The Ladder to Success

Deuteronomy 28:13–14 (HCSB)

“The LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you will only move upward and never downward if you listen to the LORD your God’s commands I am giving you today and are careful to follow ‹them›.

Do not turn aside to the right or the left from all the things I am commanding you today, and do not go after other gods to worship them.”

There is a curse for disobedience, but there is abundant blessing promised for obedience. I hear people say, “We should not serve God for rewards.” Where do they get that? I don’t find that in the Bible. That’s like saying, “You shouldn’t get saved just because you don’t what to go to hell.” Do you need a better reason to be saved than not to suffer in misery for the rest of eternity? I don’t understand the reasoning of some people. I know they think we should have higher, more altruistic motives for trusting Christ and obeying God—but the desire to avoid a curse and receive a blessing works just fine for me.

God says we will succeed if we obey Him. We will move up the ladder and be in the lead. That sounds mighty good to me! We may look around and say, “Others did it without God.” Yes, Satan has some examples. He puts them on display so others can see them and think, “I don’t have to follow God to succeed.” Bad choice. There are wicked people who prosper, but prosperity is more than money. Some people live in very fine houses, but they cannot live with themselves. God will give you what you need… plus joy, peace, satisfaction and meaning with it. He wants to put your life on display as a trophy of His grace and testimony to His power.