Psalm 25:12-14 (NIV): Who, then, is the man that fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him. He will spend his days in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land. The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.
These days, many people seem to have developed an “entitlement mentality.” They believe that they deserve to be blessed, to have good things come their way, to have lots of luxuries, simply because they exist as people. This mentality is fed and nurtured by the advertizing community with ads telling people that certain merchants will help them get the car, or the house, or the television that they “deserve.” The problem, of course, comes when the debt incurred from these things, which the people believe that they deserve, overwhelm their finances, and it all goes away. Then, somehow, people feel like God has somehow cheated them, or dealt dishonestly with them. The feel like God has stolen their treasures and their security away.
But the fact is, no one deserves fine things in life merely because they exist, no matter what the commercials say. Left to our own devises we tend to rebel against God, to forget about Him entirely, or to take Him for granted. And, because of that, people deserve His judgment, not His blessings. God sends the blessings of sun and rain on both the just and the unjust because of His love for all mankind (cf. Matthew 5:44-45), but those who turn their backs on Him, who use His name as a curse, or who even deny His existence do not even “deserve” those blessings from His hand.
The ones God truly blesses are those who fear Him, who honor His name, who focus themselves on His agenda, and who obey His commands. These are the ones that He abundantly blesses, not with big houses or expensive cars, but with the unspeakable riches of his presence, His guidance, His instruction. These are the ones whom He blesses with real prosperity: not worldly riches that moths will eat and rust corrode, but a prosperity of spirit, a richness and fullness of life that nothing on earth can touch. These are the ones that God will raise up to not only inherit the world, but who will be raised up to eternal life – life that will continue to grow richer and fuller long after this world has become a lifeless cinder. These are the ones that God will speak to, that He will confide in, that He will share His covenant with. These are the ones who will truly have what everyone truly wants: a life so rich and full of genuine blessings that it can’t even be adequately described.
There is only one doorway to eternal life: Jesus, the Son of God. And that same door is the only entrance to the life that is truly a life of abundance. A life of richness A life of sweetness and joy A life of grace and power and glory. A life lived in God’s presence and in His power.
Father, I agree! This is life that is truly life – a life that I can not only live here and now, but can keep right on living all the way to forever. Thank You for calling Me to Yourself, for opening My eyes to see the futility of My old way of life, and the grace to surrender entirely to you through Jesus;. Thank You for this life of richness of spirit, of joy, and of genuine power to help change lives. I can think of nothing better, and I crave nothing more. Amen.