Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Do You Want A Blessing?



But now I am determined to bless Jerusalem and the people of Judah. So don’t be afraid. 16 But this is what you must do: Tell the truth to each other. Render verdicts in your courts that are just and that lead to peace. 17 Don’t scheme against each other. Stop your love of telling lies that you swear are the truth. I hate all these things, says the Lord.”

-Zechariah 8:15-17
 


Do you want a blessing from God today? Through the prophet Zechariah, God is revealing how he will bless Jerusalem and the people of Judah. I'm certain this same holds true for us today. Let's break it down.


The word "determined" in verse 15 jumped out to me. God is determined to bless Jerusalem and the people of Judah. Have you ever been determined to do something? Determined means to be unwavering of mind.* It means that once God made up His mind to bless these people, He was going to do it. But, before He could bless them, they had to make some changes in their lives. The end of verse 17 says, "I hate all these things, says the Lord." The things that God reveals in verses 16-17 are the things that the people of Jerusalem and Judah needs to change before the Lord will bless them. God isn't going to bless you while you are living in sin. Look at what God has revealed that they need to change, in order to receive the blessings of God.


But this is what you must do: Tell the truth to each other. Render verdicts in your courts that are just and that lead to peace.  Don’t scheme against each other. Stop your love of telling lies that you swear are the truth.


There are four things that God is revealing to these people that must change in their lives if they want the blessing of God. First & forth is they must tell the truth. Verse 17 goes further by saying "stop your love of telling lies that you swear are the truth." God hates lying lips. In fact, Revelation 21:8 says, "But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." Among the people whose fate is the lake of fire are all liars. Do you have those lying lips? If so, you must stop if you want the blessings of God in your life.


Second, we must "Render verdicts in your courts that are just and that lead to peace."  God is no respecter of persons, all of us are sinners in need of a Savior. It doesn't matter how much money is in our bank account, what our position is in life, or anything else. That is how the courts of the land should be. Sadly, I think the courts today are ruled by money. The more you have, and are willing to spend, the more the courts work for you. But, I think we need to look at this on a more personal level. People usually make up their opinion of you within the first minute or two of meeting someone. Immediately we know if we like a person or not, without giving consideration for what they may have gone through. Just this morning, a local pastor posted a picture and news story of someone that has been arrested on drug charges. The comments came fast and furious condemning this person. Only 1 poster left a comment that reminds us to love, not to judge. Love leads to peace, and we must love one another, as Christ has loved us.


Finally, "Don’t scheme against each other."  To scheme against each other means to plot evil against one another. We should never, never, never plot evil against anyone. That is not the love that we should be showing.


Do you want to be blessed by God? If so, then examine your life. Are you a liar, or do you not love other, or do you judge falsely? These are the things God hates, and God will not bless you if you have these things in your life. God is determined to bless us, but are we determined to receive His blessing? 


~Think About It~

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