
“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 swore unto thy fathers to give thee. 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 thy hand; and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. 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. 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.”
Deuteronomy 28:11-14
A few months ago, we celebrated the birthdays of a few of my friends during our weekly afternoon luncheon. As we closed our day of worship, we held hands forming a circle and spontaneously, each person said a prayer thanking God for our friendship and, His blessings in our lives. It was a very touching experience and I felt truly blessed to be among the group. The night before this event, I was going through my Bible and found the blessing in the passage above. I printed it out on my computer several times with the plans to distribute it after lunch the following day; however, without the knowledge that we were going to pray for each other. After the last person in our group ended their prayer, I remembered to distribute the strip with today’s verse.
The promised blessing found in Deuteronomy 28:2-13, is a blessing for you and your family as you go into the New Year. It is a reminder of the many ways that God has promised to bless you. Many times we reduce God’s blessing to monetary gain, forgetting that, more times than not, we need much more than money could ever buy. Have you ever wondered why you are always the one lending to others? Well the blessing says, He will make you a lender, not a borrower! So, if you lent money to another person who did not have the integrity to repay the loan; let it go. Forget about it. This way, God’s Word in your life is not corrupted by your grumbling. Allow the blessing of being a lender to flourish; more has to come to you. It is part of God’s blessing. The blessing does not stop there; it covers all aspects of your life. Do you wonder why others always call on you first? It’s because you are supposed to be heading, not tailing.
And, do you keep wondering why you have to be the one to make this or make that; create this or create that; do this or do that for others? It’s because He promised to bless the works of your hands! The original form was to bless whatever you sowed in the fields or made with your hands. But today, our fields are considered our careers. And, for most people, the blessing of our hands has moved from the farm fields to the career fields.
Try to really understand the full gamut of this blessing; because, God has not left anything out! -He has you fully covered. There is a caveat to this blessing; you must truly make the decision to allow God full access in your life. You will have to open your heart so that God can direct your paths towards the specific journey which will fulfill His Word in your life. Take the time to re-read the passage. Consider printing out the entire verse, and placing it anywhere you believe you will be able to see it; so, it can be a gentle reminder of God's promise to you.
This upcoming New Year, why not make a commitment to fully accept that God will always remain faithful to His Word, even in the midst of your most gruesome trials. Have faith in His Word; His Grace will sustain you.
May God continue to Bless you today and always! Happy New Year! L.
Study Reference: Deuteronomy 28:1-13
From: "A Promised Blessing." In The Master's Hands: 365 Daily Devotions For Everyday Living.
Copyright © 2014 by Lavona E. Campbell
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