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The Lord can Bless

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Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · May 24, 1870

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 35, No. 23.

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The Lord can Bless.

By John Matteson

THE Lord promised great blessings to ancient Israel if they would hearken to his voice. Deut. 28: 2. And still in our days the Lord has not “left himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.” Acts 14: 17. Still the Lord calls upon his people to bring “all the tithes into the storehouse, . . . and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” Mal. 3.
The Lord can still easily bless or curse the ground, so that it will yield abundantly or sparingly. “The Lord can open unto thee his good treasure, . . . to bless all the work of thine hand.” He can also cause that “thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in.” He can send drought and mildew, locusts to consume, worms to destroy, storms to overturn, and hail to break down, until famine and pestilence devour the people. And because of the wickedness of man, there is now more cursing than blessing. Isa. 24: 5, 6. Oh! that you were wise and understood this. That you would consider your latter end. Oh! that you would love the Lord with all your heart, and diligently keep his commandments. Then would your morsel be sweet, and your small portion a great blessing, until the Lord should lead you into the promised land, and feed you where the “living fountains” flow; “and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” Rev. 7.
“Better is a handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit. Eccel. 4: 6. “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” Ps. 37: 25.
Do you want to invest some means in a sure bank, to good advantage? The bank of Heaven is sure; it never fails. Jesus pays very high percentage—“an hundred fold.” Who believes it? Besides this, he insures life. There is no cheat about it. He can, and will, give eternal life in the kingdom of glory. Who will insure in the life insurance of Heaven? Here is his own word for it, which will not fail though heaven and earth pass away. “There is no man that has left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, but he shall receive a hundred-fold now in this time, . . . and in the world to come, eternal life.” Mark 10: 29, 30.
JOHN MATTESON.