Bible Verses: Leviticus 26:3-4, 14-16 (NIV)

“If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, 4 I will send you the seasonal rains. The land will then yield its crops, and the trees of the field will produce their fruit.”

“However, if you do not listen to me or obey all these commandments, 15 and if you break my covenant by rejecting my decrees, treating my regulations with contempt, and refusing to obey my commands, 16 I will punish you.”

Reflection and Challenge

In these verses, it’s very clear that to obey God is “to follow My decrees” but to disobey Him is “to reject My decrees” and to despise His statutes. The word translated “reject” means “a hostile meeting with the intention of fighting.”

Our bodies are the sanctuary of God, and we must be careful to use them for God’s glory (1 Corinthians 6:15-20). The Holy Spirit of God lives in us, and we must not grieve Him by using His temple for ungodly purposes (Ephesians 4:30). Christians who indulge in illicit sex or who defile their imagination with evil thoughts are guilty of violations just as serious.

As children of God, we already have everything we need for “living a godly life” (2 Peter 1:3), because we now possess “every spiritual blessing” in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). But to possess these blessings is one thing; to enjoy them is quite something else. As we trust God’s promises and obey His commandments, we draw upon our spiritual inheritance and are able to walk successfully and serve effectively.

Some of the “success preachers” today like to claim these covenant blessings for the church but prefer to apply the judgments to somebody else! Think about it, if this covenant applies to God’s children today, then we should be experiencing the judgments whenever we disobey Him.

*Read here: Blessing Through Obedience

However, experience shows us that more than one compromising believer is successful, healthy, and wealthy, while many of God’s faithful children are going through trials and difficulties. Now, why is that?

The good news is that even in the worst situations, however, there is always hope, for the Lord is “the God of compassion and mercy! He is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. He lavishes unfailing love to a thousand generations. God forgives iniquity, rebellion, and sin” (Exodus 34:6-7).

God’s covenant with His people never changes, and if we confess our sins, He will forgive and restore us (1 John 1:9). Whether in blessing, chastening, or forgiving, God always keeps His covenant and is true to His Word.

But knowing how merciful, faithful and forgiving God is must impel us to obey His decrees and statutes all the more. Let us be reminded of God’s great love for us that caused Him to give His only begotten Son to die for us so that we will be reconciled back to God.

And whenever the choice between God’s blessings or curses is laid before us, let us choose the blessings by obeying God’s commandments.