Blessings & Curses

Blessings & Curses:

Black & White or Shades of Gray?

If you will listen diligently to the voice of the Lord your God, being watchful to do all His commandments which I command you this day, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you if you heed the voice of the Lord your God. -- Deut. 28:1-2

But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God, being watchful to do all His commandments and His statutes which I command you this day, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you: -- Deut. 28:15

Blessings. What a nice word! What person wouldn't want a big helping of blessings poured out in their life? I know I would!

Curses. Not such a nice word. I don't know many people who want to be on the receiving end of curses. I know I don't!

Blessings or curses. They are diametrically opposed. We are either receiving blessings from God or we are under a curse. That sounds so cut and dry. Surely there must be some nice middle ground - some place where we can just mind our own business and not be so extreme.

If you read the twenty-eighth chapter of Deuteronomy you'll see that God has listed the blessings we will receive for being obedient. He has also listed the curses we will receive for being disobedient. Try as I might, I can't find any gray area - and believe me, I've tried! You're either obedient or disobedient. You're either living in blessings or under curses.

I've got to be honest with you; obedience is not high on my list of favorite words. Between our natural tendencies toward rebellion and our society's propensity and acceptance of individualism and political correctness, well, obedience just doesn't come naturally to most people and it certainly doesn't for me. If we listen to the voices of this age we could very easily come to the conclusion that there is indeed a gray area where we can safely live, going about our daily lives, not bothering anyone and doing just fine, thank you very much. We could very easily come to the conclusion that our choices don't effect others nor do they carry any consequences. We should be able to live as we choose. But as believers in the Messiah, this is a very dangerous voice to heed. We, like the Israelites of long ago, have been given a choice - blessings or curses; life or death.

When we come to that place in our lives when we accept the atonement that Jesus has made for our sin, when we cross that line from darkness to light, something miraculous happens. We transfer our citizenship from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of heaven. We get a new passport and a new “birth” certificate. Why, our very nature becomes new. Admittedly it takes some time and learning in order for most of us to conform to the image of the Son of God, but God is faithful to complete the work that is started in us at the time of our accepting the Messiah.

If we call ourselves Christians, there should be more to our Christianity than merely attending church on Sunday mornings, Easter and Christmas. If we are disciples of Christ, our lives should begin to exude His nature, His qualities, His love - all of which become ours when we accept Him as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Part of this transformation is learning to make right decisions, decisions that are pleasing to God. These right choices would be the choices of obedience that God will honor by blessing our lives with every good thing He has in store for us. When we make wrong choices, choices that are in opposition to God's Word, we would then open ourselves up to the outworking of curses in our lives.

Yes, it sounds harsh, but God really has made it quite simple. He doesn't leave us high and dry with no guidance. He has given us everything we need in order to live the lives He has called us to live. He even tells us the answer that we should choose! “I call heaven and earth to witness this day against you that I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live” - Deuteronomy 30:19

God has called us to a higher standard through His Son. He has equipped us to be able to live up to that standard. During this season of joy and hope, when we celebrate the birth of our Messiah, accept the challenge. Let God wash you clean by His Holy Spirit, that you would be whiter than snow without a hint of gray to be found!

Back to Current Issue

12/02


	Blessings & Curses: Black & White or Shades of Gray? If you will listen diligently to the voice of the Lord your God, being watchful to do all His commandments which I command you this day, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you if you heed the voice of the Lord your God. -- Deut. 28:1-2 But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God, being watchful to do all His commandments and His statutes which I command you this day, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you: -- Deut. 28:15 Blessings. What a nice word! What person wouldn't want a big helping of blessings poured out in their life? I know I would! Curses. Not such a nice word. I don't know many people who want to be on the receiving end of curses. I know I don't! Blessings or curses. They are diametrically opposed. We are either receiving blessings from God or we are under a curse. That sounds so cut and dry. Surely there must be some nice middle ground - some place where we can just mind our own business and not be so extreme. If you read the twenty-eighth chapter of Deuteronomy you'll see that God has listed the blessings we will receive for being obedient. He has also listed the curses we will receive for being disobedient. Try as I might, I can't find any gray area - and believe me, I've tried! You're either obedient or disobedient. You're either living in blessings or under curses. I've got to be honest with you; obedience is not high on my list of favorite words. Between our natural tendencies toward rebellion and our society's propensity and acceptance of individualism and political correctness, well, obedience just doesn't come naturally to most people and it certainly doesn't for me. If we listen to the voices of this age we could very easily come to the conclusion that there is indeed a gray area where we can safely live, going about our daily lives, not bothering anyone and doing just fine, thank you very much. We could very easily come to the conclusion that our choices don't effect others nor do they carry any consequences. We should be able to live as we choose. But as believers in the Messiah, this is a very dangerous voice to heed. We, like the Israelites of long ago, have been given a choice - blessings or curses; life or death. When we come to that place in our lives when we accept the atonement that Jesus has made for our sin, when we cross that line from darkness to light, something miraculous happens. We transfer our citizenship from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of heaven. We get a new passport and a new “birth” certificate. Why, our very nature becomes new. Admittedly it takes some time and learning in order for most of us to conform to the image of the Son of God, but God is faithful to complete the work that is started in us at the time of our accepting the Messiah. If we call ourselves Christians, there should be more to our Christianity than merely attending church on Sunday mornings, Easter and Christmas. If we are disciples of Christ, our lives should begin to exude His nature, His qualities, His love - all of which become ours when we accept Him as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Part of this transformation is learning to make right decisions, decisions that are pleasing to God. These right choices would be the choices of obedience that God will honor by blessing our lives with every good thing He has in store for us. When we make wrong choices, choices that are in opposition to God's Word, we would then open ourselves up to the outworking of curses in our lives. Yes, it sounds harsh, but God really has made it quite simple. He doesn't leave us high and dry with no guidance. He has given us everything we need in order to live the lives He has called us to live. He even tells us the answer that we should choose! “I call heaven and earth to witness this day against you that I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live” - Deuteronomy 30:19 God has called us to a higher standard through His Son. He has equipped us to be able to live up to that standard. During this season of joy and hope, when we celebrate the birth of our Messiah, accept the challenge. Let God wash you clean by His Holy Spirit, that you would be whiter than snow without a hint of gray to be found! Back to Current Issue 12/02