12/21/2021
When we follow the Lord with all our heart He blesses us. When we obey Him, and remain in His will, He rewards us. Let’s think back on those times when it would have been easier to go along with the crowd, turn a blind eye to something we knew was wrong, or not to give of ourselves because it would hurt us to do so; yet, we remained true to the Lord in these things. Did we not receive a blessing from being faithful? Our obedience never goes without notice, or reward, and the more difficult, or painful the effort, the greater we are blessed… sometimes with riches or earthly things, but always with spiritual wealth.
“‘Not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land that I swore to give to your fathers, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh. He shall see it, and to him and to his children I will give the land on which he has trodden, because he has wholly followed the Lord!’”
Deuteronomy 1:35-36 ESV
In discussing the difficult times in my own life with people who are facing trials, or tribulations, in their own live and faith, I speak to them of the pain and suffering I experienced in those moments, but then I am quick to tell them of the blessings that followed, or those I received in the midst of my difficulty… I am quick to say “The hardest times in my life physically, have always been the greatest times for me spiritually.” This is true of men, and of nations as well.
““And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God.”
Deuteronomy 28:1-2 ESV
I was reading a devotional and came across a short passage written by J.R. Miller, a Presbyterian pastor and writer of the late 1800s, and early 1900s. His observation on this subject confirmed my own, and also mentioned that we miss blessings when we yield to our own weakness, or lack the courage, instead of obeying the Lord.
“Every difficult task that comes across your path — every one that you would rather not do, that will take the most effort, cause the most pain, and be the greatest struggle — brings a blessing with it. And refusing to do it regardless of the personal cost is to miss the blessing.” - J. R. Miller
This has been my experience, and I am certain that if we each search our lives of faith that we will all find it to be true. Sometimes we overlook God’s involvement in what we do in response to His calls. It is easy to think that the sweat of our brow, the successes we have, or the endurance we exhibit, are ours alone. We are inclined to believe that He is responsible for the grander miracles, but not the everyday events. When we do this we miss the realization of countless blessings in our lives. We think that because God is grand that He doesn’t deal in the tiny things of life, and yet He made them all.
“he will bless those who fear the Lord, both the small and the great.”
Psalm 115:13 ESV
My father-in-law had grown old, and I was planting what turned out to be his last garden. He was unable to help physically but he was teaching me about gardening. There were lessons of faith interspersed within my instruction in gardening, and horticulture. One afternoon he was teaching me how to pot tomato seeds and the right way to prepare them for the greenhouse. I noticed that the seeds we had bought looked really small, and made that point as I worked along. Hearing this he leaned forward in his chair and in a soft fatherly voice said “You’d be surprised what God can put into a tiny seed.” Then he leaned back and we both basked in that moment. You see, tiny things can bring forth large blessings.
“He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.””
Matthew 17:20 ESV
So, are we obedient in all things, and do we thank the Lord for every blessing great and small? Do we see God all day long in everything we do, and is Jesus, who abides in us as the eternal and all encompassing grandeur of God, an unfathomable enormity that is tucked into us… the tiny seeds which are made to hold a limitless faith?
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your daily blessings as we obey your commandments, answer you call, and do your will. Thank you for the blessings you give us that we readily perceive to be great, and thank you too for the tiny blessings we believe are insignificant, yet reveal themselves to be far greater than we could ever have imagined, or understood… pinholes in the floor of Heaven through which we glimpse you, and eternity. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who teaches us perfection, and gives us gifts of unspeakable value, and beauty, as we obey you in all things. Praised be your name for these blessings that bring us closer to you, and allow us to know the glory of Christ Jesus. Praised be your name Father for the mustard seeds that become our trees of faithfulness. Merciful are you who blesses us with your grace, and the blood of Jesus. Wash us clean of sin Father, and see the image of Christ in us when we stand before you in judgement. Let Christ, who abides in us, be the lamb that prepares us for an eternal life with you… our ultimate blessing.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love”
Ephesians 1:3-4 ESV
Rich Forbes