Tag Archive | obedience

The Blessing of Work

Mar17

All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the Lord your God: — Deuteronomy 28:2.                                                                                                                                                                          “Blessed shall be . . . the produce of your ground and the offspring of your beasts, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock. — Deuteronomy 28:4.                                                                                                 The Lord will command the blessing upon you in your barns and in all that you put your hand to, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God gives you. — Deuteronomy 28:8.                                   The Lord will make you abound in prosperity, . . . in the offspring of your beast and in the produce of your ground, in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you. The Lord will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. — Deuteronomy 28:11-12

Here I go traipsing back to the Garden of Eden. God created work: Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. (Genesis 2:15) God’s plan from the beginning was for man to work. Work is a blessing itself as it provides for our needs, enables us to help/bless others, gives us purpose and allows us to glorify God.

God designed work and will bless us in that work when we obey Him. It is by His power and blessing that we prosper, are successful, and enjoy contentment in our work. It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich, And He adds no sorrow to it. (Proverbs 10:22)

With these thoughts in mind, hopefully our attitude about work will be a positive attitude giving glory, praise and honor to God. Enjoy your work of obedience and let it overflow to your daily work, livelihood.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Blessing of Children

Mar16

 All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the Lord your God: — Deuteronomy 28:2

 “Blessed shall be the offspring of your body — Deuteronomy 28:4a

The Lord will make you abound …  in the offspring of your body — Deuteronomy 28:11a

Obedience brings the blessing of children. God created humanity and through them He continues the blessing of life. He continues His image on the earth for God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them*. God’s plan was for procreation from the very beginning (God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth — Genesis 1:28a) so it is understandable that He would bless what He has commanded. God calls the man whose quiver is full of them (children) a blessed man.

The blessing is not just in number. I believe it is also to bless you and your children’s relationships and to bless your children and your children’s children and so on. God longs to bless His children. Obedience brings blessing, builds trust, and strengthens our relationship with Jesus Christ. Receive the blessing by being obedient — for you and your offspring.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

 

*Genesis 1:27

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth. 5 How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; They will not be ashamed When they speak with their enemies in the gate. — Psalm 127:4-5

Be Blessed Where You Live

Mar15

All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the Lord your God:  “Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country. — Deuteronomy 28:2-3

Wherever you abide in the Lord, whether the city or country, the blessings of God will come upon you and overtake you. Wow, overtake you! That’s awesome. Oh I almost forgot — that is IF you obey the Lord your God. That has been God’s plan since Eden when He placed Adam and Eve in the garden.

If we believe, we can trust that wherever God places us, He is in control and we are where God has planned for us to be. Abram trusted God and went forth from his homeland to where God sent him. Jesus came that we might have abundant life but what does that entail? Obeying Him, putting that obedience to trust in Jesus, knowing that He will never leave us nor forsake us. I call that an abundant, blessed life.

So be obedient by studying the Word of God to know what you are to obey and enforce your obedience with prayer to strengthen your convictions and relationship with Jesus.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. — Genesis 2:15

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; — Genesis 12:1

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. — John 10:10

If You Diligently Obey

Mar4

Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. Deuteronomy 28:1

Did you ever notice how closely our obedience is connected to our blessings? We aren’t obedient to receive blessings — we can’t work our way to blessings or heaven — but through our obedience God blesses us. Just like our kids — we desire to bless them but if they are disobedient it would be detrimental to bless them. We require and expect our children to be obedient. God expects the same from His children (us).

This verse says, “God will set you high above all the nations”. I couldn’t help but be reminiscent thinking about great nations of the past who prospered when they were walking in the obedience of God. One such nation was the United States known to be established on Biblical principles. It was a nation that posted the Ten Commandments in it’s court houses, that had prayer in schools to the One and only God. It was a nation that was set above all the nations of the earth. God blessed this nation.

Just as Israel was blessed and prospered throughout history they were also disciplined for disobedience. It saddens my heart that this country draws further and further away from God. Fortunately God loves us enough to discipline us but unfortunately we are not responding. Our nation needs to turn back to obedience to God. As His people we must unite through the Holy Spirit and bathe our country in prayer and be an example as we are obedient to the Lord God Almighty.

Hear the cry, O Lord, of your remnant. Amen.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

 

The Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you only will be above, and you will not be underneath, if you listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, which I charge you today, to observe them carefully, — Deuteronomy 28: 13

The Words of My Heart

Mar2

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. — Deuteronomy 6:5-6

I know I have done a devotional on the first and foremost commandment before but I believe it is worthy of repeating again and again just as it is in the Bible. The focus this time will be more on verse 6.

Moses was serious about His relationship with God and fulfilling His purpose. He wanted the Israelites to be serious about it too. Is your relationship with the Lord and His purpose for you a serious matter in your life? Is it important enough to share with others? Do you impress the Word of God on your heart and soul?

This is really not an option. It is a commandment. So if you love the Lord your God, you will read His Word, pray for understanding, and practice what you read. Be a walking testimony of God’s Word. Maybe that would be like binding them as a sign on your hand or as frontals on your forehead. Be so transparent that Jesus is seen written all over you and when you speak you proclaim the words of God. Be a blessing.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

 

You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. — Deuteronomy 11:18

Are You Trusting? Then You Are Obeying.

Feb23

Lord, we show our trust in You by obeying Your laws; our heart’s desire is to glorify Your name. — Isaiah 26:8 (NLT)

Lord, I want to obey Your laws so You can see how much I trust You! In obedience to Your Word, I glorify Your name as others see the work You do in me. Help me to pay attention to You, give ear to Your Word, and obey Your law so that I may see the light You have set before me.

O Lord, You are my God and I will exalt You! I give thanks to Your name for You have worked wonders from day 1 of creation with perfect faithfulness. My heart rejoices when I think how You love me. You gave me laws to protect me, Your Word to guide me, Jesus to save me, the Holy Spirit to teach me and life to glorify You. I hope to be a testimony to You by my obedience and trust in You. To You, Lord God, be the glory forever and ever through Your Son, Jesus Christ.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

 

“Pay attention to Me, O My people, And give ear to Me, O My nation; For a law will go forth from Me, And I will set My justice for a light of the peoples. — Isaiah 51:4

O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; For You have worked wonders, Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness. — Isaiah 25:1

 

Walk in His Ways

Feb11

“Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,                                                                                    — Deuteronomy 10:12   

It really is all about God. He has set His standard, “to fear the Lord your God”, reverently fear. A respectful awe of our Lord.

He commands us to walk in His ways. His commandments are to be followed because He is, was and always will be the One and only God, Creator, Lord, Master, our All in all. He deserves our utmost obedience.

The first and foremost commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. If we love Him we will keep His commandments, serve Him and fear Him — that is walking with the Lord. 

Walking with the Lord is so much more than obeying commandments and serving. God gives us these commandments and instructions in His Word for our benefit. Walking with the Lord Jesus is a walk of peace and joy. Within the confines of obedience to His Word we find a trustworthy, faithful friend who will never fail us. Living in the boundaries He has set for us we find contentment. We might be commanded but it is for our benefit and blessing. Surrender to a wonderful walk with Jesus and let His commandments guide you to a deeper, more solid faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

 

Therefore, you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him. Deuteronomy 8:6

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. — Deuteronomy 6:5