The Key to Success Today

Deuteronomy 11:26–28

“Look, today I set before you a blessing and a curse: ‹there will be› a blessing, if you obey the commands of the LORD your God I am giving you today, and a curse, if you do not obey the commands of the LORD your God, and you turn aside from the path I command you today by following other gods you have not known” (HCSB).

There is nothing deep or fancy about this devotion today. The key to the Christian life as I see it is this: obedience. We are to obey God.

What are we to obey? His Word. It is right here in black and white… and red.

I heard about this older Christian gentleman who was known to have a remarkable knowledge of God’s Word. A seminarian with his nose up in the air asked him a question: “Sir, I understand you know a lot about the Bible. Please, tell me, what are the ‘Urim and the Thummin’?”

The older gentlemen responded: “You probably know a lot more about that than I do. I do know that the Hebrew words mean ‘lights’ and ‘completeness.’ The priests used them to discern God’s will. But I’ve found that the ‘Usin’ and Thumin’ method works best for me.”

The seminarian exclaimed: “Usin’ and Thumin’? I’ve never heard of those! What are you talking about?”

“Young fella, it’s simple: I use my Bible and thumb my why through it until I find God’s answer.”

If it is not clearly written in His Word (“Should I take this job?” or “Should I go to this college?”) then it is a simple matter of praying and listening. God speaks to us through His Spirit. This is the relationship part. If everything were spelled out for us there would be no need for relationship.

The results are plain: if we obey we are blessed or if we disobey we are cursed. There are two paths before us today: there is the path of obedience and the path of disobedience. It is up to us to chose which path we take and which outcome we experience.