The Pathway to God’s Blessing

What does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul?
–Deuteronomy 10:12

Do you want God’s blessing in your life? Then listen to His commands.

The word “listen” in Hebrew means “to absorb with a goal of application.” It is listening to the commands of God with a view to applying them. If you are looking for a life verse to guide you in the coming year, then Deuteronomy 10:12 is a great verse to remember. Moses asked, “What does the Lord your God require from you?” Isn’t that a great question we all ought to answer? “God, what do You want from me more than anything else?” Moses answered that question: “To fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”

There are three things God wants from you if you want to experience His blessing in your life. First, Moses said to fear God. Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” What does it mean to fear God? People try to soften that word. They say, “It does not mean to be afraid of God; it means to be in awe of God.” No, fear means fear. To fear God means to be afraid of God–specifically, to be afraid of the consequences of disobeying God. The fear of God, a healthy respect for the holiness of God, is the beginning place of all wisdom.

Second, Moses said to walk in all God’s ways. If you want God’s blessing in your life, then it means obeying God in every part of your life, not just select parts of your life. Are you obeying God in every part of your life? What about your moral life? What about your family life? Are you obeying God in your work? What about your spiritual life? If you want God’s blessings, then Moses says you need to walk with God and obey Him in all areas of your life.

Third, Moses said the key to God’s blessing is to love God and to serve Him with all your heart. Moses added this phrase to remind Israel that their obedience to God was not just out of a cold, legalistic requirement. It was not even out of fear of the consequences of disobeying God. Ultimately, our obedience to God is based on our love for God. Just think about all God has done for you. When you were dead in your trespasses and sin, headed for an eternity of separation from Him, God, for no other reason than the great love with which He loved you, reached down and picked you up. He saved you by the death of His Son. He indwelled you with the Holy Spirit. He has given you numerous and undeserved blessings every day of your life. Out of gratitude for all God has done for you, should you not wholeheartedly want to obey Him? That is the pathway that leads to God’s blessing in your life.

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Today’s devotion is excerpted from “New Year . . . New Choices” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2015.

Scripture quotations are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.