Blessings and curses

Today: Deuteronomy 28-29

Have you ever been cursed? Have you ever been blessed? What's the difference?

I know that these may be kind of strange questions, but in today's passage, Moses outlined blessings and curses for the Israelites tied to their obedience (or disobedience) to God. Here's an interesting part of the passage about curses:

God will send The Curse, The Confusion, The Contrariness

down on everything you try to do

until you've been destroyed and there's nothing left of you—

all because of your evil pursuits that led you to abandon me.
God will infect you with The Disease,

wiping you right off the land that you're going in to possess.
God will set consumption and fever and rash

and seizures and dehydration and blight and jaundice on you.

They'll hunt you down until they kill you.

Okay, I know this sounds pretty morbid (at least I didn't copy the text about cannibalism!), but a few things tied to this curse stood out to me--confusion and consumption. I think those two things really define the existence of may people in our world who don't have God--or even Christians who have forgotten what it means to really know and follow Him. If people don't grasp who God is and the fact that He has a purpose for their lives, it makes almost every part of life confusing. If they don't find contentment and hope in Him, they look for it in things or ideas--they become consumed with consuming so much that it becomes an unfillable void.

On the flip side, I love what this passage says about the blessings for those who live in obedience to God:

If you listen obediently to the Voice of God, your God,

and heartily obey all his commandments that I command you today,

God, your God, will place you on high,

high above all the nations of the world.

All these blessings will come down on you

and spread out beyond you because you have responded

to the Voice of God, your God:

God's blessing inside the city,

God's blessing in the country;

God's blessing on your children,

the crops of your land,

the young of your livestock,

the calves of your herds,

the lambs of your flocks.

God's blessing on your basket and bread bowl;

God's blessing in your coming in,

God's blessing in your going out...

Tomorrow: Deuteronomy 30-31

Shaken from the status quo

Today: Deuteronomy 11-13

I've heard it said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result. I don't know if that fully captures it, but there's probably some truth in the statement. Sometimes we need to be stop the insanity--sometimes we need to be shaken out of the status quo.

Have you ever felt like you were spinning your wheels? Waiting on the world to change (as John Mayer would say)?

I have. I thought these verses in today's passage--Moses' instructions to the Israelites before entering the Promised Land--were very interesting:

Don't continue doing things the way we're doing them at present,

each of us doing as we wish.

Until now you haven't arrived at the goal,

the resting place, the inheritance that God, your God, is giving you.

I think there could be a few ways to interpret these statements. One possibility? When we do things the way we want to--the status quo comfortable way--we may not get to our goal. This interpretation falls in line with the definition of insanity above.

Another way to look at these verses? The way you do things before you reach a goal isn't the way you should act when you arrive at your goal. You're in a phase or stage--and that means it's time for an adjustment in attitude or behavior.

I think another key part of these verses deals with the "each of us doing as we wish" part. Life isn't always about doing things the way we want--ideally, it's about first submitting to what God wants for our lives. The verses that follow are instructing the people to follow God's directions for worshipping Him (in terms of place, offerings and attitudes).

Similar to the last point, sometimes God calls us to sacrifice what we want for the benefit of others. I was reminded of this when I watched the "Today" show this morning. There I was, in my own bathroom, deciding what to wear from a full walk-in closet (that I don't even have to share at the moment!), drying my hair and putting on make-up while I watch a gut-wrenching report about the massive devastation in Haiti. It was a huge contrast--me in America with every possible convenience and a young woman in Haiti bleeding and screaming on the street. Wow. I can't say that I love teary-eyed mornings watching the news before work, but sometimes they're necessary. The story didn't just move my emotions, it moved me to act. Being shaken from your status quo can be a beautiful thing.

Tomorrow: Deuteronomy 14-16

Remember the road

Today: Deuteronomy 8-10

I've never been a fan of cheesy inspirational posters. You know, the kind with a picture of a country road and big type at the bottom that says something like "Vision." Typically, I also avoid cliche inspirational comparisons like, "Life is a journey." However, perhaps some things are cliche because they communicate ideas in way most people can tangibly relate to.

If I were to describe life as a journey, I would say that sometimes the road has serious potholes--the kind you can drive over in a small car (like my faithful-since-college Ford Focus) and wonder, "How did I not lose my tire in that?" The road of your life may have some fatal collisions, traffic, dead possums and dog poo (did I really just type that?!?). However, it might also have kind drivers who help you change your flat tire on the side of the road in the rain. It may have police officers who help you navigate some rough spots. Sometimes you might be in the carpool lane with some pretty amazing people. And at times, it may feel like you're driving in the sun on a freshly paved expressway with nothing holding you back.

