2 Chronicles 7:12-20
"And the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice. If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place. For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually. And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee, and shalt observe my statutes and my judgments; Then will I stablish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel. But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them; Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations."
"And the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice. If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place. For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually. And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee, and shalt observe my statutes and my judgments; Then will I stablish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel. But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them; Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations."
Rain is referred to as a blessing after a drought, a symbol of God's love and teachings to spread over the world, and even as a flood to wash away the sins of a corrupt world! The world was once destroyed by rain and all the creatures of the earth, including all but one family. Nevertheless, without rain we would all die. It's interesting that a little of a thing is good, but too much can be deadly.
From this we can see, that what God made as a blessing can become a curse to us. Food is a blessing to us and yet, when we eat too much of a good thing it becomes a curse to us. The same is true for medicines, TV, recreation, and even conversation. The Bible even shows us if we spend too much time in our neighbors house it can be a curse. (Proverbs 25:17)
From this we can see, that what God made as a blessing can become a curse to us. Food is a blessing to us and yet, when we eat too much of a good thing it becomes a curse to us. The same is true for medicines, TV, recreation, and even conversation. The Bible even shows us if we spend too much time in our neighbors house it can be a curse. (Proverbs 25:17)
Zechariah 10:1
"Ask the LORD for rain in the springtime; it is the LORD who sends the thunderstorms. He gives showers of rain to all people, and plants of the field to everyone.
"Ask the LORD for rain in the springtime; it is the LORD who sends the thunderstorms. He gives showers of rain to all people, and plants of the field to everyone.
ACTION STEP: Take just a minute and assess your life. Do you see any areas of excess? What are somethings that you need to cut back on, so that it does not become a curse to you? Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Your neighbors are part of that Body. Your time is a gift from God and what we do with it, is a gift back to Him. God wants us to live long and live strong. Many of us get on the treadmill of life and don't take time to think. We just jump out of bed onto the hamster wheel and start running. During this pandemic we have had to slow down. Today, as you see the rain fall, imagine that excess running off of you because with God's grace all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26)
Today, I plan to take a few minutes to walk in the rain. I want to remind myself that the blessings I enjoy can be a curse to me if disobey God and want what I want, more than I want to please God my father.
Today, I plan to take a few minutes to walk in the rain. I want to remind myself that the blessings I enjoy can be a curse to me if disobey God and want what I want, more than I want to please God my father.
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