Discover His heart: His blessing follows our choice to serve Him
I was about twelve when my dad asked me to go with him one Saturday to a Minnesota Twins baseball game. They were playing the New York Yankees, so this was an offer I couldn’t refuse. It was a great game with the Twins ahead for an inning or two, then the Yankees ahead, back and forth until the eighth inning when the Yankees scored bringing them ahead by one point, and the Twins came back with nothing. Top of the ninth, Yankees did not score.
Finally, it was the bottom of the ninth, Twins at bat, one man on and the batter hit a Home Run. Twins win it by one! The crowd went wild! I think it was Yogi Berra who said regarding baseball, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” Of course, he also said, “Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical.” So…
@ 2 Chronicles 36
“So the Lord brought the king of Babylon against them…They had no pity on the people, killing both young men and young women, the old and the infirm. God handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar…Then his army burned the Temple of God, tore down the walls of Jerusalem, burned all the palaces, and completely destroyed everything of value…The few who survived were taken as exiles to Babylon.” (17-20) Over the past several months we’ve read about the warnings and prophecies of the prophets, God’s final attempt to change the hearts of His people but to no avail. The Israelites continued in their sinful lifestyle, disregarding God’s laws. They proudly thought that they would have the final say over their own lives. But they didn’t.
“So the message of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah was fulfilled. The land finally enjoyed its Sabbath rest, lying desolate until the seventy years were fulfilled, just as the prophet had said.” (21) One of the laws the Israelites refused to observe was the command to allow the land to rest from planting one year out of every seven. This law was for their own good so that the soil would be replenished and provide the nutrients they needed in their food, yet they willfully disregarded the law. Now the land would have 70 years of rest in a row to compensate for the years that were missed. God is always the last one up to bat.
Sometimes we think we can live the way we choose without any ramifications. As we read in yesterday’s scripture, “Look, today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse! You will be blessed if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today. But you will be cursed if you reject the commands of the Lord your God.” (2 Chronicles 36:26-27)
Yes, we walk in the grace of the New Testament, but we still have to choose the one we faithfully will follow, no fence sitting or gray areas. A baseball game never ends in a tie; the innings are played out until the last batter determines the game. In life, our loving God shows mercy to us inning after inning as He draws us to Him, we make our choices and He always closes out the game. I’m good with that.
Moving Forward: When we walk away from our willful ways and surrender to the One who determines the final score, we can’t lose. We’re making that run to our eternal Home!
Tomorrow @ Psalm 128-130
Phyllis Benigas 