Do you ever take time to remember the road--and reflect on how you got to where you're at today?

In today's passage, Moses repeatedly encouraged the Israelites to "remember the road." More specifically, he instructed them to remember God's intervention, provision and miracles along their journey through the desert. Let's refresh by taking a peek at these verses:

Remember every road that God led you on

for those forty years in the wilderness,

pushing you to your limits, testing you so that he would know what you were made of,

whether you would keep his commandments or not.

He put you through hard times. He made you go hungry.

Then he fed you with manna, something neither you nor your parents knew anything about,

so you would learn that men and women don't live by bread only;

we live by every word that comes from God's mouth.

Your clothes didn't wear out and your feet didn't blister those forty years.

You learned deep in your heart

that God disciplines you in the same ways a father disciplines his child.

So it's paramount that you keep the commandments of God, your God,

walk down the roads he shows you and reverently respect him...

And here's a different part of the passage:

...So now Israel, what do you think God expects from you?

Just this: Live in his presence in holy reverence,

follow the road he sets out for you,

love him, serve God, your God, with everything you have in you,

obey the commandments and regulations of God

that I'm commanding you today—

live a good life.

Sound familiar? This passage ties closely to some of the other themes in recent passages (see my blog site for the last few if you're interested). In these chapters, God (via Moses' message) isn't just encouraging the people to remember the roads they've been on--He encouraged them to remember His miraculous faithfulness, guidance and correction. I believe this instruction isn't about focusing on the past, but learning from it--it's about turning away from mistakes, living in obedience and most importantly, trusting in God all along the way. And you don't even need a cheesy poster to do that. :)

Tomorrow: Deuteronomy 11-13

The good life

Today: Deuteronomy 5-7

When you picture "the good life," what you see?

At the beginning of each new year, many people start dreaming about what that good life means to them. They believe life will be good when they finally lose weight, find a new job, meet Mr. or Ms. Right, raise amazing kids, and/or win the lottery.

I wonder how many people aiming for the good life start by saying, "I'd like to be more obedient"?

Most people don't aspire to be more obedient, but according to today's passage, obedience can sometimes be a precursor to a good life. Take a look at Moses' message to the Israelites:

Listen obediently, Israel.

Do what you're told so that you'll have a good life,

a life of abundance and bounty, just as God promised,

in a land abounding in milk and honey.
Attention, Israel!

God, our God! God the one and only!
Love God, your God, with your whole heart:

love him with all that's in you, love him with all you've got!
Write these commandments that I've given you today on your hearts.

Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children.

Talk about them wherever you are,

sitting at home or walking in the street;

talk about them from the time you get up in the morning

to when you fall into bed at night.

Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder;

inscribe them on the doorposts of your homes and on your city gates.

Love, love, love this passage!

I should be clear and say that I don't think "the good life" discussed here always includes Scrooge McDuck-style piles of money (I'm showing my generation. If you've never heard of Ducktales or Scrooge McDuck, I don't know if we can be friends...just kidding of course!), love, beauty, health, etc. A life of obedience to God could lead to some of those things, but more importantly, I think it leads to a healthier heart. A life of obedience leads to things like peace, joy, compassion, integrity, character, honesty--the qualities really worth aspiring toward.

Best of all, a life of obedience to God strengthens your relationship with Him. It's an approach not based on "What can I get from God?", but rather "The God who loves me so much deserves my everything--I want to give Him all I've got. I'll start by trusting Him enough to obey His instruction."

When we dream of the good life, let's consider what it really means--and how obedience to God can help us live it.

Tomorrow: Deuteronomy 8-10

Life--just a little (or a lot!) different

Today: Leviticus 16-18

In the Pacific Northwest (where I live), there's an insurance company (PEMCO) that markets itself specifically to people who live there--people like "Sandals with Socks Guy," "Relentless Recycler," or the "Super-Long Coffee Orderer." The tagline is, "We're a lot like you--just a little different."

I think God would love for all His people to live by that description--to be just a little (or a lot!) different because He's in our lives. Take a look at this passage:

Speak to the People of Israel.

Tell them, I am God, your God.

Don't live like the people of Egypt

where you used to live,

and don't live like the people of Canaan

where I'm bringing you.

Don't do what they do.

Obey my laws and live by my decrees.

I am your God.

Keep my decrees and laws:

The person who obeys them lives by them.

I am God.

In this passage, God was instructing His people not just to live like those around them...to get sucked into sin. He wanted the people to obey His instructions--to live by them.

If you live your life just like everyone around you, you won't stand out. A life that's a little (or a lot!) different is a life that makes a difference. But it starts with obedience.

Tomorrow: Leviticus 19-21