Devotional verses from the book of Leviticus

If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them;… You shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land. … But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments; And if you despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that you will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant: I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain for your enemy shall eat it. And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you.        Leviticus 26:3,5b-6; 14-17

                     

This warning was given by God to a nation a long time ago, but the principle still holds true for nations today. Follow the commandments of God, don’t just give them lip service but do them, and blessing comes to the entire nation. Who are the people that must do the commandments? The individual, everyday people who live on your street and mine, who live in all of the towns across our country. When every individual is seeking to do what is right the nation will progress forward and everyone will be blessed. When people do not do the teaching of God concerning what is the good life, that nation will be hurting. Who are the people who bring harm to the nation? Any individual who breaks with God’s law: it might be one man who commits a robbery; or someone who fires a gun; or an individual politician who lies; or a family down the street dysfunctional because of drugs; or thug on the streets of a big city; or dishonest merchants; or anyone committing criminal or other sinful behavior in his or her individual life. You could make a list as long as your arm and your leg 100 times over. The sins that individuals commit often reach out and touch others around them, and can spread like a disease across the nation. How do we stop such a terrible outcome for our land? Every individual person, man, woman, child, must turn from evil and do good. Automatic blessing comes from that! And, when people do criminal acts and other sinful behaviors, automatic harm comes from that. Each one of us is responsible.