March 12 Deut. 26-29 & 1 Peter 2:1-12

Can you see the blessings the Lord has given you? Can you offer a prayer of Thanksgiving to God for these blessings? Do you share your blessings with those in need around you? Who is in need around you? In your home? Your city? Your Church? Those beyond your sight? Is there a way you can bless them? Let us join Moses, the priests, and all Israel, Deut. 27:9-10, “. . . Be silent, Israel, and listen! This day you have become the people of the LORD, your God. You shall obey the voice of the LORD, your God, and keep his commandments and statutes which I am giving you today.” Be silent, hear his voice speak to you. It is interesting to me that the mountain of blessing Mt. Gerizim is a beautifully wooded mountain and the mountain of Curses Mt. Ebal is a somewhat ugly rocky mountain. Watch out for those curses, sickness, defeat, despoilment, exile, fruitless labor, invasion, siege, plagues, (and just in case you passed it by too quickly), exile! All these would come upon the Israelites because they would not obey the voice of the Lord and keep his commandments and statutes. Do you get the point? It may seem easier at the time to disobey the Lord, but it definitely is not. These are ours to ponder also for Moses says in Deut. 29:13-14, “But it is not with you alone that I am making this covenant, with its curse, but with those who are standing here with us today in the presence of the LORD, our God, and with those who are not here with us today.” I think he means us.

First Peter helps us know what we need to let go of, 1 Pet. 2:1, “Rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, insincerity, envy, and all slander. . .” so that you might be a spiritual house that brings blessings to all who enter. May we not reject Jesus. The stone that was rejected that is, in fact, the cornerstone, the foundation stone. The stone we are built on so that our spiritual home may shine for all to see the glory of God and come to him.