Taken Seriously
How seriously do you and I take the Word of God? Do we love Him with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength?
God says that He will bless obedience and curse disobedience (Deuteronomy 28). Do we believe Him?
In his letter to the Galatians the Apostle Paul points out that God has given us His law as a “tutor” to bring us to Christ. We must understand our own sin in order to understand our need for a Savior. Paul was clear that it is God’s law that shows us our sin.
In His grace, when He saved us, we became “sons of God through faith (not the law) in Jesus Christ” (Galatians 3:26). Now, keeping the law of God is our way of showing that we love Christ who saved us from our sin (John 14:15).
As I have been listening to people talk about all of the events of the world in the last year (and longer), I hear a much greater fear of government and other influential people than I do of our God. Sadly, when I look at who the “influential people” are I see that they are people who hate God and His Word.
These God-haters are those who would have us hate our God-given gender, those who want the government to be their god and rescue them from the financial mess that the same government brought on, and even the “Pride” people who want us to redefine marriage that God created and has defined for us. The civil “authorities” have overstepped their boundaries by forbidding or limiting Christians from worship when God has clearly told us “not to forsake the gathering of believers” (Hebrews 10:25). Many Christians are also lining up to take an experimental “vaccine” made with or tested on aborted fetal cells.
Obviously, our nation does not take God seriously. What about the Church? Do we take Him seriously?
In Deuteronomy 28 when God starts to tell about what the curses for disobedience will be it is shocking. The list includes; curses on people both in the country and in the city, harvest and produce, the increase of cattle and the offspring of the flocks will all be cursed (Deuteronomy 28:15-19). He said He would curse the disobedient when they come and when they go and he would curse the work they try to do with their hands, and send a plague that will consume them (Deuteronomy 28:20-21).
Please keep in mind that this is because of disobedience to God. He said, “because of the wickedness of your doings in which you have forsaken Me” (Deuteronomy 28:20).
It gets worse; illness, the sword, mildew, drought, famine, madness, blindness, oppression, infidelity, slaughtered cattle. Please see that disobedience – wickedness – is serious sin before God. He will not let it go.
Please note that just as the curses for disobedience are hard to take, the blessings of obedience would be a joy to receive! Take a look at Deuteronomy 28:1-14.
Have we not all at some point known these blessings of obedience? Does the Lord not ask us to tell of the wondrous works He has done? Every blessing of the Lord is a promise kept, God showing His favor for our loyalty to Him and His Word.
It is a serious thing that there are a whole lot of people who need to know their need for a Savior. Though He and His Word have been removed from many aspects of life, He has preserved them in written form and in His children.
God’s blessings and curses are only understandable in the context of His Law. It’s vital that we understand it and talk about it. It’s serious business.
Taking the Word of God seriously means we take God seriously (John 1:1). Taking God seriously brings great blessings.