Blessings And Work

Love you all, praying for you,
 
I just love God’s Word – it is the ultimate best practices book.  And it tells you of the blessings God gives.  Have you ever stopped to remember the blessings that God has given you?  Sometimes in the urgency of the moment, the tasks of the day, the projects that need completion, and the demands of life – we forget to count the blessings we have.  Have you ever noticed that blessings – usually come with work?  The biggest blessing is salvation – but work comes with it.  We work out our salvation with fear and trembling.  Not work to earn it, that’s already been done for us by Jesus… but work at walking in it.  God gave Adam the blessing of the garden of eden, but it took work to tend and maintain.  Marriage is a blessing! But it takes work.  Children are a blessing from the LORD – but there are diapers to change and mouths to feed, and training to be done.  A house, a car, a job… any physical blessing – takes work.  For years God promised the children of Israel a land flowing with milk and honey.  Houses they didn’t build, vineyards they didn’t plant, but it took work to plant crops and to tend vineyards.  Most all of God’s blessings come with work.  Without work, blessings can turn into burdens.  Solomon noted, I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense; thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins.  I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw…   The field and the vineyard started out as a blessing (probably inherited) but they turned into a burden not a blessing.  Blessing without work to steward and care for it – becomes a burden, even a curse.  Untended things, uncared for things, un-stewarded things become burdens.  Praying that today you will remember and think about the wonderful blessings that God has given you that require some work - whether spiritual, relational or physical.  Praying that you will examine what work is required, and ask God - when.  That you will ask God what He wants you to do, and when He has assigned you to do it.  So the initial blessing remains one – and even grows. Praying that your PiVAT Weekly contains the times to maintain – that God has given you.  Date nights for marriage, one on one time with your children, stewarding your home or car or your room if you’re still young.  Praying that you will never be like the sluggard that didn’t value the blessings God gives.  How you steward what you have – determines your readiness for God to entrust you with more.  Praying that even the work – at God’s timing – will be a great joy.  So your blessings continue – and bless others as well. 
 
Love you all,
dad