard for Him. In order to get out of debt as a nation, we will have to depend on others, such as Japan or China. Maybe a good dose of humility is just what our nation needs. But to what cost? It just seems it would be so much easier to turn to God once again. He will bless us with the answers and bring us out of debt and into honour once again.
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Promise 54 from Deuteronomy: 15:4-5
Deut. 15:4-5 - "' However there will be no poor among you, since the Lord will surely bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, if only you listen obediently to the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all this commandment which I am commanding you today.'"
Oh, there are so many blessings we are missing out on as a society just because of either a lack of obedience to God or a lack of listening for God's voice. These two verses come after a command to forgive your debtors after 7 years. Who in this world does that? People hold onto debtors so closely until every penny is paid back, but not just those who owe financially, what about those who have caused offence? People will hold onto grudges for years and years, for some, way past seven years. Imagine what it would be like if we actually wrote off debt both financially and emotionally, forgiving both? Can you imagine the peace that would bring? Those who borrowed would be able to move forward and prosper, those who lent would have a peaceful mind and each offender and offended can go peacefully on their way. Not only will there not be poor among us materially but there wont be the poor attitudes of unforgiveness and bitterness in our hearts. This is God's promise, He will bless our land and there will be no poor among us, IF we are obedient to forgive others as He has forgiven us.
Oh, there are so many blessings we are missing out on as a society just because of either a lack of obedience to God or a lack of listening for God's voice. These two verses come after a command to forgive your debtors after 7 years. Who in this world does that? People hold onto debtors so closely until every penny is paid back, but not just those who owe financially, what about those who have caused offence? People will hold onto grudges for years and years, for some, way past seven years. Imagine what it would be like if we actually wrote off debt both financially and emotionally, forgiving both? Can you imagine the peace that would bring? Those who borrowed would be able to move forward and prosper, those who lent would have a peaceful mind and each offender and offended can go peacefully on their way. Not only will there not be poor among us materially but there wont be the poor attitudes of unforgiveness and bitterness in our hearts. This is God's promise, He will bless our land and there will be no poor among us, IF we are obedient to forgive others as He has forgiven us.
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Promise 53 from Deuteronomy: 14:29
Deut. 14:29 - "'The Levite because he has no portion or inheritance among you, and the alien, the orphan and the widow who are in your town, shall come and eat and be satisfied, in order that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.'"
Is it possible that we might be missing out on a blessing from God when we justify reasons for NOT giving to the poor, or think of the widows and orphans? I think the answer is "yes". We often times do not give out of fear of not having enough for our own children or think we might be "enabling dependency". However, God is very clear, in many passages of scripture, that we are to give to the poor, take care of the widows, orphans and foreigners in our land. I believe if all followers of Jesus really took this to heart, we would see greater prosperity in our land, in our schools, our health facilities and business', taxes would be lowered, people would be more content and happy in what they do because we would have the assurance of God's promise of blessings.
P.S. I realise that we live in a world where people manipulate the system for their own personal gain, and people who make soaking off of social services a career choice are in-numerous. This is why, we must, before we give, pray for that confirmation from the Lord and find out first if these people do fit that category of widow, orphan and foreigner, those who are in positions who truly can not help themselves. Maybe to help them is to give them a plot of land, a small place to live and a shovel of seeds. Maybe it is to give them a sewing machine and teach them to sow, or pay for a mechanics course and food and shelter in the meantime. There are many ways we can "feed" the poor. We want these people to feel "satisfied" in their own skin, usually that means, that have enough resources to help themselves and others. That means that they are healthy spiritually, physically, emotionally and socially. This is how they can be satisfied and taken care of.
Is it possible that we might be missing out on a blessing from God when we justify reasons for NOT giving to the poor, or think of the widows and orphans? I think the answer is "yes". We often times do not give out of fear of not having enough for our own children or think we might be "enabling dependency". However, God is very clear, in many passages of scripture, that we are to give to the poor, take care of the widows, orphans and foreigners in our land. I believe if all followers of Jesus really took this to heart, we would see greater prosperity in our land, in our schools, our health facilities and business', taxes would be lowered, people would be more content and happy in what they do because we would have the assurance of God's promise of blessings.
P.S. I realise that we live in a world where people manipulate the system for their own personal gain, and people who make soaking off of social services a career choice are in-numerous. This is why, we must, before we give, pray for that confirmation from the Lord and find out first if these people do fit that category of widow, orphan and foreigner, those who are in positions who truly can not help themselves. Maybe to help them is to give them a plot of land, a small place to live and a shovel of seeds. Maybe it is to give them a sewing machine and teach them to sow, or pay for a mechanics course and food and shelter in the meantime. There are many ways we can "feed" the poor. We want these people to feel "satisfied" in their own skin, usually that means, that have enough resources to help themselves and others. That means that they are healthy spiritually, physically, emotionally and socially. This is how they can be satisfied and taken care of.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)