Tag: Blessing

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Isaiah- Week 12- Day 5- Isaiah 58:9-0

On By Ben JenningsIn DevotionalLeave a comment

God blesses obedient worship.

Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.  (9)  Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am.

Isaiah 58:8-9a

And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:  (11)  And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.  (12)  And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. 

Isaiah 58:10-12 

Explanation:

Most fathers love to bless their children.  This is a point that Jesus made.

If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?  (12)  Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?  (13)  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Luke 11:11-13 

In this passage God has answered the question of those in Israel who were asking why God did not seem to be responding to their expressions of worship.  He told them that they were practicing oppression and selfishness along with their worship.  The remedy He called for was to offer expressions of worship that lead to sanctification, mercy, justice, generosity, selflessness, fleeing injustice and expressing compassion. In today’s verses we see that the results of these expressions of genuine worship toward God would lead to the blessings of God in their lives.  Look at the expressions of blessing God promises will be poured out to the children of Israel when they forsook empty worship, and worshipped God authentically:

Light

“Then shall thy light break forth as the morning…” v.8

“then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday…” v.10 

Health

“and thine health shall spring forth speedily…” v.8

Righteousness

“and thy righteousness shall go before thee…” v.8

Reward

“the glory of the LORD shall be thy reward..” v.9

Answered Prayer

“then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am….” v.9

Guidance

“And the LORD shall guide thee continually…” v. 11

Provision

“…and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.” . v.11

Legacy

“And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.”  v.12

Application:

Do you want to live under the blessing of God?  Do you want to have a legacy of being used by God to make a difference in the lives of those around you?  If you do, you must reject empty ritualism.  You must reject oppression and selfishness.  You must reject a kind of worship that seeks to manipulate God into getting what you want.  You must understand that God expects genuine, authentic worship.  God’s desire is to bless those who are obedient.  The first step of obedience is to trust in Christ as your personal Savior.  We must acknowledge our sin and repent.  We must turn to Him by faith, knowing that outside of Jesus Christ we are lost and still in our sin.  Once we are saved, we can offer God worship that honors and glorifies Him.  We become one of His kids, and like a loving Father, He blesses His obedient children.

Response:

Do you know Christ as Savior?  Jesus said that no man comes to the Father except by Him.  Trust in Christ today?

Believers, is your worship of God regular and authentic?  God blesses obedience!

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Discipline and Blessing- Proverbs- Week 10- Day 3

On By Ben JenningsIn DevotionalLeave a comment

The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.

Proverbs 29:15

Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.

Proverbs 29:17 

Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

Proverbs 29:18

Explanation:
The passage we are considering this week, Proverbs 29:1-3 and 12-20, has a theme of discipline. The first pattern we pointed out in the passage was the theme of leadership and discipline. Good leaders are self-disciplined and they bring discipline to those in their stewardship.

This leads us to a second pattern that we will see in this passage. There is a pattern of discipline and blessing seen here. The right kind of discipline brings freedom and not bondage. Let’s look at discipline and blessing in these three verses.

In verse 15 there is a connection between discipline and the blessing of wisdom. Here there are two “tools” of discipline- the rod and reproof. The rod was an implement of corporal punishment. It was a “paddle.” The Bible nowhere advocates child abuse. A small amount of pain, judiciously administered by a loving parent with the right heart attitude and the appropriate teaching (reproof), will bring about wisdom in the child over time. If you only use words and not action, the child will ignore you. Remember, “a servant will not be corrected by words” (v.19). If you use only the rod and not words, the child will begin to resent you because there is no love expressed. There will be confusion. But action-oriented discipline is powerful and effective when it is administered with the right reproof. The result is a wise child. Discipline brings blessing.

Verse 17 is similar. When a child is corrected through loving discipline it certainly takes effort. The result over time is a child that is self-disciplined and focused on others. This kind of child begins to honor and bless their parents. Again, discipline brings blessing.

Verse 18 has two contrasting sections. We will look at the first part later. Pay attention to that second part. The person that keeps the law revealed by God and meeted out by the leader experiences happiness. There is a freedom in self-discipline. There is an avoidance of pain and heartache when we do right. Discipline brings blessing.

