If My People . . .

There's a verse that I've been hearing a lot lately. I'm sure you've heard it too. Yesterday at church someone pointed out that there seems to be a part of this verse which is overlooked. It is easy to look at the promises of God and forget that so many of them are conditional - we have to do our part first. This particular verse has a number of conditions to it. I have broken it up a little and added some emphasis . . .

2 Chronicles 7:14

If MY people - who are called by MY name

• humble themselves
• pray
• seek (try to obtain) MY face (ME)
• and turn away (withdraw) from their wicked (bad, evil) ways

then will I hear - from heaven

• and will forgive their sin
• and will heal their land.

Obviously this is an Old Testament verse and promise, meaning that they were living "under" the law. If they followed God with all their heart and kept His commandments, He had some amazing promises for them. He listed some of them in Deuteronomy 28. Here are a few of them . . .

• set them high above all nations
• fruit of the womb, ground, and cattle would be blessed
• enemies defeated
• blessing in their barns and all that they undertook
• lend to many nations (instead of borrow)

I just love the wording here. Verse 2 says,

"And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God." (emphasis added)

Wouldn't you love to be overtaken by blessings?!?
And then in verse 8,

"The Lord will command the blessing on you in your barns and in all that you undertake." (emphasis added)

Wouldn't you love for the Lord to command blessing upon you?? . . . .
But there is an "if" . . .

The list of curses is longer than the blessings, and the same kind of language is used in verse 45,

"All these curses shall come upon you and pursue you and overtake you till you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that he commanded you."

So if they stayed within the boundary of the law, they could expect to have all of the blessings that God promised them. We, however, are in the New Testament and are not under the law, so the "boundaries" have changed. Jesus came to fulfill the law. He is the new boundary. We must stay in (en) Him!

What kinds of blessings will we receive if we do?

• We will bear much fruit.
• Our joy will be full.
• Peace that passes all understanding.
• Answered prayer.
• Victory!

And much more (in this life and the next)! And who knows, we might even experience some of the blessings of Dueteronomy 28. It sure seems like this nation was blessed in each of those areas mentioned, when we were following God.

We've all sung "God Bless America". How can He bless us when we've turned our back on Him and allowed so much evil into our nation?? Oh may we stay in the boundary of Jesus! And may our prayer be that He would remove the blinders from the eyes/minds of all those who are not seeking Him.
For His glory.

Anyway, these are my thoughts . . . . what are yours?