“That it might go well with (you).” Deuteronomy 5:29 NIV
“There are remarkable possibilities when you choose to love and serve God.”
My thoughts today are about “cause and effect.”
Isn’t it wonderful when all goes well for you? Life at such moments is a joy. Do you think that such good times are mere chance? Or God’s sovereign decision? Or that a person has a role in making such special times possible? My answer would be yes to all three possibilities. There are good times in which the world seems more like God intended for folk to enjoy. But some unpleasant experiences in life are the product of the fallen world and its citizens, and the common life we all share. God does not always preempt the natural course of choices and decisions people make – yourself as well as others. And yes, there are certainly times and seasons of God’s unusual blessing and favor. Rejoice and be thankful for such occasions.
You cannot make every moment wondrous; and thankfully, neither are you responsible for every challenging time or experience. Does all that sound too random and incidental to you? Then consider this: the Bible says that how you live can significantly shape times when life goes well. “Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear Me and keep My commandments always, so that it might go well with them, and with their children forever . . walk in all the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land you will possess.” Read Deuteronomy 5:29-33 NIV. Did you notice the cause and effect in that Bible passage – simple and specific ways you can make life better for yourself, and for your family? Every cause has an effect for either righteousness or unrighteousness, for your good or harm. Why not choose what is for your good?
(1) Treating God as God is a primary factor in how well life goes for you. “Hearts inclined to fear Me” describes a person living with a reverential awe of God. “The Fear of the Lord” is a Bible study of life-long benefit and blessing. Godly fear is positive not negative; it is not a lifestyle of being afraid of God and what He would do to you. It is being afraid of your own heart and its capacities for disappointing God and frustrating His grace and purposes. Read Micah 6:8 NKJV. Men and women – and youth – disregard Him to their own harm!
(2) Love and obey God’s instructions. Insistence on living on your own terms and doing as you wish means life will not often go well for you. God does not make that your reality; you do! God does not react to you; yet He honors your willingness to be without Him or your desire to have Him with you. Insistence on your independence will make everyday life more difficult than it has to be. “I praise you for Your righteous laws. Great peace have they who love Your Law, and nothing can make them stumble. I wait for Your salvation, O Lord, and I follow Your commands. I obey Your statutes, for I love them greatly. Psalm 119:164-168 NIV. Read also Psalm 119:97-105 NIV.
Now contemplate the promised effects of such a Godly life. “. . that it might be well with (you) and your children forever . . that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land you will possess.” Measure those carefully – prospering in what you set your hand to do (Joshua 1:8 NKJV), and prolonged days to enjoy His provision, and possessing the promises and provision God gives. There are remarkable possibilities when you choose to love and serve God as He asks.
My prayer for you today is: always do the right thing because it is the right thing to do.