We don’t like it when others try to play “head games” with us, giving us veiled clues as to how we might obtain their willingness to give us help or simply to give us things.
I am very thankful that God doesn’t play head games with His children.
He’s very clear in the scriptures regarding how we receive blessings and how we can receive chastisement.
If we honor Him by obeying the teachings of scripture, we’ll enjoy blessings that will thrill us and influence the unsaved world to consider the opportunity of salvation into a life of blessing. Consider these words from Deuteronomy 28:12-14 —
“The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.”
Wow. I really like the idea of being on the top shelf of blessing, not because I’m better than others but instead because I’m living closer to the pattern that endears me to the heart of God.
I like the idea of being the head, not the tail.
And that status will be mine as I obey the 10 Commandments, obey other Old Testament teachings, obey the words of Christ and obey the teachings of the Apostles.
As I declare to all that my desire is to serve Jehovah God only, God sees my heart and sends my blessings.
You and I can choose differently, though.
We can choose to live like the world, acting as if the world is more pleasing and powerful and nurturing than is Jehovah.
If we give up on God, however, He will give us over to our crazy beliefs and we’ll be relying on our own strength and wisdom.
That’s never a good idea in the long term.
Sad thing is, this is exactly what has been happening to the U.S. in recent years. Read the following, recognize the realities of our current financial dependency upon other nations and then decide for yourself if what Moses wrote 3,400 years ago applies to the current and perhaps future condition of our nation.
“The foreigners who reside among you will rise above you higher and higher, but you will sink lower and lower. They will lend to you, but you will not lend to them. They will be the head, but you will be the tail. All these curses will come on you. They will pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the LORD your God and observe the commands and decrees he gave you. They will be a sign and a wonder to you and your descendants forever.
“Because you did not serve the LORD your God joyfully and gladly in the time of prosperity, therefore in hunger and thirst, in nakedness and dire poverty, you will serve the enemies the LORD sends against you. He will put an iron yoke on your neck until he has destroyed you” (Deuteronomy 28:43-48).
I pray that our nation’s leadership recognizes the mandatory nature of serving God and obeying His Word. I pray that you communicate the importance of this mandate to your elected officials.
I pray that your votes at election time reflect a belief in Deuteronomy 28.
I pray that you’ll pray for national, spiritual renewal.
If it doesn’t happen, the future isn’t good for our children and grandchildren.
Pray. Please pray.
As always, I love you
Martin
