March 31, 2025
Blessing or curse - your choice!
Read: Deuteronomy 27, 28; Psalm 90; Luke 1:39-80
Scripture: Deuteronomy 27: 9 Then Moses and the Levitical priests said to all Israel, “Be silent, Israel, and listen! You have now become the people of the Lord your God. 10 Obey the Lord your God and follow his commands and decrees that I give you today.”
Observation: In Deuteronomy 27 and 28, we see a list of blessings and curses that would come upon the Israelites based on their obedience to the Lord and his commands. Some people think that these two chapters give more verses on curses than on God's blessings. When we read these chapters, we understand that these blessings or curses will be the results of either obedience or disobedience, respectively. When we look at the sentences that start with "If," we understand how it is connected with the command of God that we read in Deut.27:10. Although the Israelites became the people of God a long time ago, here we read that "You have now become the people of the Lord....Obey the Lord..today." This event must have renewed the covenant and reaffirmed the Israelites' commitment to the Lord. In the loud and noisy environment of the world, we may not be able to hear what the Lord expects from us. O my soul, be silent and listen to what the Lord speaks to you today.
Application: Obedience to the Lord and following his commands always brings forth all the blessings of the earth and heaven. What I do decides what I will get in my life! If I obey God, I will see all the blessings in my life. However, the greatest blessing is that I belong to God. I am one among the people of the Lord my God. Every day, I need to remind myself of this and look at God to know what areas he expects me to obey today. As a child of God, I choose to obey him and follow his commands every day of my life. This is my choice!
Prayer: Father God, thank you for remembering me and renewing your loving relationship every day. You are concerned about my day-to-day life. Lord, help me to obey and follow your commands today. Amen.
✍️: Arputharaj Samuel
📕: Quiet Time Companion
🗓️ Day – 90