TOPIC: CONDITIONAL BLESSINGS
MEMORISE:
Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. 3 John 2
READ: Deuteronomy 28:1-14
1 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:
2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.
3 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.
4 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
5 Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.
6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
7 The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.
8 The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
9 The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways.
10 And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee.
11 And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
12 The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.
13 And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:
14 And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
MESSAGE
Many times, when we come across a blessing while reading the Bible, we tend to rejoice and 'claim' that blessing. However, as a Mathematician, I have learned that for certain equations to work as expected, certain conditions must be met. Thus, when l see a blessing in the Bible, I always want to dig deeper to see the conditions that must be met for me to enjoy the blessing.
Some Christians don't enjoy some blessings God has pronounced upon them primarily because they are either ignorant of the required conditions or have failed to fulfil them. Therefore, it is very important that you know the conditions that are attached to God's promises so you can fulfil and maintain those conditions in order to enjoy the blessings.
Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. Genesis 12:1-3
In the Scripture above, God gave seven blessings to Abraham based on the following conditions: He instructed him to leave his country, kindred, and father's house in search of a land He would show him. So, for Abraham to enjoy these blessings, he had to fulfil all the conditions that God gave him. Abraham left his father's house and his country in search of the land God promised him as he was instructed, but he took one of his kindred (Lot) with him, thereby flouting one of the conditions. As a result, the blessings God promised him remained on hold until Lot separated from Abraham in Genesis 13:14-15.
Today's Bible reading contains some very beautiful promises. However, you should not get carried away by the promises alone; you should also take note of the conditions attached to them. God said that you must hearken diligently to His word and not turn away from it in order to enjoy the blessings. If you read further down in verses 15-68, you will see the consequences of not fulfilling the conditions the blessings were hinged upon.
Beloved, if you meet God's conditions, you will enjoy His blessings. However, if you do not meet them, you will not be able to receive or enjoy them.
KEY POINT
Always take note of the conditions to be met in order to enjoy God's blessings.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Exodus 8-10
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE
HYMN 30: WHEN WE WALK WITH THE LORD
1 When we walk with the Lord
in the light of his word,
what a glory he sheds on our way!
While we do his good will,
he abides with us still,
and with all who will trust and obey.
Refrain:
Trust and obey, for there's no other way
to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
2 Not a burden we bear,
not a sorrow we share,
but our toil he doth richly repay;
not a grief or a loss,
not a frown or a cross,
but is blest if we trust and obey.
3 But we never can prove
the delights of his love
until all on the altar we lay;
for the favor he shows,
for the joy he bestows,
are for them who will trust and obey.
4 Then in fellowship sweet
we will sit at his feet,
or we'll walk by his side in the way;
what he says we will do,
where he sends we will go;
never fear, only trust and obey.
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