Reflections, August 16th, 2009

Sunday, August 16th, 2009

Reflections: God’s Love is Unconditional, But His Blessings Are Not

“This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success.” Joshua 1:8 (NKJV)

Scripture Reading For This Week: Deuteronomy 23, 28; Exodus 23; Joshua 1; 2 Chronicles 7; Isaiah 26; John 15; 1 John 3

The love of God is unconditional. He loves us just as we are. We do not have to come to Him “after” we have cleaned up ourselves, or have gotten our “act” together. No. We can come to the Father just as we are, and He will do the cleaning. He will be the one who transforms us. His love for us is unending, and unconditional. He does not tell us that in order for Him to love us, we must be or look or act a certain way. He just love us as is.

However, many people assume that the same thing applies to the Blessings of God. You’d be wrong if you did. God’s blessings are conditional. They are based upon our walk in God. What we do or do not do, has a profound affect on the blessings that we see in our lives.

It is my fondest prayer that this week’s Reflection will bring you words of encouragement and strength and love. May the teaching of the Holy Spirit rest in your minds and hearts, enlightening the Word of God, bringing you revelation and understanding. And may the love and blessings of God be abundant in your lives.

God has called us all to a certain standard of living: holiness. There is no way around it. God is a holy and righteous God, and He requires us to be the same. Yet, when we fail to meet these standards, it does not stop God’s love for us. But it causes His blessings to stop flowing; as it also causes ache to the Father’s heart.

When I was a little girl attending Sunday School, I was fascinated with learning about God. I knew there was a God. And I wanted to know more about Him. One Sunday morning, the teacher was explaining about what our hearts would look like without Jesus in it. She pointed to my little black change purse and said sin would cause our hearts to be black just as that.

I’ll never forget how I felt inside. I didn’t want that. And as a little girl with a very vivid imagination, I didn’t want God to have to live in such a dark place. I wanted my heart to be clean. I wanted my heart to be livable for Jesus. I knew that God had blessed me, because I had my parents, a home, food and clothes. But I wanted Jesus to live in me. I wanted the blessing of knowing God. Not just material things. That’s how I thought as a child. And it’s sad to say that, as adults, we could learn a thing or two from our child-selves. What would your child-self say to the adult-you?

Deuteronomy 23:14 (NKJV)

“Because the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp, to save you and to give up your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy, that he may not see anything indecent among you, and turn away from you.”

God loves us. And it is because of His love that He reaches towards us each and everyday, and desires for us to be holy. He desires for us to walk upright. To seek Him, so that He may not only bless us, but also protect us.

The Lord God had given Moses the law and instructions for His children Israel. The same applies for us today. Make no mistake about it; the Lord walks amongst us. He is in our camp (our hearts, our lives, our home, our nation), to save us and show us who our enemy is, and to destroy our enemies. But in order for this to be, when He looks upon our hearts, He expects to see holiness and righteousness. Otherwise, He will turn away from us.

Because God turns away from us, does not mean that He has left us, or has stopped loving us. It means, that He cannot do for us what He desires, in order to save us, deliver us and bless us, because sin stands in the way. His love does not stop or change, but His blessings do.

If you will, you may liken it to you and your children, if you are parent. Or even as someone’s child. You love your children unconditionally. No matter what they do, where they go, you love them because they are yours. There are going to be times when your children do not obey the laws of the land, or the rules of your home. They will some times be disobedient. It doesn’t stop you from loving them, but it does stop you from giving them those extra treats they may have wanted or that new game or toy. They may even forfeit their allowance or a trip they wanted. You are teaching your children that their behavior has consequences—good or bad.

Now of course, your children will be angry for a while. That’s what children do. But they know that you love them and want what is best for them; especially if you have been raising them as such. As they are growing up, they understand what unconditional love is. They understand that just because you said no to something they wanted, doesn’t mean you did not love them. Or just because you took something away, or grounded them did not mean you stopped loving them, but were teaching them valuable life lessons.

So it is with our Heavenly Father. There are things going on in our world today that is bringing much pain and ache to the Father’s hearts. So many of His children have turned their backs on God. They have walked away from the knowledge of who He is, and what He desires for us. Many of us have compromised our beliefs, and have sold out for monetary reasons. But God had instructed us to keep His word; meditate on it, and we would succeed and be prosperous. Not just in material things, but spiritually, emotionally, mentally and physically.

Psalm 1 (NKJV)

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by the streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.”

The Word of God declares what characteristics are found of a blessed person, and that of the wicked. There is a clear distinction between the actions of the two. The blessed person is one that does not take counsel with, or seeks the advice of, or hangs out with, those that are wicked. But instead, they delight in the word of God, and find strength and answers when they spend time with God.

The person that spends time with the Father, and in His word, is liken to a tree that is planted by the waters. And it bears fruit when it should, and its leaves do not wither. And in all that they do, they prosper. For them which choose not to abide in God, they are easily blown away by the wind, or by the troubles that come into their lives. They are not able to withstand hard times and troubles. Because, within them is no stability from spending time in the Word and presence of God. There is no substance.

When we look at the world in which we live today, there are so many things that seem to be going wrong. But as I read the Word of God, and meditate, I see that it is scripture come to pass, and my heart does not fear, because I know that my trust is in the Lord.

I also witness much destruction coming to the house of God. Many that have called themselves believers are being exposed for the sin that they thought they have hidden well. The truth is being revealed about many things and many people. Not so that we can point our fingers, and to say I told you so, or I knew it! But that the Spirit of the living God will bring about restoration and the manifestations of His promised blessings. God cannot bless a dirty house. He cannot pour His goodness into something that is riddled with evil. The House of God must be clean. And the house, or the church, is not a building. It is us. It is flesh and blood; our bodies, the temple of the Holy Spirit.

2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV)

“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

God’s word couldn’t be more plainer: if His people—us. Those that call themselves believers, would repent and be humbled, there would be such a change in our nation. We would see the hand of God move as never before in our lifetime.

Too many have taken the blessings of God for granted. We rely upon the salvation and prayers of those who have gone before us. We rely upon our parents and grandparents prayers to get us into heaven; to save us. But we each are responsible for our own actions and salvation.

Yes, God loves us. He loves us no matter what or who we are. But it is the sin that causes separation. It is the unbelief, wickedness, the nonchalant attitude for those things holy and righteous. God knows who we are. He knows our heart better than anyone, and He is calling us to a higher standard. If we expect God to move in our lives, then we must be ready to move for Him. To move into the position and posture of prayer. To seek His face daily. To meditate in His word. To raise the standard for holy and righteous living. To humble ourselves and repent daily. If you desire the blessings of God, then you must be willing to count the cost, and do it!

May God’s blessings be evident in your life. I pray that your heart is stirred to action. That you would seek the face of God as never before. May the spirit of peace and prosperity find rest in your: spiritual, physical, emotional, mental, social, and financial lives. Give God all of your heart. Seek His face. Seek His will. And know with all your being that God not only loves you, but desires to manifest your blessings. You are blessed.

©2009. Ruthe McDonald. All Rights Reserved.