As we’ve discussed, God desires to give us those extra, unexpected blessings, our “Plus One.” In today’s Scripture, God gives a promise. Deuteronomy 28:12, “The Lord will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.” (NASB 1995) When we read this passage in context, we see that God is laying out blessings and curses for the nation of Israel. The 27th chapter deals with curses God will lay upon them for their disobedience. The 28th chapter shows the blessings He will give them if they obey His instructions.
What does it mean to be obedient? Obedience is doing what God instructs in His Word. He gives us instruction and we obey it; it is a choice. When we are obedient to His Word, we are also obedient to His will. We obey because we love Him, and He grants blessings because He loves us. Who receives His blessings? Those who have accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord. We are then adopted into His family, and we become a child of God. God blesses those who belong to Him. He grants to us His righteousness, His holiness, and then we in turn act like Him, showing righteous and holy behavior.
God loves to give good gifts to His children, but He also expects obedience from them. When we listen to Him and obey Him, He showers us with blessings, with our “Plus One.” Sometimes His blessings are conditional, meaning He says, “If you will do this…I will do this.” Sometimes He blesses us just because He loves us. As I looked at various commentaries on this verse, I saw a recurring theme. God’s blessings here are conditional. For their obedience, God will shower them with blessings. Shower them literally with rain from Heaven, and shower them with good things.
At the beginning of Chapter 28 God tells them that if they will obey Him diligently, He will bless them. Our “Plus One” comes through our obedience to Him as He directs our pathway, and when He delivers those unexpected blessings, it shows us that He loves us and is proud of us. “Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.” (Proverbs 16:20 ESV) “Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord! Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways!” (Psalm 119:1-3 ESV)
Obedience to God’s leading will result in receiving those “Plus One,” unexpected blessings! As we continue walking with God in obedience, He will bless us with not only material blessings but also Spiritual blessings. In an article I found on the Internet, Andrew Mason listed 15 Spiritual blessings he found in Ephesians 5. Some of those Spiritual blessings include being made holy and blameless in Christ (verse 4), adoption into His family (verse 5), being forgiven of our sins (verse 7), and being sealed with the Spirit of Promise (verse 13). The more we grow in our Spiritual walk with the Lord, we will find more Spiritual blessings. The more we mature, our Spiritual blessings will come at a deeper level.
If we want to receive our “Plus One,” then we need to walk in obedience to His Word. It seems to me that this is the key; everything hinges upon our being obedient to Him if we are to receive our “Plus One.”
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