ESOCS Devotional 1 May 2022
TEXT: DEUTERONOMY 28:1-14
MEMORY VERSE: “And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thyGod.” Deuteronomy 28:2 KJV
0 And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done. Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. 11 But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing. 12 When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted lace ”
In Leviticus 26:3-13, the Lord God cautioned the children of Israel – insisting that they must carefully follow Hisdecrees, if they desired to enjoy His blessings to the full. In our text today, we also observe that God’s blessings for His people are linked to our covenant relationship with Him. Nonetheless, if the conditions of the covenant were broken, severe curses would follow.
It follows therefore that only strict compliance would bring blessings in abundance. If obedient, Israel would be blessed bodily, financially and otherwise. They would have landslide victory over all enemies. They would enjoy the fullness ofGod’s storehouse. They would be established as God’s holy people, above all nations of the earth. The points that areraised here, imply that our covenant relationship with God could only produce blessings when we conduct ourselvesaccording to the moral principles of God.
In the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:3-11), Jesus recapped these conditions and principles in a slightly different way. For God’s people to be blessed, they must necessarily meet the following conditions:
- Be poor in spirit, constantly realizing their need of Him every hour
- Must be humble, without display of pride or arrogance
- Must hunger and thirst for righteousness
- Must be merciful, so they can obtain mercy
- Must be pure in heart, so they can see God
- Must seek peace and pursue peace, to be called children of the Most High
It is only in total compliance with God’s divine principles that one will be able to experience God’s true blessings andriches, with no sorrows attached (Proverbs 10:22).
- Going down memory lane, list out the difficulties you have while trying to live in obedience to God’s perfectcommands. Begin to deal with them in prayers.
- O God, may your grace be sufficient for me in my struggle with disobedience, in Jesus Name.
Read Other ESOCS Devotional here
FURTHER READING: Isaiah 5:1-7; Matthew 25:14-30; John 16: 1-13
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ESOCS Devotional 1 May 2022
