Positive and Negative consequences

Before I started my quiet time the other morning, I was thinking about positive and negative consequences...more specifically the positive consequences. I was thinking about the good things that happen when we do what we are supposed to, when we are supposed to. I was remembering how sweet it is to receive those blessings from God when we are in His will. And then, when I pulled out First Cup--one of our readings was from Deuteronomy 28.

If you will diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today...all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you if you obey the Lord your God. Fear the honoured and awesome name, the Lord your God.
The Lord your God will (not He might, or if He feels like it, He will!):

• Delight over you to prosper you, and multiply you--Yes God takes pleasure in us, He is gratified in us, He cheers for us!
  
• Set you high above all the nations of the earth
• Blessed shall you be in the city
• Blessed shall you be in the country
• Blessed shall be the offspring of your body
• Blessed shall be the produce of your ground
• Blessed shall be the offspring of your beasts
• Your heard shall increase
• Your young flock shall increase
• Blessed shall be your basket
• Blessed shall be your kneading bowl
• Blessed shall you be when you come in
• Blessed shall you be when you go out
• The Lord will cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you
• The Lord will command the blessing upon you
• The Lord will command the blessing in all that you put your hand to (I especially like this!)
  
• He will bless you in the land which He gives you

And as great as all of this is...I struggle with the questions of, "Will God do this for me?" Which brings me back once again to Psalm 126:2-3. "The Lord has done great things for them. The Lord will do great things for me. I am glad!"

On the contrary, there are promises of curses for those who do NOT obey God--i.e. negative consequences. Take the opposite of the positive consequences and you have the curses. It continues with, "all these curses shall come on you and pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed." Why? "Because you would not obey the Lord your God by keeping His commandments and His statues which He commanded you."

God gives us awesome responsibilities, with spiritual and physical consequences, both positive and negative. This is a great privilege! What are you going to do with your life? What choices will you make today? Are you going to obey God, or choose the path of curses? Everyday is a new day, so maybe yesterday disobedience was chosen, but today, we can start fresh and choose to be obedient.