JonWesley

Truly, we owe God everything. Our obedience should and does come from a heart overwhelmed by His grace and mercy. But as we align ourselves with God's Will through prayer, followed by obedient response, we put ourselves in the path of God's ever flowing blessing. Proverbs 12:2 says, "A good man obtains favor from the LORD, but the LORD condemns a crafty man."

Jesus intercedes for us, He stands in the gap literally. I am comforted by this because who better to intercede? But it makes me aware that my name may be brought up to the Father a lot, and who wants THAT kind of attention?

Israel was living under the painful punishment of separation from God because they had broken the first and second commandments: "You shall have no other gods before me" and "You shall not make or bow down to any idol." God even promised a generational down-flow of punishment for this sin. This is what the Israelites didn't listen to and what we Christians must remember. When we allow anything to become more important than or equal to our commitment to God and His Word, we and our children could suffer that same separation from the grace and mercy of God.