the blessings that are mine!!!

The scripture we looked at yesterday from Isaiah 58, the last part of that scripture says that if we will turn our foot from the sabbath and observe it as a holyday unto the Lord and delight ourselves in the Lord, there are two consequences:

1. God will cause you to ride upon the high places of the earth.

Have you ever been on an airplane? I didn't fly for most of my adult life until a couple of years ago because I was afraid of heights. Then the Cabin wanted me to do a seminar in Snowmass, Colorado and I had to turn it down because I wouldn't fly. They kept on bugging me, so, finally, I took a flying leap, so to speak.

They flew me from Little Rock, to Dallas, to Denver, to Aspen and we shuttled to Snowmass. I became so enthralled with riding on a clouds, that I forgot about my fear. You could look down and see how the ground is laid out in patches so clean and nice like a beautiful quilt. We flew through the humongous mountains and it seemed we could get out of the plane and walk on the clouds and tip the mountains with our fingertips which was totally unrealistic, but you know me.

The beauty of holiness is how the last Charlotte in the morning ended. To 'ride upon the high places of the earth' in the beauty of holiness. What a wonderful place to be. To be able to look down upon things as God would look upon them.

The things God is involved in is beautiful. Trees - mountains - wild flowers - skies - butterflies - when man gets involved trying to fix what God has already done, that's when it becomes a mess.

My family generates from Tull which is out in the country from Benton. When the kids and I came back from Texas, we were absolutely amazed at how beautiful the drive was out to Tull from Benton. The trees met at the top across the road and it was like driving through a post card. Then......they decided to make a highway through that road and you should see it today. It looks like it has had a burr haircut. Some places come right up to people's front door, and it absolutely makes you sick remembering how very beautiful it used to be. And the sad part is, who is going to travel that huge, wide highway through Tull, Arkansas, population 199.

It was very surprising to me to see how well man has 'laid out the land' when looking down at the earth. It is laid in even patches, some even being different colors than others. Isn't that amazing!

When we only have a bird's eye view, it doesn't appear to be that beautiful. But (there's the but) when you look down upon it, the appearance totally changes.

I don't know about you this morning, but I need to be able to look down upon some things rather than being caught in the middle and not be able to see with good perspective. And only God can provide that for me....not man or anything I, of myself, can do.

2. The very last of that verse 14 says 'and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.'

There is a song that sings 'Father Abraham had many sons, many sons had father Abraham. I am one of them and so are you. So, let's just praise the Lord.'

And another 'The blessings of Abraham are mine all mine.'

What does that mean?

In Deuteronomy 28 the law sets forth the blessings and the cursings of the obeying the law. This was directed at this point in time to the children of Israel.

a. The Lord would set you on high above all nations of the earth.
b. You will be blessed in the city.
c. You will be blessed in the field.
d. The fruit of your body will be blessed (your children)
e. The fruit of your ground will be blessed. (your crops)
f. The fruit of your cattle will be blessed.
g. Your kine and the flocks of your sheep will be increased.
(increased after your kine like cattle having cattle)
h. Your basket and your store will be blessed.
i. You will be blessed when you come in,
j. and you will be blessed when you go out.
k. God will cause your enemies that rise up against you to be smitten before your face.
l. They will come out against you one way, and flee before you seven ways.
m. This blessing will be commanded upon you in your storehouse and in all you set your hand to do.
n. He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God gives you.
o. He will establish you a a holy people unto himself. And all people of the world shall see and know that you are called by the name of the Lord.....and they will be afraid of you. (sounds like America has always been)
p. The Lord will make you plenteous in goods, in the fruit of your body, fruit of your cattle, fruit of your ground in the land that the Lord swore to give you.
q. The Lord will open unto you his good treasure, the heaven to give rain in his season and to bless all the works of your land.
r. You shall lend unto many nations and you shall not borrow. (Does this not sound like America)
s. MY FAVORITE He will make you the head, and not the tail.
t. He will make you above only, and not beneath.

The cursings of the Lord are the total opposite of these blessings, including some others.

Now this is old hat to some reading this, but to others, it may be the first time you have ever heard of this.

Galations 3:13 tells us that Jesus, when He died on Calvary, became the curse of the law for us, so that now, because of Jesus, we have the blessings which are named above. Read for yourself in Deuteronomy 28 and Galatians 3:13.

This is the heritage of Jacob, your father. Abraham was Jacob's grandfather. So his heritage came from the blessings of Abraham and is ours according to this scripture, because of Jesus.

I don't know about you, but I could use those blessings in my life and my children's and grandchildren's lives, in my going out and coming in, in blessing everything I put my hand to, to being the head only and not the tail, above only and not beneath.

Jesus, thank you for dying for us and taking the curse of the law from us. Thank you for the blessings that are ours today. Let us always look and see what good You have done in our lives and never be ungrateful and unreceptive. Bless everyone who reads this little epistle. Give them a good day today, Lord, including me, and help us ever to look to you the author and finisher of our faith. In Your name we pray! Amen. ( it is done)

Have a blessed day today!

Charlotte