Prospered

"And you shall again obey the Lord, and observe all His commandments which I command you today. Then the Lord your God will prosper you abundantly in all the work of your hand, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your cattle and in the produce of your ground, for the Lord will again rejoice over you for good, just as He rejoiced over your fathers; if you obey the Lord your God to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law, if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and soul." -Deuteronomy 30.8-10

Verses like this can be difficult to work with. There are people out there who take verses like this and they become the heart of their gospel. They proclaim the message of "God will bless you if you live for Him" and ignore anything about transformation, suffering, and genuine discipleship. But if we look closely at this section of scripture we find that the blessings of God follow genuine discipleship.

God says that He will prosper His people if they obey Him and observe all of His commands. They must live holy and righteous lives, loving God with all of their being. God will prosper and bless them, but not so that they may hoard it selfishly. Reading throughout Deuteronomy over and over there are provisions set up for the poor, widows and orphans, and foreigners living among them. As God blessed them they were in turn to bless others.

And it is important to note that sometimes the blessings of God come in the form of discipline. Any good father disciplines his children out of love so that they will become good people who can contribute to society. He does not allow them to live selfishly and take advantage of others. He disciplines them to do the right thing. God is a good father, and sometimes He disciplines His children and causes them to go through hardships so that they can become more holy.

Men, if God has made you prosper, praise Him, and take what He has given you and bless others with it. If He is disciplining you, praise Him, and accept it knowing He is doing it for your good and takes no pleasure in it.

May we never live for the prosperity, but for the God who gives it. May we accept the blessings, and the discipline, that He brings knowing that they both come from the same loving heart of our Father.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor