In the church service this morning at the Emmaus Road Church meeting place situated along the banks of the Snake River in Idaho Falls, Pastor Beau Floyd taught through Deuteronomy 28:1-14, fleshing out the blessings for covenant faithfulness.

God’s purpose is to bless His people for His glory as a testimony to the nations.

God’s people are . . .

• Blessed at Home and at Work (vv. 3, 6, 8)
• Blessed in “Fruit” (vv. 4, 11)
• Blessed in Provision (vv. 5, 12)
• Blessed in Travels (v. 6)
• Blessed Sevenfold Against Enemies (v. 7)
• Blessed in Identity (vv. 9-10)

Pastor Beau taught the text within the scope of Israel’s covenantal relationship, applying certain aspects to the Church and yet carefully separating our thinking from the hastily drawn conclusions of pursuing a personal “prosperity gospel” based on greed or a collective American militarism based on pride.

Our God is good.  Every good thing about us and what we have is directly sourced in God.  As John the Baptist stated in John 3:27, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.”  And Jesus declares to us in John 15: 5,

I am the vine; you are the branches.  Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

This week, we must not doubt God’s goodness and His steadfast love (hesed), that only sets us up to pursue the empty pleasures of false gods, tragically placing us out of the realm of God’s rich blessings.  We must trust and obey our loving God.  And may the blessings that we experience be an attractive witness of God to those around us.

Do you need a blessing from God?  Don’t work for it.  Just ask your loving Father.  To Him be the glory!

“Blessing, true blessing, real shalom, is ours for the asking–as long as we resist the urge to try to help pay for it.” – Mark D. Futato