I Am Setting Before You a Blessing and a Curse

This meditation is based on a passage for March 19, 2011 in the Daily Lectionary Year 1 from the Book of Common Worship for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (1993).

Text: Deuteronomy 11:18-28

Reflection and Question: Here is God’s promise for a faithful life: blessing when we obey God’s commandments or a curse when we turn away from them. The question we so often fail to answer correctly is, “What are God’s commandments?” Martin Luther King Jr. said, “If I am to err, I shall err on the side of love.” Love is always a blessing, never a curse. No wonder Jesus summarized the Law as love God and love neighbor. As was true for Jesus, these are the tests for all the details that we stumble over. When we get it right, we can rejoice in teaching our children about God’s commandments. When did you obey God’s commands — when not?

Prayer: Holy Spirit of the living God, our desire is to be blessed and so we desire to obey Your commands. We yearn to teach them to our children so that they, too, may walk in Your ways. Inspire us so that our lives may be a blessing to all we meet. Amen.