How can we ensure we do not "reject My statutes" in daily life? Setting the Scene: The Call to Heed His Statutes “and if you reject My statutes and despise My ordinances, and do not observe all My commandments, and break My covenant,” (Leviticus 26:15) The Lord speaks plainly. He ties blessing to obedience and warns sternly against rejecting His statutes. Since His Word is infallible and unchanging, the question is not whether the command still applies, but how we live it out. What It Means to “Reject My Statutes” • To ignore or downplay any part of God’s revealed will (James 2:10). • To know what He commands yet choose convenience, tradition, or culture instead (Mark 7:8-9). • To treat Scripture as optional advice rather than binding truth (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Heart Checks: Guarding Against Drift • Love for God first (Deuteronomy 6:5; John 14:15). Obedience flows from affection, not mere duty. • Humility before His Word—approaching it as final authority, not a negotiable suggestion (Isaiah 66:2). • Ongoing repentance. Quick course-corrections keep small compromises from becoming rebellion (1 John 1:9). Daily Practices to Embrace His Statutes • Set a fixed time in Scripture. “I have hidden Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11). • Meditate, not just read (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:2). Let truth soak into decisions, emotions, and plans. • Apply immediately. Be “doers of the word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22). Obey the next clear step today. • Pray for illumination (Psalm 119:18). The Spirit who inspired the text enables understanding and obedience (John 16:13). • Journal victories and failures. Track how obedience brings peace and how compromise steals it. The Role of the Holy Spirit • He empowers righteous living (Galatians 5:16-17). • He convicts when we drift (John 16:8). Pay attention to that inner check before disobedience hardens into habit. • He produces the fruit that makes obedience joyful, not burdensome (Galatians 5:22-23; 1 John 5:3). Accountability Within the Body • Seek believers who will “spur one another on to love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24-25). • Invite honest questions about your walk; hidden sin breeds statute-rejection. • Serve together. Shared mission keeps the Word central and self-focus minimal (1 Peter 4:10-11). Remembering the Blessings of Obedience • Leviticus 26:3-12 lists tangible blessings—rain, provision, peace, God’s manifest presence. • Obedience builds spiritual confidence (1 John 3:21-22). • It safeguards future generations (Deuteronomy 4:9-10). Putting It All Together 1. Love the Lawgiver more than anything else. 2. Stay in His Word daily, letting it set the agenda. 3. Walk in the Spirit’s power, not self-effort. 4. Link arms with fellow believers for encouragement and correction. 5. Keep the blessings of obedience and the cost of rejection always before you. Live this way, and “reject My statutes” will never describe you. |