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Deuteronomy 11:26-28
Have you ever had something bad happen that turned out for good?
All the Time
An ancient Chinese tale is told of a farmer who had only one son and one horse to help him with the farm chores. One day the horse ran away. The neighbours, seeing the poor farmers tough luck said, “What a curse you have received!”
The farmer replied, “Maybe yes, maybe no.”
A few days later, the horse returned with a herd of wild horses. He led them all into the farmers paddock. The neighbours flooded from all the houses around to congratulate him, “What amazing luck you’ve had!”
The farmer calmly replied, “Maybe yes, maybe no.”
While the farmer’s son was training the horses, one tough horse bucked him off and the young man's leg was broken. He was unable to help with the chores around the farm. The neighbours again visited with sad faces, “ It will be months before your son will be able to help you. What a horrible blow this is for you.”
The farmer shrugged his shoulders and said, “Maybe yes, maybe no.”
The next day a summons came from the emperor. All fit and able-bodied young men must join his army and fight a distant enemy. The village sadly said goodbye to all their sons. All except one. The neighbours came over to visit the farmer, “What a blessing that your son could not go to war!”
To which the farmer replied, of course, “Maybe yes, maybe no.”
While this story is a good example of keeping things in perspective in life, imagine if your relationship with God was like this father and son. How frustrating and debilitating it would be to receive replies to our prayers, “Maybe yes, maybe no.” Or when searching scripture for God's will we felt no assurance but instead found the words, "Maybe yes, maybe no."
God is a God of certainty. Today’s verse reveals the polar opposites of God’s commitment to us. Obey His Commandments and you will live a blessed life. Disobey them and devastation will follow. These are the natural results of living for or against the image in which you are created.
In Old Testament times the way they phrased this was different to the way I’ve written in above. They put it all on God’s shoulders - and the words in His mouth. “If you obey me then I’ll be nice to you. If you disobey me then I’ll thrash the living daylights out of you.”
Today, we understand more about the great war raging on this Earth. There are two sides in the battle - God and Satan. God is Good. Satan is Evil. The fruit reveals which tree it is from. We have amazing resources to help us understand the world around us and our God. We have the Holy Spirit and we have the complete written Word of God, including the life-story of the Living Word, Jesus.
When Jesus talked about His Father, there was no “maybe yes, maybe no” but there also was no vengeful demanding God. Jesus said, “If you have known me, you’ve known the Father.” Look at the life, teachings, healings, death and resurrection of Jesus. His mission on Earth revealed the full nature of His Father in Heaven and when He described His Father, Jesus said, “God is Love.”
As our friends in New Zealand say,
“God is good!” —> “All the time!”
“All the time!” —> “God is good!”
Reflection Question:
The farmer replied, “Maybe yes, maybe no.”
A few days later, the horse returned with a herd of wild horses. He led them all into the farmers paddock. The neighbours flooded from all the houses around to congratulate him, “What amazing luck you’ve had!”
The farmer calmly replied, “Maybe yes, maybe no.”
While the farmer’s son was training the horses, one tough horse bucked him off and the young man's leg was broken. He was unable to help with the chores around the farm. The neighbours again visited with sad faces, “ It will be months before your son will be able to help you. What a horrible blow this is for you.”
The farmer shrugged his shoulders and said, “Maybe yes, maybe no.”
The next day a summons came from the emperor. All fit and able-bodied young men must join his army and fight a distant enemy. The village sadly said goodbye to all their sons. All except one. The neighbours came over to visit the farmer, “What a blessing that your son could not go to war!”
To which the farmer replied, of course, “Maybe yes, maybe no.”
While this story is a good example of keeping things in perspective in life, imagine if your relationship with God was like this father and son. How frustrating and debilitating it would be to receive replies to our prayers, “Maybe yes, maybe no.” Or when searching scripture for God's will we felt no assurance but instead found the words, "Maybe yes, maybe no."
God is a God of certainty. Today’s verse reveals the polar opposites of God’s commitment to us. Obey His Commandments and you will live a blessed life. Disobey them and devastation will follow. These are the natural results of living for or against the image in which you are created.
In Old Testament times the way they phrased this was different to the way I’ve written in above. They put it all on God’s shoulders - and the words in His mouth. “If you obey me then I’ll be nice to you. If you disobey me then I’ll thrash the living daylights out of you.”
Today, we understand more about the great war raging on this Earth. There are two sides in the battle - God and Satan. God is Good. Satan is Evil. The fruit reveals which tree it is from. We have amazing resources to help us understand the world around us and our God. We have the Holy Spirit and we have the complete written Word of God, including the life-story of the Living Word, Jesus.
When Jesus talked about His Father, there was no “maybe yes, maybe no” but there also was no vengeful demanding God. Jesus said, “If you have known me, you’ve known the Father.” Look at the life, teachings, healings, death and resurrection of Jesus. His mission on Earth revealed the full nature of His Father in Heaven and when He described His Father, Jesus said, “God is Love.”
As our friends in New Zealand say,
“God is good!” —> “All the time!”
“All the time!” —> “God is good!”
Reflection Question:
How does following God help you through each day?
Prayer time:
Before you pray together, ask: What would you like to say to Jesus today?
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