Title: Life and Blessings/Deuteronomy 30:15-20)
“Behold, I have set before you this day life and good, death and evil” (Deuteronomy 30:15).
The Bible says that depending on what kind of road we walk in this world, it can be the way of life or the way of death. God wants to give us life, salvation, and blessings, but the evil devil constantly tempts us to go astray and uses various tricks to lead us down the path of curse. Just as there are laws in each country to ensure that people live comfortably, but there are evil forces in the dark that torment and make people unhappy, so is the devil. It is interfering with God's work and hindering it.
So, in order not to be deceived by what the devil is doing, and to receive the blessing that God is trying to give, we are going to preach the word with the title of 'Life and Blessing'. But first, blessings can be broadly explained in two ways. One is the blessing of grace that is given unconditionally without any effort or reward. Repentance, forgiveness of sins, and faith in Jesus are grace. So grace is a free gift from God.
Another blessing is the blessing you receive in return for hard work. Like 2 Timothy 4:7-8, if you fight the good fight, finish the race, and keep the faith, the righteous judge will give you a crown. God comes to those who work hard and long for Him, and He gives blessings.
May these two blessings fill you today.
1. God blesses those who give thanks.
Among the blessings, the most decisive blessing is the blessing that is freely given. It is the most precious blessing for those who go to Hell without any effort or work to go to Heaven. Therefore, we should always have a heart of gratitude to God and in everything.
However, giving thanks in everything is not an easy task. If life becomes so painful that you want to commit suicide, your heart will be filled with complaints rather than gratitude. But then think of Job. Job said that all his business was taken away, his servants were killed, his ten children all died at once, his wife changed his mind, his friends criticized him, and he even had sore throats all over his body. Nevertheless, he did not blame God and praised God, saying, "The Lord gave and the Lord took away" (Job 1:21). As a result, God changed all his circumstances and blessed him twice.
So, a true believer is someone who can give thanks while looking at the grace that will be given in the future. Everyone in the world is grateful for the grace you have already given. However, people of faith should not look at the environment and give thanks. God blesses them and uses them again.
Even if you look at the numerous characters in the Bible, they are not people who succeeded because they were blessed from the beginning, but people who fell into great troubles and troubles and turned their situation around by giving thanks while they were unable to give thanks. So did Abraham, so did Joseph, and so did David. Prophet Habakkuk realized the truth that “the righteous shall live by faith” (Hab 2:4) and was able to rejoice in the Lord and rejoice in the God of salvation even in the crisis of destruction when the people were being led into captivity.
Gentlemen, God wants to give us the way of life, the blessed way. Please lay down your heavy burdens under the cross and give thanks in hopes for the thrill of salvation and the days of blessings to come.
2. Blessed are those who keep God's word and command.
“Love the LORD your God, and walk in all his ways, and keep his commandments, ordinances, and decrees, so that you may live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are going to acquire” (Deuteronomy 30:16).
God says that if you keep His commands, ordinances, and laws, you will be blessed. He also says that keeping these commandments is not difficult. “This command that I am giving you today is not difficult for you, nor is it far off, but its word is very near to you and is in your mouth and in your heart, so you can do it” (11-14). I'm telling you to do what you have. However, the devil constantly comes to us and tells us that we cannot keep God's commands, and whispers that if we do not, God will punish and curse us. However, God does not condemn us if we do something wrong while living according to His Word, but He praises and rewards us even if we do one thing well.
None of our people are perfect. It is lacking and lacking, but it is to find useful points and refine them. So, God has no one to forsake.
Look at David. David did not walk with God because he was righteous and all things were right. He also had unrighteousness, adultery, and terrible murder, but God loved him because he had a heart with God. The same goes for Joshua and Caleb. They were not particularly superior or courageous to the others. However, because he believed that the word of God will surely come true and that what he promised will be kept, and he tried to live by the word, he was pleased with it and allowed him to enter the promised land of Canaan.
Therefore, everyone, believe that God will help and bless you even if you put your heart into keeping His commands and His Word, and let go of fear and believe in the God of love and forgiveness.
3. Bless those who pray with the belief that “God loves me”.
God is love. It is a love that does not change in the past, present, or future. That is why you are constantly sending messages of love. Please believe in this absolute love. But when doubts come into love, problems arise from that point on. If you doubt and distrust God, you will not be able to unite with God. “If you turn around and not listen, and are tempted to bow down to other gods and serve them, you will surely perish” (17-18).
Therefore, brothers and sisters, with this belief that 'God sees me through the eyes of love', how can you please God and how to become a person who fulfills God's word? And pray with this faith. The power of darkness that torments you will be cast away, true peace and freedom will abound, and your prayers will finally be answered, and the various blessings that God allows will come.
Then, how should we pray to receive answers? We must pray for God's righteousness and mercy while we cover others with a mourning heart. When we pray like this, God says "blessed". Whatever you ask before the Lord is not a lustful prayer, it will be answered. He told us to believe that we have received what we prayed for.
Today, I pray that you will all be blessed by believing in the God of love who answers those who believe and ask for the word of promise.