by: Allen Domelle
Leviticus 26:12
“And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.”
God is a proactive God. He says several times throughout this chapter, “I will.” I love it that God does not just talk about what He did in the past, but He shows that He is a take-charge God Who blesses today as much as He blessed in the past.
When reading this chapter, you see that God wants to bless His children. When you do right, there are seven things God promised He would do. He said He would bless their work, give peace, conquer their enemies, bless their families, preserve their savings, bless their spiritual efforts and give His presence. These are great blessings that any Christian can have.
On the other hand, God doesn’t stop with His blessings. He also promised there were seven things He would do if His people would not hearken to His voice. These seven things are sickness, famine, untimely deaths, financial hardships, lack of food, unanswered prayer and bondage. We love to focus on the blessings of God, but we must not forget that the God Who blesses will also judge. There are three things we must remember about our “I will” God.
First, God will bless, and He will curse. So many Christians want to talk about the blessings of God on those who do right, and we should speak of those blessings, but we must not forget to remind people that He will also judge those who disobey. There are certainly great blessings from God if you do right, but there are also great curses if you do wrong.
Second, God will react according to your acts. You will never be able to blame God for treating you wrongly because His acts towards you are a result of your actions. If you don’t like how God is treating you, maybe you should consider your actions. The same God Who draws nigh towards the Christian who takes a step towards Him will also judge the Christian who steps away from Him. Don’t get angry at God for His reaction to your actions. We love to take credit for our actions when God is blessing, but we must also take the blame when He is judging. Don’t blame God for not blessing you when you do wrong. He is only reacting according to your acts.
Third, God lives in the present tense. I love that God said He would remember His promise if His children would confess their sin. In other words, God doesn’t hold grudges. Because God is a present tense God, it means that He is not obligated to keep His blessing upon the person who used to do right but has chosen to presently do wrong. Likewise, because God is a present tense God means that He will also bless anyone who is willing to humble themselves and get right.
Friend, God’s treatment towards you is entirely dependent upon how you live today. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you can get away with sin because of all that you have done for Him in the past. God’s blessings or judgments are dependent upon how you live today. Do right if you want God’s blessing. Remember though, if you do wrong, expect His judgment. The “will” of the “I will” God is determined by how you live. If you don’t like God’s treatment, change your actions and He will change His.