If you indeed obey the Lord your God and are careful to observe all his commandments I am giving you today, the Lord your God will elevate you above all the nations of the earth. All these blessings will come to you in abundance if you obey the Lord your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the field. Your children will be blessed, as well as the produce of your soil, the offspring of your livestock… You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. (Deuteronomy 28:1-6 — New English Translation)
This 28th chapter of Deuteronomy has two parts — the first half lists the blessings for those who follow God, and the last half lists the curses for those who ignore Him and live whatever way they want. Though the Israelites had taken possession of the Promised Land, that was not enough, they had to hold on to it and continue to experience God’s blessings. The fact that they were living in that blessed land would not prevent curses from coming upon them, if they were disobedient. The choice was theirs.
The historical books of the Old Testament tell us about how this passage came true when God's people obeyed Him. As you read the books of Joshua through Esther, the people of Israel were blessed, protected, and victorious when they loved and obeyed God. The principle in these verses is eternal — God always acts in this way. He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. But ignoring God and disobeying Him always leads to disaster.
We do not live under the Old Testament Law today — we live by the Law of the Spirit — and yet this principle still holds true. If we get cold in our faith and lose our passion for following and pleasing the Lord Jesus Christ, even though we go to church and read the Bible and are “good” people, we are inviting disaster into our lives. Not only can we lose God’s blessings and protection, we can lose our salvation. If Lucifer who was constantly in the presence of God and saw the greatness and surpassing beauty of heaven could be blinded from the truth of God through arrogance and pride, how much more could we.
As we end this year and start a new one, remember that obedience to God is one of a handful of attitudes that will help to guarantee success and blessings… both physical and spiritual. Boldness to believe what God has promised — that He will elevate you above all the nations of the earth — and to claim it for yourself would be another. May this year be the best year of your life so far.
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