There’s a mindset prevalent in today’s culture that says if things in life are going well, it’s because of something we’re doing. The assumption is that our self-efforts are instrumental in paving the way for everything going favorably. If good things are happening in our lives, others tell us, “You must be living right.” However, this is incorrect thinking.

This thought process goes back to law-based thinking that focused on the necessity of self-effort. Under the law, man had to do good first before God could bless him; if he fell short, God would curse him. The order was reversed when Jesus replaced the law with grace; the focus is now on what He did instead of anything we do. We know that God causes all things to work together for good, for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

The world tells us to provide for ourselves, but the Bible says differently. God—not ourselves—will generously provide all we need. In fact, He made available all we need to succeed and thrive before we were even born. From His abundance, we’ve already received one gracious blessing after another; He has already blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.

For the believer, this means that we receive good things because God wants to give them to us, not because we’ve earned them or deserve them. By grace we’ve been saved through faith; this isn’t of our own doing, but it’s a gift from Him. God promises never to leave or forsake us, and He’ll be with us until the end of the world. This is radically different than the Old-Testament plea to God not to cast us away from His presence.

God is good to us because that’s His nature. Nothing can change Him or His love for us. It’s His will to shower us with blessings. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel or overcomplicate; receiving them gratefully is all we need to do.

Prayer:

God, You show us love, mercy, and compassion not because of our actions, but because of our faith. Your grace positions us to receive all the good things You want us to have, independent of our own efforts. We’re grateful for this. In Jesus’ name, amen.  

Scriptures:

Deuteronomy 28:1-68

Romans 8:28 

2 Corinthians 9:8, NLT

John 1:16, NLT

Ephesians 1:3

Ephesians 2:8

Hebrews 13:5

Matthew 28:20

Psalm 51:11