Blessings of Obedience
Psalm 112:1-9 (NLT) How joyful are those who fear the Lord and delight in obeying his commands. Their children will be successful everywhere; an entire generation of godly people will be blessed. They themselves will be wealthy, and their good deeds will last forever. Light shines in the darkness for the godly. They are generous, compassionate, and righteous. Good comes to those who lend money generously and conduct their business fairly. Such people will not be overcome by evil. Those who are righteous will be long remembered. They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them. They are confident and fearless and can face their foes triumphantly. They share freely and give generously to those in need. Their good deeds will be remembered forever. They will have influence and honor.
What an incredible amount of blessings we receive when we walk in obedience! Our children will be successful, a generation of godly people become blessed, we become wealthy, our works have an everlasting reach, we will walk in the light, we are generous, caring and righteous. Good comes to us because we are fair and give freely. Evil does not overcome us - we are fearless and we are able to influence others and are honored. All because we fear the Lord and obey His commands.
Choosing to live for an eternal God far outweighs the temporary pleasures of sin which leads to destruction. What sounds like a good time to someone living in the world doesn't even make sense to someone who is living for Jesus. There are so many hurting people - why on earth would I want to waste my time only living to fulfill selfish desires? Some people work their entire life just so they can obtain something that fades away or only lasts a few years - not to mention how much stress is caused working all the time just for a bigger house or a nicer car when they could be spending time with people - building relationships that will last and influence others for decades and generations to come.
God is so faithful - He will bless us with things we want, things we need, but if there is a time when all we desire is "stuff" then we have gravely missed the point of our journey. We all have a God-given purpose… I love a quote from Pastor Josh he said years ago regarding material things. He said if you own something that you cannot give away, then you don't own it, it owns you. There's some hard truth right there… God may bless you with something just because He loves you so much - like any parent would for their children - but if He says now give it to your neighbor or a stranger… will you obey? I can promise you this - if you choose to keep what God said to give away, you will no longer enjoy it the same. Just tough it out and hand it over :) It may sting a little but knowing you are following your Father's plan is priceless! He will reward your obedience and someone else will be blessed because of it!
