Overtaken by blessing
“And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the LORD your God” (ESV) Deuteronomy 28:2
Obedience the Bible says is better than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22). Many people in scripture have had different levels of experiences with the words “obedience” and “blessings”. There are many instances where those who have been obedient have tasted the fruit of it – blessings.
The patriarch Abraham is one extraordinary example whose obedience to God (Faith in God’s promise) resulted in a blessing that not only overtook him (father of many nations) but through which the world has been overtaken at a later date (through faith in Christ and His righteousness) - Romans 4:3, Galatians 3:6, Genesis 15:6.
So what do we say about us present Christians who desire so much of God’s blessing in the 21st Century especially as we live in a perverse generation? God’s words are true and flawless (Psalm 33:4, Proverbs 30:5). Whatever He promises, He delivers.
He has promised us all blessings in Christ for it is written in Ephesians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ”. But we can only access and dig into this blessing when we obey His commandments. These commandments are as simple as we can imagine: Love one another and Love God with all our might (Luke 10:27).
Obviously these commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:3). And it is by obeying God that we can be overtaken by His blessings. Let’s therefore make it a point to let go of anything that burdens our heart and surrender to Christ by obeying His commandments – John 13:34. God is capable of blessing us such that it overtakes us by surprise. Therefore let’s begin to celebrate God’s goodness by obeying His word.