God loves you, He has a will for your life; and He has specific blessings designed just for you. Many of God’s people have received blessings in their lives. Some may call it good fortune, luck, or coincidence. The truth is, when something good transpires in a person’s life it is the Lord’s hand of favor and goodness upon them. Often times a blessing can come into a person’s life and they wonder; “how could this have happened to me? I don’t deserve it.” Very often, a person may not “deserve” the blessings that come; but because there is a loving God in heaven who gives good gifts, His children are given grace.
Did you know that even those that are considered unrighteous can receive the Lord’s goodness as well? The Bible says; “…for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45 NKJV). There is a time however, when the Lord will come to His people and draw the line, requiring their repentance and asking them to change. He is a loving God, a gracious God, and full of mercy. He is also a righteous judge. The Lord calls for His people to seek after Him in righteousness, and He gives them the opportunity to change. In this life we have families, jobs, and many responsibilities. People are always striving to better their status in life. They want to receive the promotion from work, or want to attain greater heights in their achievements. How much more should it be that we strive to be closer to God? It is true that we can not change ourselves; this is impossible. We can make choices however; to surrender in a greater way to the Lord, to let go of our pride, and to recognize that there is room for change and growth before the Lord.
The power is in your choices; the everyday choices that may seem trivial and unimportant; are the very choices that shape who you become and what you will be. These everyday “little” choices add up to a lot down the road. We must make our choices wisely and give the Holy Spirit access to change our hearts. Otherwise, we go backwards. There is no standing still in the Kingdom of God. We must challenge ourselves to dig deeper, to go further, and to be on the cutting edge in our walk with Christ. This is the only way to live a fulfilled, balanced, and blessed life.
A perfect example of this lesson is found in the Scriptures. In Numbers 20:8-12 (NKJV) it says;
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” So Moses took the rod from before the LORD as He commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank. Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”
In this passage of Scripture Moses was in the midst of leading the Israelites through the wilderness into the Promised Land. The people were rebellious and angry, and had great sin before the Lord. Continually the Lord would perform miracles in their midst through the hand of Moses, the man of God that the Lord had chosen to lead them. Moses and Aaron were angry over the people and their wicked behavior. Due to this, they did not obey God to speak to the rock, but instead out of their frustration and anger Moses struck the rock. In this, they sinned by disobeying the Lord; and He would not allow them to enter into the Promised Land. Instead, Moses lay on the top of a hill, as a few of his people entered into the Promised Land. There, on top of this hill Moses died. Moses was a mighty man of God who fellowshipped with the Lord. The Bible says that God spoke to Moses face to face. So why then would God penalize him so strongly? The answer is simple; Moses walked in a very high place. Therefore, his accountability was great. The Bible says; “but someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be punished only lightly. When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required” (Luke 12:48 NLT).
The higher you walk with God the greater your accountability. Moses paid a great price for his disobedience to God. Each person may not have the same accountability as Moses. However, each individual does have a measure of accountability. God places within each of us the ability to know the difference between right and wrong, and to choose to do good rather than evil. Take the example of children; if they do something wrong, they will be held accountable by their parents. Their parents discipline them to teach them, and they may lose privileges in the process. In this same way God corrects His children if they do wrong. The Bible says; “for the Lord disciplines those he loves…” (Hebrews 12:6 NLT).
The Bible also says “we must take up our cross daily and follow Him.” This means it is a daily decision to walk with God. God does not require your perfection but your obedience. We should follow the example of Christ and strive for excellence in our lives. Each day you have the opportunity to strive to become a better person, to be a more loving human being, and to become more obedient to God. This is the only way an individual can enter into God’s blessings and stay there. There is grace; but Jesus comes requiring more. When Jesus Christ died on the Cross the Bible teaches us that He bought the life of each person with a price, the price of His precious blood. Jesus gave Himself as a living sacrifice. No one forced Him. He chose it. In the same way we must choose to obey Him and accept Him in our lives. The Lord will come to you time and time again; but He will never force Himself upon you. He will not force you to accept Him, to love Him, or to obey Him. That choice is yours and yours alone. He will lead you, knock on the door of your heart, and ask you to let Him in. The decision you make when He comes to you, will define your life and the legacy you leave behind. The question is; what choice will you make? What kind of person do you want to become? What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind?
This day I encourage you to give your life to Jesus Christ, to seek Him with your whole heart, and to say; “Yes Lord, I choose You.” You can start by praying this prayer aloud to Him;
Dear Lord Jesus,
I ask for forgiveness of my sins. I ask that You would wash me clean with your blood. I welcome You into my life; to change my heart, to help me to obey You, and to lead me into all the blessings You have in store for my life. This day I profess You as my Lord and Savior, and I choose to obey Your voice. I choose life, liberty, and obedience.
In Jesus Mighty Name I Pray,
Amen
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