28 “Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I am commanding you today, that the Lord your God will put you high above all the nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings will come to you and reach you if you obey the Lord your God:3 “Blessed will you be in the city, and blessed will you be in the country.4 “Blessed will be the children of your womb, the produce of your ground, and the offspring of your animals: the newborn of your herd and the young of your flock.5 “Blessed will be your basket and your kneading bowl.6 “Blessed will you be when you come in, and blessed will you be when you go out. Deuteronomy 28:1-6

God uses blessings and curses to govern the world, and on a more personal level, He uses blessings and curses to navigate our lives. It’s important to recognize that God, not money, circumstances, or effort, determines how our lives are going, good or bad. If something is not going well in your life, don’t look to anything but God. He’s trying to tell you something. And if things are going amazing in your life, don’t forget God. He is the ultimate author of blessings and cursings, and our lives are shaped and formed around this basic premise. 

So what should we do? We should strive to be vessels of blessings. We must strive to be vessels of blessings and do everything in our power to help others around us become vessels of blessings. What is the happiest, most blessed place in the world? Living under the umbrella of parents, leaders, and bosses who make God’s blessings a priority in life. Be grateful if your parents or leaders place His blessings as the most crucial thing in life! 

Now, we can have parents, be parents, and have superiors and be the superior. We occupy different positions in life. In whatever position, we must strive to become a vessel of blessings. We must take a hard look at ourselves. What is my definition of success? Is it money? Power? Status? Or do you define success as becoming a person God can bless? We must examine all our relationships with this critical eye. Is this person living a life that God will bless or curse? That’s it!  

We must never judge a book by its cover. We must not judge people by how things appear and what they have. Just because someone is wealthy doesn’t mean God has blessed them. A person can be in the direst circumstances, but they live a kind of life worthy of God’s blessings. They love God and strive to keep His commandments. God will bless them in no time. A person might appear to be doing well. They’re wealthy, respected, and admired. But their lives stray from God. None of what they do will earn any of God’s blessings. You can bet God’s curse is on the way. We see it all the time, how the mighty fall and the pauper rises. 

We look at our lives and think, “God is not going to bless me. No way.” What do we do? Give up? Despair? Always remember Jesus died on the cross for our sins. We must look to the merit of His blood. Fix what is wrong immediately! Repent and become a person God can bless. This is possible because of the merit of Jesus’ blood. God blesses us at that moment. He does not hold a grudge. If we repent and turn to God, He blesses us immediately. Your life will change for the better. 

Our lives are so fragile. There’s nothing stable or steadfast. Things turn on a dime. Chaos sits right next to tranquility. Despair sits next to hope. Am I working hard enough? Am I in the right profession? Do I know the right people? Am I going to get sick? There are so many variables to consider if we want to orchestrate our own happiness and well-being. Drop all this luggage. God governs our lives through blessings and curses. Do everything you can to live as someone God can bless, and do everything you can to have others around you live to that same standard. Be a vessel of blessing, not a vessel of hate, jealousy, and greed. Be a vessel of blessings for your children and grandchildren, not a vessel of curses and misfortune. And remember God gives us a way to turn our lives around. We have the power to repent. 

Repeat after me:

Repenting is the cure-all, the solutions to all our problems, and it leads to a worthy life God will bless. For what more can we ask? This is the definition of happiness.

Click for Korean sermon https://soundcloud.com/yhpaik/1984-6-27-mixdown-1

Click for English reading https://youtu.be/GckgfVhLwHA