July 2, 2026:

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. And I will make you in to a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse and all people on earth will be blessed through you.’” (Genesis 12.1-3)

TODAY’S REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

It is said by Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount that there is only one unforgiveable sin. That sin was, is and will always be identified as “the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.” There are many who argue about the understanding of that “sin.” Some would argue that it shows the limitation of God’s mercy and grace. If there is a sin that cannot be forgiven by God then what else can God not do. The problem is, and I pray you already knew this or simply reading it above as I put words on the page you see it, God cannot forgive when someone believes there is no need for forgiveness. God certainly wants to extend forgiveness with mercy and grace. We know He gave it to Adam and Eve (created to be a blessing and to receive His blessing). He cursed Satan in the form he had chosen to use to deceive Adam and Eve with an everlasting curse. Why the curse? Because Satan had blasphemed the Holy Spirit:

1. Adam and Eve, as with all creation was called into being at God’s command through the oracle of the Holy Spirit. This would indicate the blessing of God on all creation which would have included Satan (the enemy of God and humanity cast down from Heaven because of his insurrection against God.) Satan refused the blessing and cursed God. Because of the nature and character of God, love demanded accountability and justice. Remove the acceptance and favor of God’s blessing and you are left to the wiles and whims of the darkness. Satan sought to do in Eden what had been accomplished in part in Heaven. When God cast Satan out, it was with 1/3 of the heavenly hosts, or angels, as well who sided with Satan and rebuked God. Satan’s attack on God via the temptation, or seduction to rebel against God, was a form of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit as it denied the work, superiority and sovereignty of God’s plan and purpose.
2. Satan not only violated the realm of Heaven by choosing to be unloving toward God and selfish on his part as well, I am sure, empowered by a sense of entitlement because of his “beauty and giftedness,” he designs to violate Earth by polluting the world with rebellion and self-centeredness. He uses the gift, or gifts because he was a veritable orchestra and chorus leader to conduct the worship of God in Heaven, God gave him to produce the song of contention and confusion. He presents himself with a song of dissonance and counter measure to lure Eve, and by extension Adam, into “dancing to the beat of a different drummer.” This was a form of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, too, as it used the blessing of God to be a curse. I cannot help but wonder if that same curse is not more than alive and well throughout the ages with music turning eyes, ears, hearts, mind and spirit against God with a sound that is not worshipful or glorifying of God.

But for Abram, God’s promise was that the whole world would be blessed through him. If we take the aforementioned descriptors of the work of Satan for a curse of all the world, we can easily see how faith in God can produce blessings through him:

1. Far from perfect, Abram honored God and those who were his family, servants and neighbors. He abided by the promise of gifting others and honoring the gifts they brought.
2. He gave a witness of faith recognizing “the strangers” as messengers of God to the degree of accepting God’s presence Himself with them.
3. While Abram did not know, it is not recorded as such, of the Holy Spirit of God, it becomes clear that the Spirit was upon him. It led him in the way he should go and he abided by it. He demonstrated leadership and compassion. He did his best to put the needs of others before himself.
4. His example would be a witness to others as to how and where the true blessings of life are derived.

TODAY’S PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING:

Father, in these days we are finding the need to believe even more than ever before. We all have known trouble, some in greater ways than others, but You are offering us the assurance that we will not be consumed by it forever. Regardless of the “time” we are in and the “time” we have been given, we ask for Your Holy Spirit which Jesus asked You to share with us, to lead and guide and direct us in the paths we should go. Teach us what we still need to learn. Empower us to put that learning into action. Bless our actions not as a works righteousness but as righteous works of faith, hope and love in Jesus’ name. AMEN.