Blessed Beyond Measure

"If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all His commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God: you will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock - the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land He is giving you. The Lord will establish you as His holy people, as He promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in His ways. Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you. The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity - in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground - in the land He swore to your forefathers to give you. The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of His bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. The Lord will make you the head and not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them." Deuteronomy 28:1-14

This Scripture basically sums up all that we could ever need and the abundance, graciousness and love of our heavenly Father. Just think, all you have to do is obey Him and He will bless you. Just simply obey.

How difficult is obedience? I think it is as difficult as we choose to make it. Life is perception and reality and how we perceive situations, circumstances, people, ourselves and God will determine what we get out of life. If we perceive all of the above as God sees them, we really are heirs, conquerors and a light to the world. If we choose to focus on the hardship of our circumstances, all that is ugly in the world and our failures, we may suffer more than God intended.

I know life isn't easy, but I also know that I want all that God has for me. Can you imagine your life filled with all of the blessings listed in Deuteronomy 28:1-14? What would you do? I know I would be praising Him like never before. I would do all I knew how to do and then some to be sure He gets all the glory, honor and praise. I would believe Him.

Now, why should we wait for those blessings to come before we praise Him and give Him glory? Doesn't His Word tell us to rejoice and be glad in Him, delight in Him, turn away from all other gods, love Him with all that we have and are, love others as we love ourselves and be witnesses to Him in all the world? If we are doing those things along with renewing our minds, can't we be blessed?

Are you doing those things already? Aren't you already obeying those commands and seeking help to be even better today than you were yesterday? Is He giving you help? Is there food on your table? Do you have a roof over your head? Do you have a job or some type of opportunity to learn, grow and give back? Do you have transportation whether it is public, a car or your two feet? Did you wake up this morning? Is there someone or many someones in your life who you love and who love you as well? If you have any of these things, all or more of them, then you are already blessed. Then you are living a blessed life.

Take some time today, even if it is just a few minutes and list all that you have and all that you are grateful for. Then praise God for each and everything you listed as each one is a blessing from Him. Then ask Him to help you see the world, your life and yourself as He sees and watch more blessings unfold. It doesn't matter whether you think you are worthy, what matters is that He is able and willing to bless you exceedingly abundantly above all that you could ask or think simply because He loves you.

The simplicity of it all - He loves you and desperately wants to bless you. All you have to do is obey and receive.

May you be blessed today and every day.