Blessings come with obedience

Jabes dared to daydream. Jabes' 'Oh' is a deep exclamation that shows depth, passion, visualization of an alternative future, urgency, rebellion against the negative past that he was living and burning desire for a different future.

It is important that we also exercise that kind of capacity to see the things that we are wanting from God, to daydream, and that is part of the effectiveness of a creative life and an effective life and power in prayer.

Jabez invoked the God of Israel, saying: "Oh, if you would indeed bless me, expand my territory, and Your hand would be with me and keep me from evil so that it would not cause me pain!" And God granted what he asked for. (1 Chronicles 4:10)

So Jabes says "Oh" first and then he says "if you give me a blessing". Notice that there are five things or four things that he asks: Blessing, expanding his territory, if the Hand of God were with him and that he would free him from evil. The first request that he makes specific is: if you would give me a blessing.

I believe that each of those requests that he makes is not simply an alternative request for the same thing but rather they are different things that he asks of him. The first thing I say here is the importance of being specific in our prayers and dividing them into their constituent parts, and presenting them to the Lord one by one.

The first thing Jabes asks is "if you give me a blessing" right? if you give me a blessing. I see this as a request that God grant Jabez the privilege of walking under the sign of approval, the benevolent sign as God's green light on his life.

I think of what the psalmist David says in Psalm 23 when he says: "Surely good and mercy will follow me all the days of my life." As part of that inheritance that Jehovah is his Shepherd, the psalmist sees himself as the blessing persecutes him, the blessing is his ally and sticks to him, the sign of God is upon him and he is prosperous. So that request from Jabes is like a request that encompasses the other specific blessings, if my life were prospered by You and if I lived my life, instead of a negative sign, it would change to a positive sign.

I believe that there is something very important here and it is that we have to remember that when we are in God, when God approves our life through His Son Jesus Christ, when we enter that spiritual family that Christ makes possible, our life acquires a sign of positivity and prosperity that you would not otherwise have.

The child of God is prosperous, he is blessed and I believe this although sometimes it is exaggerated a bit and we know that there have been distortions of this fact, but let me tell you that if you live in Christ Jesus, you are a child of God, you live a life approved by God, your life will prosper and you will be blessed on a physical level, on an emotional level, on a job level, on a marriage level.

It is what I see in the Book of Deuteronomy chapter 28 where God speaks to Israel about the blessings of obeying Him, and look at how it says here, it says: "It will happen that if you listen carefully to the Voice of Jehovah your God to keep all his commandments that I prescribe to you today, also Jehovah your God "look at the consequences of obedience," he will exalt you above all the nations of the earth "he is addressing Israel" and all these blessings will come upon you, and they will reach you "in others In words, these blessings will haunt you and overtake you, "if you hear the Voice of Jehovah your God." Look at the list, it is too long but I advise you, read Deuteronomy chapter 28, very revealing about the blessings that come with obedience, the blessings and curses that come with disobedience and certainly Israel exemplifies this very well, but also that is up to us.

It says: "Blessed shall you be in the city and blessed are you in the field; Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb, the fruit of your land, the fruit of your beasts, the young of your cows and the flocks of your sheep. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading trough; Blessed shall you be when you come in and when you go out. The Lord will defeat your enemies who rise up against you. They will come out one way against you and flee from before you by seven. "

We could continue, the list of blessings is long but it is clear that this idea is not it? that good and blessings persecute, as the psalmist says in Psalm 23, "those who obey the Lord and who honor him."

Another passage is Psalm 128: "Blessed is everyone who fears Jehovah, who walks in his ways, when you eat of the work of your hands, blessed will you be and it will be well with you." That idea that "it will be fine for you" is what Jabesh is asking the God of Israel, right? "Oh if you would give me a blessing" right? If you throw away your Word of "Jabes, everything is going to be fine for you in life." If I could, Lord, live under that sign of Your approval and everything that I touch will be blessed.

There I also remind you of the story of José, right? that says that Joseph everything that God touched prospered, in Potiphar's house, Potiphar's house is blessed because Joseph is a presence of blessing and everything that Joseph touches is blessed because Joseph goes with the blessed wind of God behind of his boat.

I believe that the children of God can expect that and we have the right to ask Him in those terms for our children, our family, if Your blessing, Lord, were with me, if Your Word of blessing persecuted me.

Live under that expectation of God's blessing and you will see that in the long run your life will take a very different course than it would have been in the past. God bless you, we will talk to each other in our next meditation.