Following God is good for you

 Psalm 128:1–6 (ESV):  

1  Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, 

who walks in his ways! 

 2  You shall eat the fruit of the labour of your hands; 

you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you. 

 3  Your wife will be like a fruitful vine 

within your house; 

  your children will be like olive shoots 

around your table. 

 4  Behold, thus shall the man be blessed 

who fears the Lord. 

 5  The Lord bless you from Zion! 

May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem 

all the days of your life! 

 6  May you see your children’s children! 

Peace be upon Israel! 

Following God is good for you. It naturally carries a blessing, just like an obedient child experiences the favour of their parents. Not that the child is preferred, but their good behaviour and character are appreciated, and so they know favour and blessing from their parents, rather than correction and discipline. The same goes for you in your relationship with God. If you walk in His ways and live in awe of Him, then you will be blessed.

Fearing God means living under His authority and being in reverence of Him. Doing so affects all parts of your life; work, marriage, relationships, values, goals, and the influence you have on future generations. Your relationships are affected because you are someone who fears God. This psalm tells how your wife will be ‘fruitful’ meaning that she will develop, grow and invest in others. Your children are like ‘olive shoots’ - they require tender care, but they have the potential to become strong, robust olive trees. This psalm just mentions two of the types of relationships you can have, and as you can see, there is a promise of blessing, growth and fruitfulness when you put God first. Following God is good for you, for those you live with, care about and invest in. 

‘You shall eat the fruit of the labour of your hands, you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you’. What a great assurance! As someone who lives God’s way, God gives you work to do, and it will go well. This does not promise that it will be easy, the word ‘labour’ implies putting in effort! Yet you can be assured that through your work, you will be provided for and 'it shall be well with you'. God has things for you to do, you have the privilege of working, whether for money or not. It could be home-based, voluntary, in the community, in business or industry, it doesn’t matter. God has provided work for you to do, have you ever considered that the opportunity to work is a gift from God? God has given you the chance to, 'eat the fruit of the labour of your hands'. He has created you to be useful, productive and provide for yourself. Following God in the way you work is good for you, because it leads to your provision, but it will also be good for those you work with and the organisation. For, if your workload is blessed, other people benefit, profits are made and good reputation is built. 

Yet, above all of this, the first thing that this psalm states is, ‘blessed is everyone who fears the Lord’. Regardless of your family situation or work situation, if you are someone who lives life following God, you are blessed! It doesn't always feel like it, but you have to remember that God is not looking at the immediate. Following God is good for you, now and long-term. You have the blessing of the freedom from sin, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and an eternal hope. As well as the internal security, peace, comfort and strength that comes from following God's ways. Obedience to God carries a blessing now and forever. Are you aware of the blessings in your life now, and for eternity?

Although following God is good for you, it is not easy, otherwise everyone would do it. You have to persevere, be willing to change and do the things you don't want to, plus you have to patiently wait for the blessing sometimes. Just like a child waiting for their birthday. The blessing will come, but you need to wait, and keep trusting that God will give you good things. He will bless you in your work, in your family, and through the generations. Keep following, trusting and believing in Him and His Word and wait for ‘blessed is everyone who fears the Lord’. How do you see that God has blessed you today?