Scripture: Psalms 18 v 24-26: "There hath the Lord recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His eyesight.
25 With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright;
26 with the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward (perverse) thou wilt shew thyself froward."
Its always important to know what God thinks about us and how He plans our ways. Like a child looking for approval or disapproval from its parents to learn what is acceptable and what is frowned upon.
If our children are doing well and behave with respect for others, we are blessed by them and not ashamed of their doings. If our children are unruly and cause problems, we have to deal with those issues and it often brings embarrassment with it.
Our Heavenly Father is overjoyed when we produce good character and obey His Word as well as His individual personal guidance. He will pour out His blessings on those who are a blessing to Him and others. He will reveal the plans He has for our lives when we are fully submitted to doing His will all the time.
If we are merciful to others who stray from the righteous path and bring them back to Jesus in a pleasing way, then our Father will treat us kindly when we slip up. If we pour condemnation on them we can expect God to condemn us too.
This is the Golden Rule - do unto others as you would have them do unto you - and it does not always work out like that as human nature can be deceiving. But God's Golden Rule surpasses that! If we do good to others God will respond to us in that same goodness plus much more.
Luke 6 v 38: "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that you mete withal it shall be measured to you again."
You cannot outgive God! You cannot love more than Him, nor have more goodness than Him. If you give to those in need He will restore it to you in so many different ways. He responds until the blessings overtake you!
Deuteronomy 28 v 2 - 8: "And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.
3 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.
4 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
5 Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.
6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
7 The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.
8 The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee."
However if you behave in a perverse way by repaying kindness with evil you will find yourself on a slippery slope into adversity. For God's eyes are very watchful and injustice is judged with the same harshness as it was dished out.
Deuteronomy 28 v 15: "But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:"
The Lord knows all of us and where we are at emotionally, mentally, spiritually and physically. He knows our bank account level better than we do. He even knows how many hairs on our heads! Jesus came to rectify great wrongs that were done to us and to put God's plans for us in motion.
He gave us the way out of trouble. Its easy when you have practiced for a while. The answer is BE LIKE ME says Jesus. Follow My ways. Do as I do. Speak like me. Be moderate in all things. Love and live peacefully with one another. Be holy, joyful people and you will reap a rich harvest.
You will be healthy and prosperous and wise if you endeavour to live the Christian life to the fullest extent. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Love and you will be loved. Be nasty and nasty will chase you all over town. Steal and defraud people and your pockets will have holes in them through which all your benefits will disappear.
This is how God our Father responds to us - exactly like we treat each other. So if you have lost the plot this is the map to get back on God's good side so that you can reap the benefits of His love, mercy and power.
Prayer: Heavenly Father You are always absolutely fair and just. You cannot lie or go against Your Word. Those who refuse Your salvation will face Your wrath one day. Those who serve You will receive unimaginable blessings throughout eternity. Help us to choose the right path and teach others the way of righteousness as this keeps us pure in heart and mind. In Jesus' name. Amen.