Obedience brings Blessings - Part 1

These verses are a listing of your blessings when doing things God’s way. Verses 15-68 are the opposite - curses, regrets and failures if you don’t. The brain finds it easier to do “what” vs. "what not,” so if you are motivated by positive things, these verses are for you.  

Deuteronomy 28:1-14 (TLB) 28 “If you fully obey all of these commandments of the Lord your God, the laws I am declaring to you today, God will transform you into the greatest nation in the world. 2-6 These are the blessings that will come upon you:

Blessings in the city, Blessings in the field; Many children, Ample crops, Large flocks and herds; Blessings of fruit and bread; Blessings when you come in,

Blessings when you go out.

7 “The Lord will defeat your enemies before you; they will march out together against you but scatter before you in seven directions! 8 The Lord will bless you with good crops and healthy cattle, and prosper everything you do when you arrive in the land the Lord your God is giving you. 9 He will change you into a holy people dedicated to himself; this he has promised to do if you will only obey him and walk in his ways. 10 All the nations in the world shall see that you belong to the Lord, and they will stand in awe. 11 “The Lord will give you an abundance of good things in the land, just as he promised: many children, many cattle, and abundant crops. 12 He will open to you his wonderful treasury of rain in the heavens, to give you fine crops every season. He will bless everything you do; and you shall lend to many nations, but shall not borrow from them. 13 If you will only listen and obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, he will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall always have the upper hand. 14 But each of these blessings depends on your not turning aside in any way from the laws I have given you; and you must never worship other gods. 

7/30/2023

The Wedding Feast

Wanting to be “where the action is” or to mingle with the “best people” is human. Contrast the Kingdom of God: You wait on God’s instructions of where you are needed and when. He directs you and never steers you wrong. Deference and humility to God is rewarded. 

Luke 14:7-14 (TLB) 7 When he noticed that all who came to the dinner were trying to sit near the head of the table, he gave them this advice: 8 “If you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t always head for the best seat. For if someone more respected than you shows up, 9 the host will bring him over to where you are sitting and say, ‘Let this man sit here instead.’ And you, embarrassed, will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table! 10 “Do this instead—start at the foot; and when your host sees you he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better place than this for you!’ Thus you will be honored in front of all the other guests. 11 For everyone who tries to honor himself shall be humbled; and he who humbles himself shall be honored.” 12 Then he turned to his host. “When you put on a dinner,” he said, “don’t invite friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors! For they will return the invitation. 13 Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14 Then at the resurrection of the godly, God will reward you for inviting those who can’t repay you.”

7/23/2023

The Prayer of Jabez

This verse in the Old Testament was made into the book, The Prayer of Jabez. The verse is short and simple: Acknowledge God as your source. Talk to him.  Ask him to bless your efforts and make you worthy.  If this is your desire, he will protect, guide and heal you.

1 Chronicles 4:10 (NIV) 10 Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.

7/24/2023

The Ten Bridesmaids

Finding matters of this earth more irresistible than eternal ones will cause you to miss opportunities in your spiritual destiny.  These bridesmaids knew how important it was to prepare their lamps but only half of them did.  Lip service and knowing are not the same as doing.

Matthew 25:1-13 (TLB) 25 “The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2-4 But only five of them were wise enough to fill their lamps with oil, while the other five were foolish and forgot. 5-6 “So, when the bridegroom was delayed, they lay down to rest until midnight, when they were roused by the shout, ‘The bridegroom is coming! Come out and welcome him!’ 7-8 “All the girls jumped up and trimmed their lamps. Then the five who hadn’t any oil begged the others to share with them, for their lamps were going out. 9 “But the others replied, ‘We haven’t enough. Go instead to the shops and buy some for yourselves.’ 10 “But while they were gone, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked. 11 “Later, when the other five returned, they stood outside, calling, ‘Sir, open the door for us!’ 12 “But he called back, ‘Go away! It is too late!’ 13 “So stay awake and be prepared, for you do not know the date or moment of my return.

7/9/2023

Counting the Cost

All freedom has a price and Christ's freedom has a price too. He says you must make a decision to have it and that includes accepting there is a cost you might not want to pay, such as loss of friends, up to and including losing your life even.  Freedom isn't free but it is worth it.

