IIT UBF - University Bible Fellowship at IIT

Daily Bread

Blessings for Obedience

Date: Feb. 10, 2023

Passage

Deuteronomy 28:1-14 (ESV)

“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. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. 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. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.

“The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. The LORD will command the blessing on you in your barns and in all that you undertake. And he will bless you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. The LORD will establish you as a people holy to himself, as he has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in his ways. 10 And all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they shall be afraid of you. 11 And the LORD will make you abound in prosperity, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your livestock and in the fruit of your ground, within the land that the LORD swore to your fathers to give you. 12 The LORD will open to you his good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands. And you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. 13 And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, being careful to do them, 14 and if you do not turn aside from any of the words that I command you today, to the right hand or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

Daily Bread

Key Verse: 28:1-2

“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.

God wanted to keep blessing his covenant people in the Promised Land. However, a blessed life doesn’t come by accident. The secret to enjoying God’s blessing is to take God’s word seriously and obey it carefully and fully. God lists his abundant blessings for those who obey him in detail (1-13): God will set them high above all the nations; every area in their lives will be blessed; protection and victory over their enemies are promised; and all the work of their hands will be richly blessed so that they will be the head and not the tail, a good influence, and a blessing to the nations.

However, God’s blessings are not limited to visible or material things. When God’s people keep his commands and walk in obedience to the LORD, God will set them apart from all nations and make them a kingdom of priests and a holy nation for him. To grow in the holiness of God and to be used as a blessing in God’s redemptive work is the best blessing from God. We all want blessings. But we have to remember that our purpose of life is not to receive and enjoy God’s blessing, but to obey and please God. God’s blessing is a by-product of our obedience to God’s word. Our obedience to God’s word should be our expression of love for God.

Prayer: Prayer: Lord, you are the source of blessing. Help me to walk in obedience to your word. Please bless the work of my hands so that my life may honor you and be a good influence to others.

One Word: One Word: God’s holy people

Daily Bread

“i Am with You and Will Not Leave You”

Genesis 28:1-22

Key Verse: 28:15

Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

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