A prevailing theme given to us in the Bible is that God intends to bring blessing to people. This is a revolutionary thought for those who conceive of God as nothing more than a cosmic killjoy. But it’s true. God created a world of abundance to bring blessing to all mankind.

When God made the first man and woman, it was in His mind to bless them and all their offspring. And to Abraham was given the promise that through him all the families of the earth would be blessed (Gen.12:3).

This promise applies to us even today. After the resurrection of Jesus Christ, it was proclaimed that God had raised up this Servant and sent Him in order to bless (Acts 3:26). And those who belong to Christ are Abraham’s descendants and heirs according to promise (Gal.3:29).

Throughout the Bible – and history – we find that God has been faithful to His promise. He indeed has blessed. And He still intends to bless.

But it must be remembered that there is a conditional aspect to God’s blessing. The conditional aspect is that there must be faithfulness on the part of those who receive His promises.

Adam, for example, needed to trust God for the fullness of blessing, and because he didn’t, he was kicked out of the garden. Abraham had to believe God – and keep believing Him for a long time – for the blessing to be realized in his life. And Israel of old needed to obey. When the people did obey, they were blessed – in a huge way. But when the people hardened their hearts and refused to obey, they were brought to ruin.

The example of Israel is especially pertinent and worth taking a closer look at.

In the book of Deuteronomy, God told Israel that He was going to bring them great blessing. But with that pronouncement He also gave a warning. He told them to beware lest they forget Him. He knew that it was likely that with their prosperity their hearts would grow proud, and that they would believe that it was by their own power they had acquired wealth. Consequently, He gave them notice that if they became stubborn and refused to obey Him, they would perish.

It is not hard to see the parallel between ancient Israel and our own nation. And this should not be surprising because God’s principles endure.

God has blessed our nation immensely throughout its history. But where are we now? We have become proud, thinking that we are sufficient to create and manage wealth apart from His Word. The result? We’re perishing, just as God said.

America’s problems are not all that complicated. We have forgotten the One who blesses. We have become arrogant, thinking it is by our own power we have acquired wealth. This is folly and it leads to ruin.

The good news is that God still intends to bless, and He will if we return to Him, He will.

“The ball is,” as they say, “in our court.” The question is, what will we do with it? Will we return to Him?