Luke 14:28-33 (TPT) 28 So don’t follow me without considering what it will cost you. For who would construct a house before first sitting down to estimate the cost to complete it? 29 Otherwise he may lay the foundation and not be able to finish. The neighbors will ridicule him, saying, 30 ‘Look at him! He started to build but couldn’t complete it!’ 31 “Have you ever heard of a commander who goes out to war without first sitting down with strategic planning to determine the strength of his army to win the war[c] against a stronger opponent? 32 If he knows he doesn’t stand a chance of winning the war, the wise commander will send out delegates to ask for the terms of peace. 33 Likewise, unless you surrender all to me, giving up all you possess, you cannot be one of my disciples.

7/2/2023

The Pearl

In Jesus’ time, pearls were of prime monetary value. This is not so true today but the meaning of the parable is the same. You hold great value in your hand as you choose to enter into relationship with God. It is worth any investment you make in it. 

Matthew 13:45-46 (TLB) 45 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a pearl merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. 46 He discovered a real bargain—a pearl of great value—and sold everything he owned to purchase it!

6/25/2023

Came to believe that a power greater.....

 

“Came to believe there was a power greater than ourselves….”  Addicts must have the faith of a child when they work this step of recovery. Those literally at the end of their tether “get it” more than those who believe they are a “good person” because of some successes.

Luke 18:16-17 (TLB) 16-17 Then Jesus called the children over to him and said to the disciples, “Let the little children come to me! Never send them away! For the Kingdom of God belongs to men who have hearts as trusting as these little children’s. And anyone who doesn’t have their kind of faith will never get within the Kingdom’s gates.”

6/18/2023

Angels Cull the Bad Fish

There are all kinds of good and bad in this world.  Not everyone wants you to do well. Still, God and his angels are watching over you.  The angels will come and cull the bad fish is God’s promise they are guiding you as you let them. 

Matthew 13: 47-50 (MSG)  47-50 “Or, God’s kingdom is like a fishnet cast into the sea, catching all kinds of fish. When it is full, it is hauled onto the beach. The good fish are picked out and put in a tub; those unfit to eat are thrown away. That’s how it will be when the curtain comes down on history. The angels will come and cull the bad fish and throw them in the garbage. There will be a lot of desperate complaining, but it won’t do any good.”

6/11/2023

A God of Justice

 

Many avoid the Old Testament because they think it shows an angry God who kills and destroys his people. The 3 verses below explain the truth of the matter.  God is a god who allows justice. God’s people in Jerusalem were not exempt.  Verse 3 explains why.

Lamentations 1:1–3 (TLB) 1 Jerusalem’s streets, once thronged with people, are silent now. Like a widow broken with grief, she sits alone in her mourning. She, once queen of nations, is now a slave. 2 She sobs through the night; tears run down her cheeks. Among all her lovers, there is none to help her. All her friends are now her enemies. 3 Why is Judah led away, a slave? Because of all the wrong she did to others, making them her slaves. Now she sits in exile far away. There is no rest, for those she persecuted have turned and conquered her.

6/4/2023

Yeast and Faith

As with the mustard seed, faith in God starts small. As you learn and apply yourself to God’s ways, it is like the small amount of yeast found in a loaf of bread.  It spreads itself throughout your mind and behavior and you rise to the Lord’s call on your life. 

Luke 13: 20-21  (TLB) 20-21 “It is like yeast kneaded into dough, which works unseen until it has risen high and light.”

5/28/2023

Wheat among the Weeds

 

The enemy loves to disrupt your connection with God each time you progress in understanding and faith. The promises of God exist among the lies of the world just as weeds grow with good crops. Keep to God’s Word and he will remove the weeds at harvest.

Matthew 13:24-30 (TLB)  24 Here is another illustration Jesus used: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer sowing good seed in his field; 25 but one night as he slept, his enemy came and sowed thistles among the wheat. 26 When the crop began to grow, the thistles grew too. 27 “The farmer’s men came and told him, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that choice seed is full of thistles!’ 28 “‘An enemy has done it,’ he exclaimed. “‘Shall we pull out the thistles?’ they asked. 29 “‘No,’ he replied. ‘You’ll hurt the wheat if you do. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and I will tell the reapers to sort out the thistles and burn them, and put the wheat in the barn.’”

5/21/2023

The Two Sons

The sons in this parable represent why you look at what others actually do, not what they testify to.  Evil men and prostitutes can see this distinction more easily than those who think they are good people and point the finger at those they consider their lessers.

