Lent Leviticus

Leviticus 26:14-20

It is all to easy for me to read this passage and think of the successful who spit on God's name. They accomplish everything they set out to do and really appear to be happy. Then I see believers who struggle and toil to make ends meet without seeing the fruits of their labor be it financial, relational, or spiritual. It seems that God is tougher on His people than on the lost, regardless of their obedience to His word.

At first glance, this passage seems to contradict what I see in the world. He will curse those who curse Him and bless those who bless Him versus random pot luck in life. I'm working through my heart's lies, believing that God owes me instead of being grateful that He paid my debt, thinking that I deserve what I have not earned, etc... Once again I'm faced with doubting God's power. I read here that those who do not obey God will be disciplined and those who follow Him will be blessed. I do not want to believe it, because I do not see this truth played out in our world. I see a broken people with or without God all struggling to find joy. Christians seem to have the greatest struggle. But why should success be easier for God's people? We know Him, and we have His Spirit to guide and teach and grant us peace and joy. That is not something of this world. Instead of measuring the world by God's standard, I measure God by the world's standard. In reality, God blesses those whom He chooses to bless and also has mercy also on those whom He chooses.

Now that I've processed through my initial reaction to this passage, the questions:
In what way do people fail to live according to their created purposes according to this passage? Jesus simplifies the commandments into two: love the Lord your God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself. We fail our life's purpose when we do not place God first. We please Him when everything we do is intended for His glory and for furthering the Gospel. See, it is not what we do that determines whether or not we are living our our created purpose, it is why we do it. If we serve food at the homeless shelter to be seen as a good person and for our glory, we are stealing God's glory and spurning His statute to love our neighbor as ourselves. It comes down to the heart. His blessings also are for our soul, though they may or may not manifest in a visible and tangible way. People in this world may appear to have everything they've ever wanted, but are they truly joyful? Do they have a peace that passes understanding? So why is it that my heart aches to see Christians who truly love Jesus struggle? I feel that they have somehow paid a penance and deserve God's faithfulness. His goodness is not for our gain, it is for His. We may struggle and suffer great loss, but God's blessings, while not always tangible, are long-lasting.

If you're interested in joining the Lent series, go to http://www.mdcasheville.org/news/front-page-events/lent-books. Our pastors put together a short lesson for each day.

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