March 1 - Deuteronomy 28 - 30

Good Morning! It's the Lord's day! I love my Sunday School class!

Please pray with me concerning a couple of matters:
1) My dear friend, Ronnie Metsker, who is in the initial stages of developing a new ministry and raising funds. Ronnie is the son of Al Metsker, founder of Kansas City Youth For Christ.
2) A revival and prophecy conference I will be speaking at on March 20-22 - Calvary Baptist Church in Leavenworth, Ks.

In today's reading, Moses is continuing to remind Israel of the blessings and cursings that come as a result of either following God and not. Here are a few "take-aways" we get out of these 3 chapters:

1) The Lord is NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS! In chapter 28, we see that very clearly! As Moses goes through the incredible list of how much God will bless the Israelites if they are obedient, he spends nearly twice as much time going through the list of how awful it will be for the Israelites if they are NOT obedient! In fact, Moses says something very astounding in verse 63, "Just as the Lord has found great pleasure in causing you to prosper and multiply, the Lord will find pleasure in destroying you."

In other words, God is basically saying that it's up to them! He will simply respond in direct correlation to the way they react to His instructions.

Even today, it's important for us to know that God feels the very same way about us! He is no respecter of persons. He will respond to you in the same way you act towards Him. It's our choice. It's up to us whether God will bless us or curse us. If we willfully choose to disobey Him, God says, "Ok...I have no choice but to attempt to correct your behavior." He will do whatever is necessary to cause us to change the direction of our lives and live for Him. Eventually, His patience will wear out! The Scriptures are very clear on that! Although He is longsuffering, He has a limit to what He will bear.

In fact, the cursings you read about in chapter 28, actually all took place! You'll read about them throughout the book of Jeremiah!

2) To whom much is given, much is required! The chilling truth Moses gives to the Israelites is that those Israelites to whom he was talking to in the present, as well as those who will be born in the future (vs.19), are under the covenant with God. Moses reminds them of their awesome responsibility to follow God's commands like no other nation. That's because no other nation throughout the world has had the wonderful privilege of personally knowing and seeing God, His character, His glory, His power, and His very nature than the Israelite nation! In vs.29, Moses says to them... "The Lord our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us..."

For those of us who are Christians today, the responsibility is the same! God has made known Himself, His glory, His faithfulness, and His nature to us. We will be held more accountable for holy living and Godly obedience than those who've never heard the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ! Jesus, Himself, tells us of this truth when He said in Luke 12:48, "For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

3) The key to life is loving the Lord! In another chilling statement, Moses begins chapter 30 by stating in verse 1, "In the future, when you experience all these blessings and curses I have listed for you..." Notice what he said! It's not "if you experience all these...", Moses says, "when...."! Moses was telling them that they will be blessed initially, but that eventually the nation of Israel will fall away from God and the list of curses WILL HAPPEN! I can only imagine what they might have been thinking at that time.

Moses, once again, offers them a choice when He says (vs.19), "Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessing and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make."

Then he reminds them, "loving the Lord your God, obeying Him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life."

What would you do? And, what would you do to ensure your children and grandchildren will walk holy before God? These chapters are stirring!

Have a wonderful day in the Lord!