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Wednesday, February 10, 2016

The Devotional - Israel an example



The Devotional
Comment: I recall to mind Your Word to Your servant, I have hope because of Your Word, thus I have comfort in affliction, and it is Your Word that has given me life. It is the proud of heart that ridicule, yet this does not move or turn me away from Your Law. I do recall Your judgments of old ‘O LORD’ and in these I find perfect comfort and peace. I express anger at the unjust, indignation has taken its hold of me on those who forsake your Law. Yet I sing of your statutes in the house of the LORD, songs of praise and worship. Also LORD, I remember your Name in the night, my pillow is witness to my thoughts of you. I keep your Law because You have given them to me and because I love your precepts. (Prayerful thoughts concerning Psalm 119:49-56.)

Devotional: The blessing of God on a nation is promised when the nation as a whole looks to God for peace and safety. So what do you think? Does our nation flourish in peace and safety? Do we not seek to guard children and adults with restrictive laws of fear? And do we not arm city and federal governments with weapons, while restricting law abiding citizens from self-protecting weapons? If you answer three of these four questions with NO, then you are blinded by this worlds’ system of darkness.

Some of the things that remove the LORD’s blessing from a nation are: Idolatry, disobedience and ignorance toward God. Abortion, adultery, fornication, homosexuality and parental dysfunction. Now think before you answer; is any or all of these things common in our land of the free? Are these not common in our communities, in our neighborhood and found within our own families? Do not be a fool and say NO! Admit this to God, not me… I do not want to hear, but the LORD God, the Creator seeks for you and me to confess and change our mind about our nations’ sins and failures.

Yes I know some of you think, I am at it again, critical of mind and bitter of spirit. Might I remind you that what God promises to Israel ‘blessing and cursing’ He promises to all nations, tribes, tongues and people groups! Israel is revealed to us as an example of how God views all nations. You could also say that Israel is a Template of how we ought to live. In obedience to blessing or in disobedience to God and cursing. See 1 Corinthians 10:1-15.

'But if you do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments, and if you despise My statutes, or if your soul abhors My judgments, so that you do not perform all My commandments, but break My covenant, I also will do this to you: I will even appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever which shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. I will set My face against you, and you shall be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you shall reign over you, and you shall flee when no one pursues you’ – Leviticus 26:14-17 if you have the time, read the whole chapter. Leviticus 26:1-46.

Like as to Israel, God reveals that there is time for us as a nation and as individuals to turn from our ways, ways that are an abomination to God. This is found in Leviticus 26 as well, verses 40 through 45. Our personal sin and our national sin have rendered us as a nation spiritually dead and physically weakened. We need to repent (change our mind) from the direction this nation is going in. Political positioning will not accomplish what only God can fix. Nationally we have wandered from the TRUTH. James 5:19-20 – Brethren if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. So go ahead pray for national repentance, you will be happy you did.

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