Earned vs. Blessed

Deuteronomy 6:10-12(NKJV)

10“So it shall be, when the Lord your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, 

11houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant—when you have eaten and are full—

12then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 

Deuteronomy 7:1-2(NKJV)

1“When the Lord your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you, 

2and when the Lord your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them. 

We can and should go out and work hard.  Have a plan.  Build a career.  Raise a family.  And over the years, through our earnings, build some wealth and accumulate some things.  And that is good.  There is nothing wrong with that.  Scripture tells us we should do these things.

But an amazing thing can happen if you will throw one more thing into the mix.  A focus on doing all of those things as God directs you through His plan for your life.  By making God the center of your family you please God and build favor.  By being a blessing to others you fulfill another one of God's instructions and again build favor with God. 

Look at the parts highlighted above.  When we lead a life that is pleasing to God, God has the ability to bless us beyond anything we could earn on our own.  He can help us and bless against all odds.   He can bless us in ways we never could have even anticipated!

Or we can just keep plodding along and trying to earn it ourselves.  Why not try it Gods way?