“If you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments.., [He] will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you… Blessed shall you be in the city, and… in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle… Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
“The Lord will cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated… [and] establish you as a people holy to himself… All the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord… The Lord will open to you his good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands… [He] will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down, if you… do not turn aside from any of the words that I command, to the right hand or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.” Deuteronomy 28:1-7,9-10,12-14
Every if-then proposition from God is backed by His righteousness, might, and sufficiency. He who is good makes clear the good way for His people. His promises are trustworthy because He is truth and does not lie. Always, always, He blesses obedience. His blessings cover a wide array of areas in life, measured with precision and bestowed from loving hands. (Numbers 23:19; Psalm 119:68; John 14:6)
The enemy deceives us into stroking alien affections, even justifying some as benign. He relishes our asserting our right to revenge, or angry retorts, our strolling the wide way that leads to curses, confusion, frustration, and destruction. What residue of self interest or promotion loiters to spoil an undivided heart? What prurience titillates an undisciplined will? What small choices lead us astray? What divine treasure are we missing because daily disobediences have become thoughtless actions and default reactions?(Deuteronomy 28:20; Matthew 7:13-15; John 8:44)
The beautiful gift of grace is that Jesus has opened to us His Father’s treasury, and we access it by the obedience of faith. Our every weakness, infraction, and horrid sin was crucified with Him to bring reconciliation and a will to obey. His Spirit helps us say no to unrighteousness and yes to Him. We access His wondrous grace and power, He equips us to discern truth, recognize temptation, and combat enemy attack. Treasure begets treasure as we enjoy the fruit of righteousness conferred by His love and mercy. (Isaiah 53:4-6,11; John 14:16-17; Romans 5:1-2; Ephesians 2:8-10; Philippians 1:11; 2 Peter 1:3-4)
“Oh, to grace how great a debtor
daily I’m constrained to be!
Let thy goodness, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee:
prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here’s my heart, O take and seal it;
seal it for thy courts above.” ~Robert Robinson (1758)
Lord, tether my wandering heart and mind to Thee. Keep me in Your narrow way that I might access, enjoy, and spread Your treasures abroad to a dark and needy world.
As the rain and snow 