Application:
We didn’t abandon the first pattern for this second pattern. These verses have leaders that administer discipline, but notice that second pattern. Discipline brings about blessing. Proverbs makes it clear that the parent that does not correct or discipline their child hates that child. Even if they have an affection for the child, the lack of discipline brings about the same result as the child whose parents have no affection for them. The pattern is clear. Loving leaders are self-disciplined and implement discipline because it brings about blessing.

Even if you are not a parent the principle applies. When we are disciplined it brings blessing.

Response:
• Parents, are you action oriented in the way you parent your child? Do you correct your kids? Are you loving in your approach to discipline?
• Where have you experienced blessing that was the result of discipline in your life?
• Is there an area of your life that you are finding difficulty because of a lack of discipline?

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Week 12: Day 5- Deuteronomy 30:20

On By Ben JenningsIn DevotionalLeave a comment

(20) That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

Deuteronomy 30:20

Explanation:
In yesterday’s text, Deuteronomy 30:15-19, we saw clearly that Moses was pleading with the people to choose life over death, blessing over cursing. He pleaded with them to make that a lifestyle choice, and not just a one time decision. He was trying to make clear what would happen with either path. In verse 20, he tells them the purpose of this choice.
“…that thou mayest love the Lord thy God”– In choosing obedience and life, they were showing their love for God.
“…and that thous mayest obey his voice”– Obedience to God and love for God are always linked. Jesus said in John 14:15

(15) If ye love me, keep my commandments.

John 14:15

“…and that thou mayest cleave unto him”– Obedience displays love, and love brings about intimacy. As we follow God’s path, He blesses us, and as we are blessed an intimacy with God grows.
“…for he is thy life, and the length of thy days”– God is their Creator and Sustainer. He is their One and only ultimate hope. It s truly the same for us.
“…that thou mayest dwell in the land…”– God told them that if they disobeyed they would be scattered, and that if they repented He would bring them back. This was exactly what happened. God is a promise keeping God. His desire for them was to be their in the promised land as a blessed and thriving people. This came with choosing life and choosing obedience.

Application:
We are not the children of Israel, but I can learn much about the character of God here. He is a promise keeping God. He desires obedience. He blesses obedience. Obedience is tied to my love for Him. He wants to have a relationship with me, and so I must maintain that relationship through knowing Him and His will in His Word. It is best for me to choose blessing and love as it is demonstrated by obedience to God.

Response:
Three questions:

  1. How is your love for the Lord?
  2. How is your obedience to the Lord?
  3. How is your faithfulness to the Lord?
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Week 12: Day 3- Deuteronomy 30:9-10

On By Ben JenningsIn DevotionalLeave a comment

And the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers: If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.

(Deu 30:9-10)

Explanation:
God communicates what He will do when they repent, return and respond to His Word. He would prosper their work. He would bless them materially. He would rejoice over them. He would bless them. What did they have to do? Obey the Lord from a heart that has been turned back toward Him.

Application:
The prosperity gospel, which is not a gospel at all and should be rejected, has been so proposed and proclaimed in our day that people who love God’s Word and understand it want to distance themselves from teaching that may sound like that false gospel. The prosperity gospel says that it is always God’s will that you be prosperous and healthy, and that if you are not it is because you don’t have enough faith. It states that healing is always God’s will. Prosperity is always God’s will. Health is always God’s will. Etc. Etc.
The truth is that we are sinners in need of a Savior. God’s ultimate plan for us is to be with Him forever in eternal glory. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, which is far better. That being said, God’s plan for us on this earth does not mean that everyone will be rich, healthy, and whole. Jesus said that those who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Jesus’ example himself was not one of material prosperity. He was an itenerant preacher with no home. He suffered, bled, and died on a cross as a criminal of the state of Rome.
I wrote the previous two paragraphs to be clear that I am not a prosperity preacher. This particular text though is speaking to Israel. God promised them prosperity if they would return. God promised prosperity if they would obey. If they would “hearken unto the voice of the Lord”, “keep his commandments”, and “turn unto the Lord thy God”, then He would make plenteous the “work of thine hand”.
This promise to the people of Israel can be taken as a proverb (not necessarily a promise) for us today. When we obey God and keep His commandments God blesses His people. Blessing certainly comes with obedience. This does not mean that everything will always be perfect for every individual that is obedient. That is not what is being promised here.
As a loving Father, God loves to bless His obedient children.

Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

(Matthew 7:9-11)

Response:

  1. What blessings have your received lately that have come from obedience?
  2. Where is there a need for repentance in your life today?