"Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments.., blessed shall you be....But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe all His commandments"------------- (From Deuteronomy 28)
My main modus operandi for the APF devotionals is to share with you what I encounter in my daily Bible reading schedule; today's text is such. This approach to Bible reading/ study prevents "picking and choosing" what I want to hear and what I want to pass on. The agenda of Jesus Christ in His Words is as Paul states to the Philippians, according to the Phillip's paraphrase, "It doesn't bore me to repeat a piece of advice like this, and if you follow it you will find it a great safeguard to your souls." I can think of no better way to describe the great life-impartation of the, "God-Breathed," Words.
Deuteronomy 28 contains some of the most wonderful promises in Scripture------------- and some of the most fearful. 14 verses are committed to "blessings;" 54 verses are committed to "curses." Why such a seeming disproportionate emphasis? Could it be that the Father wanted the world to know just what Jesus took, "in His Own Body on the Tree," for sinful, disobedient humanity? Could it be that He wanted man to know just how despicable and utterly destructive to humanity is the curse of sin, ripping apart families, hatred among ethnic groups, wars and commensurate famine? Could it be that while the sufferings of this present age are not worthy to be compared to the glory to come, the suffering and eternal damnation which sin brings is the same?!
The bible declares of the Living Triune, "God is love." Everything God says, all His commands, his everything is, "God is love." When people forget this or try to interpret God's action among men and nations in their own reasoning, they will write off the Bible and the Lord God revealed in Jesus Christ as some evil, vindictive, uncaring god. When we see God as the Bible says, "in the face of Jesus Christ," that is not the "god" we see. We see Him Who is "The Eternal One," God of creation, redemption, forgiveness, Eternal life, God Who in Jesus Christ, "redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us," God Who in Jesus Christ goes out of His "way" to raise a widow's only son. All the curses in the 54 verses of Deuteronomy 28, Jesus, "redeemed us," from. But do not listen to those who say that means no matter what a person does, his choices, his disobedience even as a "believer" does not have "curse consequences." My sin was nailed to the Cross, but my disobedience will reap "curse consequences."
Our mandate is to walk in the redemption, "from the curse of the law," in Jesus Christ, and, to walk in the obedience reward of Deuteronomy 28:1-14. The curse warnings are for the good of humanity, not the destruction; disobedience brings that. The Good News of Jesus Christ in His Shed Blood, Death, and Resurrection is that man does not have to live Deuteronomy 28:15-68!
Father, in Jesus' Name, help me to walk in the fear and joy of Your Words. Amen.
***************
I posted an article about motherhood around the globe at:
www.jerusalemberlinwashington.blogspot.com
My main modus operandi for the APF devotionals is to share with you what I encounter in my daily Bible reading schedule; today's text is such. This approach to Bible reading/ study prevents "picking and choosing" what I want to hear and what I want to pass on. The agenda of Jesus Christ in His Words is as Paul states to the Philippians, according to the Phillip's paraphrase, "It doesn't bore me to repeat a piece of advice like this, and if you follow it you will find it a great safeguard to your souls." I can think of no better way to describe the great life-impartation of the, "God-Breathed," Words.
Deuteronomy 28 contains some of the most wonderful promises in Scripture------------- and some of the most fearful. 14 verses are committed to "blessings;" 54 verses are committed to "curses." Why such a seeming disproportionate emphasis? Could it be that the Father wanted the world to know just what Jesus took, "in His Own Body on the Tree," for sinful, disobedient humanity? Could it be that He wanted man to know just how despicable and utterly destructive to humanity is the curse of sin, ripping apart families, hatred among ethnic groups, wars and commensurate famine? Could it be that while the sufferings of this present age are not worthy to be compared to the glory to come, the suffering and eternal damnation which sin brings is the same?!
The bible declares of the Living Triune, "God is love." Everything God says, all His commands, his everything is, "God is love." When people forget this or try to interpret God's action among men and nations in their own reasoning, they will write off the Bible and the Lord God revealed in Jesus Christ as some evil, vindictive, uncaring god. When we see God as the Bible says, "in the face of Jesus Christ," that is not the "god" we see. We see Him Who is "The Eternal One," God of creation, redemption, forgiveness, Eternal life, God Who in Jesus Christ, "redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us," God Who in Jesus Christ goes out of His "way" to raise a widow's only son. All the curses in the 54 verses of Deuteronomy 28, Jesus, "redeemed us," from. But do not listen to those who say that means no matter what a person does, his choices, his disobedience even as a "believer" does not have "curse consequences." My sin was nailed to the Cross, but my disobedience will reap "curse consequences."
Our mandate is to walk in the redemption, "from the curse of the law," in Jesus Christ, and, to walk in the obedience reward of Deuteronomy 28:1-14. The curse warnings are for the good of humanity, not the destruction; disobedience brings that. The Good News of Jesus Christ in His Shed Blood, Death, and Resurrection is that man does not have to live Deuteronomy 28:15-68!
Father, in Jesus' Name, help me to walk in the fear and joy of Your Words. Amen.
***************
I posted an article about motherhood around the globe at:
www.jerusalemberlinwashington.blogspot.com
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
