In today’s Christianity, we seem to forget that there is a price required of us to follow Christ. There is no price to receive eternal life, but there is a price to follow Him. My old pastor used to say, “Salvation is free, but it will cost you the world to keep it.” Jesus said it another way. He said “if we do not pick up our cross and follow Him, we are not worthy of Him.” (Mt. 10:38). Jesus said if we do not love Him more that father and mother or brother and sister, we are not worthy of Him. (Mt. 10:37). So clearly there is a requirement in being a disciple of Christ. Membership entrance is free, but there is a cost to stay in the program with Christ.
Many today have made Christianity like many of the government welfare programs where we have no skin in the game, and we just take advantage of the benefits. It does not work that way.
As I was reading Proverbs 2, it was abundantly clear of the rewards of seeking, honoring, revering, and making God a priority in our lives. How easy it is to overlook the “If…then” statements. We have a part to play. In Proverbs 2 we are told IF we…
- Accept His Word or make a decision to believe His word
- Store up His words or make them valuable to us
- Listen carefully for His wisdom or block out the noise of the world
- Direct our hearts to understanding or make decisions that lead us to His Word
- Call out for insight or desire to find it
- Seek the understanding of His words and commands or prioritize them
THEN He will
- Give success to the upright
- Shield those who live in integrity
- Guard the paths of justice and protect our way because we are faithful
- Give us understanding of what righteous justice is
- Give us wisdom in our hearts
- Allow discretion to guide our lives and watch over us
- Rescue us from evil
- Protect us from immoral people and adulterous relationships
- Cause us to inhabit and remain in the land He has placed us.
This is just from Proverbs 2 and does not include the many promises of God found through out all the Words of God.
These are all blessings because we responded to the “IF” requirements of the Word of God. This is not a works mentality, but obedience to God, who clearly told Moses in Exodus 30:15-29 that if we obey, choose His path, and walk in obedience, our lives will be blessed.
This is a natural consequence in our lives because we possess and live with His wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and discernment. It is as natural and irrevocable a consequence as going out into the rain and getting wet. It must, will, and has to happen. The only thing that can stop us from getting wet is to put up a block for the rain (umbrella)
This is why in Deuteronomy 30 the Lord told Moses to tell the people, “Today I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. CHOOSE LIFE!” It is a choice we make by our obedience to God, and just as naturally as we get wet in the rain, we will enjoy life and blessing because it is a natural and irrevocable consequence of following God and His Word. The only thing that can stop the blessing from flowing is to put up a block in our lives (disobedience). Like an umbrella blocking the rain, our disobedience will block the blessing.
When we live according to God’s wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and discernment, we make the right choices. And God’s wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and discernment allow us to see ahead of time the pitfalls that may trap us. We gain the favor of man because we walk in integrity and we can be trusted. This is God’s plan for us. This is the consequence of paying the price of obedience. This is the will of God!
