What does it mean to be blessed? How do you know if you’re blessed? Is material wealth indicative of blessing? Deuteronomy 28 says, “And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord. You’ll be blessed in the city, field, blessed when you go in, and blessed when you go out.” The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way and flee before thee seven ways. He declares that we would be the head and not the tail, lender, not a borrower. Who wouldn’t blessings to overtake them? Hand raised; I know I do!
The scripture doesn’t end there; it says what happens if we don’t observe His commandments. “But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee and overtake thee. Instead of being blessed in the city, you will be cursed in the city, in the field, cursed in the body, cursed when you come in, and cursed when you go out. There are consequences to our actions! If you’re anything like me, I ask God to have mercy on me for the things that I have done (will do) in my life that are contrary to his will and a result of my disobedience. I’m notorious for procrastination. I was enlightened by a statement shared on Social Media that the root of procrastination is rebellion, yep, rebellion! Here I was, excusing procrastination, putting off what I should do now until later. How arrogant of me to think that I have “time.”
The scriptures referenced above are from the Old Testament, and some may argue that we are under a new covenant (which is true) and doesn’t apply because we are under grace. Are we under grace absolutely but let’s see what Jesus says about obedience? In Luke chapter, Jesus was teaching the disciples the format of prayer and sharing with them how much the Father gives good gifts to His children, including the Holy Spirit to them that ask him. Jesus went on to cast out a devil, and they accused Him of being connected with the devil, and Jesus, in His eloquent way, explained how a divided kingdom could not stand. He also shared a biblical principle on deliverance (read the chapter). When the crowd gathered, a woman who was in the midst said to Jesus, “Blessed is the womb that bares thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.” But He replied, “Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.” It seems to me that we are blessed as a result of our obedience. In John, Jesus 14:15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” John 15:14. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. In Romans 2:13 it says, “For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; 13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.” Let us also reference our perfect example, Jesus. The word of God says that “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.”
Obedience is better than sacrifice. But besides our obedience being a blessing to us, it also benefits others. Similarly, our disobedience causes others to miss out on what God wanted to use us to do, affecting those around us! Let us be intentional in all that we do. Step out in faith and do what the Father has instructed you to do. It will bear fruit. Our Father is faithful. I challenge you to be quick to obey even if you don’t fully understand. Each act of obedience is how we learn more and more to be led by the spirit of God. I believe with you!!!
Let’s pray…
Father, it’s in the of Jesus that we come before you. First, we thank you for life and strength. We ask you to forgive us for our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Father, empower us by your spirit to walk in obedience to your will. We desire to live lives that are pleasing to you. Help us realize that our obedience directly affects others so that we’ll be quick to obey. Father, I ask that you give unto us a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of you. Help us to be examples of your love in this world. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.
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