Good morning Drawing Near to God community! As I write this blog, I am reflecting on how much we need Jesus; specifically as our Peace. Isaiah writes that He is our wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace. He is that and so much more. His name is laden with rich meaning: He is our Peace, our Savior, our Healer, our Redeemer our hope, our Shepherd. There are volumes that could be written about the characteristics of Jesus. There are volumes more that could be written about His marvelous works and deeds and His intervention in our lives through His Holy Spirit. The Apostle, John writes:

Jesus did many other things. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. (John 21:25)

So today as we consider the peace that Jesus brings into our lives, I also want to focus on the blessings that He gives to each of us as we daily encounter Him. In a world fraught with anxiety, brokenness and fear, He comes to bring us a new way of living where He replaces our fear with His love, our anxiety with His peace and our brokenness with healing.

Two of my favorite scriptures concerning the blessings of God are Exodues 20:6 and Deuteronomy 7:9-13:

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations and repays to their face those who hate him. You shall be careful to do the commandment and the statues and the rules that I command you today. And because you listen to these commandments and keep and do them the Lord your God will keep with you the covenant and the steadfast love that he swore to your fathers. He will love you, bless you and multiply you.

We know from Biblical history that the Israelites were unable to keep God’s commandments and ended up in slavery. We too are enslaved when we do not follow His commandments. But the good news is the GOOD NEWS- that Jesus came to set us free from bondage. He offers us new life, freedom from sin, and when we fail and turn to Him, He receives us with open arms.

But did you notice in this passage that blessings are connected to our obedience? So the question I have for you and for myself today is where am I being disobedient to God’s Word? It could be something so small that even you are not aware of it. We all on occasion find ourselves out of sync with God and His Word. The good news? We have the freedom to turn back. The word in Greek is metanoia meaning change of heart, spiritual conversion.

So friends, let us all take a moment and ask the Great Physician to give us a heart examination. Ask the Lord where you are off in your walk with Him, and turn back. His arms are open.

I wanted to share this song with you as I have been praying these blessings upon my family and our nation. Would you join me in praying this as well for your family and for our nation? God longs to bless us as we turn our hearts back to Him.

Click on play button to begin song