And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them Romans 8:28, nlt
The reflections of an old man who senses that death is near is always meaningful. Such were the words of Moses who reflected on a life of challenge and then wrote, “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments” (Deuteronomy 7:9).
First, Moses called God “the faithful God.” And what does faithful really mean? Simply put, it means that the one who promises something delivers – not because of the praise he gets, not because of the money or reward he might get in return, but because of the integrity of his heart. God’s nature compels Him to keep His word.
Moses called what God had committed to do “a covenant of love,” understanding that we as mortals could never repay God for His kindness and acts of mercy. But the blessings of God come with two conditions: (1) We who are blessed by His kindness love Him; and (2) we keep His commandments.
In relationship to God, love and obedience go hand in hand – like two sides of the same coin. Notice those two prerequisites to blessing. As long as you think of God as an angry deity, a Cosmic Policeman with a big stick who is out to get you, or as an old senile gray-bearded man who would like to help you out but just can’t quite get it together, you will never know Him.
Once you really know God, you will love Him, and when you love Him, you will find it easy to comply with His demands. And when you do that, you begin to walk in obedience to what God wants, trusting the Father’s heart when you cannot see His hand. And you will be blessed!
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Used with permission from Guidelines International Ministries. To learn more about Guidelines and the ministry, send an e-mail to info@guidelines.org. You may also visit www.guidelines.org.