“You don’t just stumble upon greatness, the word of God gives us instructions that we must follow.”

There are times when I receive mail at my home marked on the outside of the envelope “PRE-APPROVED”.  I must admit that 90% of the time it immediately gets trashed because I am not interested in getting buried in debt by loan companies that entice you to take advantage of their offers.  I do however try to look at the positive in most things (mind you I used the word “most”) I’m still a work in progress!  What this is telling me is that my credit rating is in a good enough standing to even be extended the offer.  So I had to have done something right because these pre-approvals are not just sent out randomly to everyone.

I would like to point out to you that God has in fact “pre-approved” you for blessings you have not even expected or imagined.  Just like I do not anticipate these mailings coming to me from financial institutions, we also have no idea what God has laid up in store for us!  Yes every human being is blessed by God  by waking up every morning, having the mobility of their limbs, and being in their right mind regardless of whether they acknowledge God as their Savior or not.  However, in order to be the recipient of God’s unmerited favor and those blessings that are reserved for us there is a contingency clause.  

We find that in Psalm 31: 19 which states “Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!   In order to experience the greatness of God’s goodness there are stipulations that come along with His promises. You don’t just stumble upon greatness, the word of God gives us instructions that we must follow.  The above stated verse indicates that we must “fear” God.  I know such a strong word can be confusing to some.  In fact it was confusing to me for many years.  I have since come to an understanding that in this connotation it does not mean “terror or dread”, but rather means “to be in awe of”, “to reverence”, or “have extreme worshipful respect”.  

The second clause of the verse says this great goodness is for them that trust in Him before the sons of men.  I take that to mean that it is not good enough to trust God and be a closet believer, but we must make our beliefs known to the world!  Our hope is not in man but our hope is in God and God alone.  That is why we are in awe of Him, reverence Him like none other, and go to extreme measures in our worship!

So today I encourage you to open that envelope that is addressed specifically to you.  Inside it is telling you that you are “pre-approved” for God’s goodness!  Now don’t expect a full run down and description of all that He has for you because it is the very nature of our God to reveal the mysteries of His greatness in His own time and how He sees fit.  You can be assured that when He releases your blessings you will stand in awe of all that you have received!  But the first step is opening the envelope!!

Source: First Lady Denise