Deuteronomy 28:1-6

1 “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. 2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. 3 Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. 4 Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. 5 Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 6 Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.

I am a gift-giver. You may think me kind and generous, but I assure you, it’s as much a gift for myself as it is for the receiver. The gift is not the reason I enjoy it; rather, it’s the elated look on the receiver’s expected reaction upon opening said gift. It’s the excitement in her eyes and the joy in her smile; it’s the way the elation on her face mirrors the eagerness in mine. What an honor––to be a blessing to someone! I love gift-giving.

God delights in blessing us. If you don’t believe me, see Genesis when He created all the universe, including us, and placed us as dominion over all of it. Or check out the Gospels when He sent His perfect Son to live the life of a human and die the death of sinless Savior. Or consider your own life filled with relationships and experiences and try to count the many ways He has blessed you.

God so values us that He often still blesses us, even when we sin against Him. But in our disobedience, we risk missing out on certain blessings. I love the language of these verses: If we faithfully obey the Lord, following His commands, His blessings will come upon us and overtake us. The word “overtake” means “to affect someone suddenly and powerfully” or to “surpass.” God promises us that His blessings are so powerful, so dominant, that all we will be able to do is follow in their wake. If you want the kind of Lord’s blessings that completely and incredibly overtake you, obey His Word.

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Seek the Lord in prayer.

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Notice what the Holy Spirit is communicating to you.

Engage in the next action step. Think of a way to respond in obedience to what God has revealed to you today.