When God's blessings become an obstacle and an idol - Part 1

God takes delight in bestowing blessings on his children. He blessed Abraham with children ;and great wealth. God equally blessed Isaac, then Jacob. Joseph became a blessed ruler of Egypt. God blessed Job, David and Solomon. Solomon was told by God - 2 Chronicles 1:11-12 “Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth, possessions or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, possessions and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have.”


God kept His Promise to Solomon , and it was recorded of Solomon - The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills. God is still in the business of blessing His children. There are several scriptures that confirm this - a few are as shown below:

Proverbs 10:22 The blessing of the LORD makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.

Ephesians 1:3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.

Psalm 1:1-3 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither –whatever they do prospers.


God is faithful, but we must ensure that His blessings, which come with no added sorrow, do not become obstacles in our worship of Him, or do not become idols(anything that replaces God). Abraham longed for a son, God gave him Isaac. However, God tested his heart by instructing him to sacrifice Isaac to Him. Abraham passed this test, for to him, nothing , not even his beloved son could take God's place. This is how God wants us to regard the good things He blesses us with. No blessing of God - a husband/wife, child, physical possessions should ever take the place of God. Nothing in our lives - televisions, computers and social networks should replace our relationship with God, or these would become idols in our lives.


Satan challenged God that basically Job served Him because He had placed a hedge around him and blessed him. So urged God to remove the hedge and allow him to attack Job to prove Job only served God because He had blessed him. Job proved Satan wrong as he exclaimed after losing all he owned - “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” We must be like Job, the presence or absence of God's blessings in our lives must not determine our worship of Him. We must serve and worship God because we love Him, not because of, but in spite of.
















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