THE BEST OF THE LAND
To me, Christmas, shouts from the rooftops, God is in love with you and longs to bless you! Your willingness to receive that truth will determine your future! Do you find it hard to imagine that the Creator of the universe is in love with you and wants to bless you? The prophet Isaiah spoke about this by saying, “Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!” Isaiah 30:18
There is an important part that you must play in the blessing of God for your life. Look at what Isaiah said at an earlier time. Isaiah wrote, “If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” Isaiah 1:19-20
You may ask, “But how can I obey God? Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” John 14:15
You may ask, “But how can I love God enough to obey? And, how will I know when I have obeyed good enough? Here is a clue from the apostle John. “We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19
Do you see it? Our relationship with God and receiving his blessing is never about our performance but rather what we receive. Accepting the love of God is the avenue to living a life of love. The sacrifice of Jesus was payment for all the times we failed to obey. Fully accepting this truth is the foundation for receiving God’s love and living a life that exemplifies Christ.
Our greatest mistake is thinking that, in our own strength, we can live the obedient and righteous life God requires! Understand this; the obedience comes that God is looking for is simply the byproduct of receiving the undeserved love of God! Please grasp this next statement. One cannot operate in something they don’t possess! Receiving the love of God is a prerequisite to a life that displays the righteousness of God. Righteousness comes from love, and you can only give away what you possess. All of the laws of God are all wrapped up in the word, LOVE.
Romans 13:8-10 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Living in the blessing of God is an act of God living through you, not you living for God. I’m praying for you today! I am asking God to empower you to receive his love because only God’s love can enable you to be willing and obedient and therefore eat...
THE BEST OF THE LAND
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