Goodness Of God

June 8, 2016

Devotions:

        "Everyone wants the blessings from God but no one wants to do the commandments."

Yesterday we looked at the fact that in the New Covenant God gave us a heart that wanted to do His commandment whole heartedly. 

        This saying implies that the blessings come with keeping the commandments which is an Old Testament salvation.  In the New Testament we are blessed because we are in Jesus, not because we keep the commandments.  Does God want us to keep the commandments or does He care? Yes He desires that we keep His commandments but He knows that it is not in us, that is in our flesh, to do so.  He sent Jesus who kept the commandments perfectly and then took our rebellion and disobedience upon Himself on the cross in order to give us His perfection and obedience in the resurrection life that He gave us. 

        “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,” ‭Ephesians‬ ‭1:3‬ ‭NASB‬‬

        You notice that Paul did not say that we are blessed because we keep the commandments but because we are in Christ.  As we are in Christ we are walking continually in the presence of the Father, the fountain head of all blessings. People do not keep the commandments because they do not know their salvation in Jesus.  They do not know that God loves them and has already demonstrated that love towards them in Jesus.  It is the love and the goodness of God that will cause them to change and be transformed.  Then blessings of God are a demonstration of His love and goodness and we cannot earn the love or the blessings by our obedience, it is a free gift. 

        “Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?” ‭Romans‬ ‭2:4‬ ‭NASB‬‬

        “The LORD appeared to him from afar, saying, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.” ‭Jeremiah‬ ‭31:3‬ ‭NASB‬‬

        Repentence is to change your mind and thus your actions.  If you just change your actions but not you mind then you have not repented but just done behavior modification.  Repentence comes from a revelation of God's great love for us and His goodness towards us. Bask in His love throughout the day and He will transform you.