Have you ever stopped to think about how God is with you as you run errands, cook dinner, take your children to and from school, go to work each day, and all the million other things that you do? I was staying with my daughter and her family as they welcomed a new baby girl into our family. Dad is so busy getting one off to preschool before going to work and then coming home he stops and gets his child from school. And they have hired someone to take their older girl to and from her school. Once home there is dinner to cook and eat, dishes to wash, homework to supervise, music lessons to be practiced, and so forth. Every night there is something, to include doing laundry and cleaning the floors. They are such a busy family. As I watched them it reminded me of my early days when my children were small and all the things that I did caring for my family. And not once did I stop and think to myself that God was watching over me as I washed dishes or scrubbed floors or changed dirty diapers. I just took God for granted.
If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in obedience to him. Deuteronomy 28:1-9, (New International Version or NIV).
A marvelous promise of blessings for our everyday lives, wouldn’t you say? However, the beginning of the first sentence has a condition attached to the blessings. If! If you what? If you fully obey the Lord your God. To have the blessings mentioned in this passage you must be completely committed to God through Jesus Christ. Obedience is not optional here. And there is more: carefully follow all his commands. To receive the everyday blessings, we must know what God’s commandments are. While it is true that Jesus fulfilled the Mosaic Law and we no longer must follow all those rules and regulations, we are still to know and obey the teachings of Jesus. Many of the things Jesus taught are from the Old Testament law and writings of the prophets. I find that I learn so much by reading and meditating on the Old Testament. I hope that you do too.
All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God: what a great reminder that we are a blessed people and that we will be a shining example to the unbelieving that God is with us. Sometimes we are mired down by the sins of those around us and forget that we are a light to show them the way to Jesus. Our blessings go with us wherever we are. If we live in the city, then we are blessed. If we live in the country, then we are blessed there too. If, and that is the condition, if we remain obedient.
Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you. The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you. The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them. Deuteronomy 26:10-14, (NIV).
The work of our hands will be blessed, and we will be known as God’s people. Everything that we do will bring us a blessing and gives us the opportunity to bless others. Nothing will be denied to us, as long as we remain obedient and faithful to God. This condition of obedience will filter out unnecessary things. We won’t be asking to live in a mansion or to have a billion dollars to play with. We won’t want to have multiple spouses or adulterous affairs. We won’t want to curse and swear. We won’t want to get drunk and commit all kinds of debauchery. We won’t have our minds polluted by the world and the pleasures that it offers. What we will want to do is live according to God’s plan, to love others, and be filled with sympathy and compassion for the lost. And so much more.
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:4-9, (NIV).
The apostle Paul sums righteous living up in a great passage. The world wants us to think that their latest pet is the best, their best fashion is a must to have, their newest car and house, and gadgets are essential to live a happy life. What a lie! True happiness comes from rejoicing in the Lord. Being thankful for what you have and being content with it too. We don’t need to be filled with anxiety if we learn to pray about everything. And then to have the faith that God will provide what we have asked for is how we grow spiritually. Obedience involves guarding our hearts too, guard them from the world’s thinking and focusing on God through Jesus Christ.
I will tell you something praiseworthy. Seeing my new granddaughter and how precious she is, that is certainly praiseworthy. Watching her two older sisters loving her and wanting to help take care of her in any way that they can is praiseworthy. Seeing Mom and Dad taking such good care of their family is praiseworthy. Watching the aunties coming and helping out during this transition from four to five in the family is also praiseworthy. Seeing the northern lights a few nights ago is praiseworthy. Watching my friends on social media doing things for their loved ones is praiseworthy. Seeing people at church and hearing my pastor preach the truth in love is praiseworthy. Are you beginning to get my point? Being obedient to God is a blessing that brings us many more blessings than we can possibly think of. Our daily lives are full of blessings and all because we have chosen to remain faithful to God through obedience to Jesus. With the Holy Spirit’s help, we will remain faithful and obedient. I love that helper because I need a lot of help staying on the righteous path. I think you probably do too as you come in and go out.
Until next time…Katherine
Katherine Speaks 