Matthew 21:28-32 (TLB)  28 “But what do you think about this? A man with two sons told the older boy, ‘Son, go out and work on the farm today.’ 29 ‘I won’t,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. 30 Then the father told the youngest, ‘You go!’ and he said, ‘Yes, sir, I will.’ But he didn’t. 31 Which of the two was obeying his father?” They replied, “The first, of course.” Then Jesus explained his meaning: “Surely evil men and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom before you do. 32 For John the Baptist told you to repent and turn to God, and you wouldn’t, while very evil men and prostitutes did. And even when you saw this happening, you refused to repent, and so you couldn’t believe.

5/14/2023

If you have ears, listen!

 

Your listening varies, depending on what motivates you. To listen for God, you must know it is worth it and spend time each day consciously building your relationship with him.  When you really listen to God, the results are exponentially beyond comparison. 

Mark 4:3-9 (TLB) 3 “Listen! A farmer decided to sow some grain. As he scattered it across his field, 4 some of it fell on a path, and the birds came and picked it off the hard ground and ate it. 5-6 Some fell on thin soil with underlying rock. It grew up quickly enough, but soon wilted beneath the hot sun and died because the roots had no nourishment in the shallow soil. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns that shot up and crowded the young plants so that they produced no grain. 8 But some of the seeds fell into good soil and yielded thirty times as much as he had planted—some of it even sixty or a hundred times as much! 9 If you have ears, listen!”

5/7/2023

Sins that Continue to this Day

 

Violence, crime, pride, refusing correction, not trusting or seeking God, leaders out for all they can get, predatory judges, “prophets” seeking their own gain, priests acting contrary to God’s laws - these were sins in Zephaniah’s time; sins that continue to this day.

Zephaniah 3:1-5 (TLB) 3 Woe to filthy, sinful Jerusalem, city of violence and crime. 2 In her pride she won’t listen even to the voice of God. No one can tell her anything; she refuses all correction. She does not trust the Lord nor seek for God. 3 Her leaders are like roaring lions hunting for their victims—out for everything that they can get. Her judges are like ravenous wolves at evening time, who by dawn have left no trace of their prey. 4 Her “prophets” are liars seeking their own gain; her priests defile the Temple by their disobedience to God’s laws. 5 But the Lord is there within the city, and he does no wrong. Day by day his justice is more evident, but no one heeds—the wicked know no shame.

4/30/2023

Never Enough Lust and Shame

Acting upon what you know is wrong is akin to cavorting with prostitutes who never have enough of lust and shame. Unhealthy secrets and addictions are nurtured in this way. Sooner or later you find yourself a citizen of hell and bringing heartache to all around you.  

Proverbs 9:13-18 (TLB) A prostitute is loud and brash and never has enough of lust and shame. 14 She sits at the door of her house or stands at the street corners of the city, 15 whispering to men going by and to those minding their own business. 16 “Come home with me,” she urges simpletons. 17 “Stolen melons are the sweetest; stolen apples* taste the best!” 18 But they don’t realize that her former guests are now citizens of hell.

4/23/2023

The Stronger One

 

Those involved in evil are particularly adept at hiding stolen goods and schemes. It seems they get the upper hand and only gain ground.  Satan is fully capable, strong and fully armed - until you call on God.  God is the stronger; always has been and always will be.

Luke 11:21-22 (TLB) “For when Satan, strong and fully armed, guards his palace, it is safe— 22 until someone stronger and better armed attacks and overcomes him and strips him of his weapons and carries off his belongings.

4/16/2023

Wineskins

 

Coming to Christ you want God’s way of living, not your own. You don’t want your previous outlook, you want God’s.  Your previous taut and worn wineskins of mind are replaced with new ones that are flexible in heart and mind and you now know and appreciate God’s gifts to you.

Matthew 9:16-17 (TLB) 16 “And who would patch an old garment with unshrunk cloth? For the patch would tear away and make the hole worse. 17 And who would use old wineskins to store new wine? For the old skins would burst with the pressure, and the wine would be spilled and skins ruined. Only new wineskins are used to store new wine. That way both are preserved."

4/9/2023

Commandments

 

The word “commandment” in the Bible infers a mandatory order from God. Another way to think about it is God directs you to bring specific behavior under YOUR “command” or dominion.  Everything so noted in the Bible is something YOU decide to make a part of your character.

Exodus 20:6 (TLB) 6 but I lavish my love upon thousands of those who love me and obey my commandments.

4/2/2023