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Dear Heavenly Father, Praise I praise you today as the God who longs to bless and not to curse. I say with Paul, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Eph 1:3 NASB). Everything I have flows from my union with Jesus. In Him, I have “redemption through his blood,” in Him, I have “obtained an inheritance,” and in Him, I was “sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” (Eph 1:7, 11, 13). Praise the Lord! Today in Your Word Today you told me about the two paths you set before your people. The path of obedience led to health, prosperity and blessing, while the path of rebellion led to disease, poverty and death. As I read the curses you promised for disobedience, I could almost feel the heat coming off the page. At first glance, they seemed like the threats of a jealous lover, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized how high the stakes were. You had chosen Israel to be a kingdom of priests, and you wanted them to draw the rest of the world to you. If they rebelled, they would not only be rejecting you, they would also be frustrating your desire to reach the nations. No wonder the discipline was so severe! Indeed, it should come as no surprise that you discipline me today, for the church is now your chosen instrument to reach the world for Christ. I need to heed your voice and rejoice that you are treating me as a son (Heb 12:5–11). At the end of the curses, I was glad to see that even in the midst of ruin, there is hope. You are a God of forgiveness and restoration, and you provided Israel a way back from apostasy. If they humbled themselves, confessed their sins and turned from evil, “Then I will remember my covenant with Jacob” (Lev 26:42). How wonderful to serve a God who welcomes back the wayward child! Reflection When Paul warned the Corinthians not to be yoked together with unbelievers, he quoted Leviticus 26:11 to show that Christians are the “temple of the living God” (2 Cor 6:16). Am I careful to avoid partnering with unbelievers in my business dealings and relationships? Request Father, keep me from being polluted by the world (Jam 1:27). Enable me to be salt and light in a wicked and perverse generation, and help me to cling always to you in faith and obedience (Matt 5:13–16). Thanksgiving Thank you for the promise that you will welcome those who separate themselves from the world: “I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty” (2 Cor 6:17–18). In Jesus’ name, Amen. Suggested Hymn: “Trust and Obey” by John H. Sammis. Meditation Verse: Leviticus 26:11–12. |