Deuteronomy 29: 29
The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us, that we may observe all the words of this Law.
All that we don't know yet, God knows. The things we've been able to know, through God's revealing them to us or through scientific study of this Earth and the Universe it's in, belong to us, to use for our benefit.
God has given us life that lives through our physical bodies; when this life leaves our bodies, we're dead. That spiritual part of us is what uses our brains to think and have emotions and a will to decide. None of these things are physical. Dead bodies don't think, emote, or choose. They don't do anything.
So where should we go to learn what we need to know to prosper? I want to prosper in every way--emotionally, physically, relationally, intelligently, and especially spiritually. And even a little financially.
30: 14
But the Word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.
We don't have to travel, or enroll in some University, or get on the internet around the world to know what we need to do to live our lives--our own consciences, if they are trained properly, can lead us, but are they trustworthy? What if they are deceiving us? Our own hearts lie to us (Jeremiah 17:9).
But God can never lie or be mistaken. We can fully trust what He says. And His Word is given to us to guide our hearts and train our consciences. His ways for us are simple, but not easy. When we're thinking properly, they make sense.
God wants to bless us. He wants us to live our lives in harmony and prosperity. He's told us how to think (Philippians 4:5-8) so we can reason along with Him; He's given us His Love so that we can love Him back and love one another (I Corinthians 13); and this Love underlies all the rules, commandments, and precepts, so we can understand the principles and how to apply the knowledge we have. He's given us freely everything we need to know to do, and the strength and ability to do it. And He's given us all the foods we need naturally in this Earth, so we can nourish our bodies into good health, prospering physically.
So all we need is already there in our hearts. Now we need to "pay attention" and "be careful" to actually observe these ways, and live them in our daily lives. By practicing these things, we can form new habits, to do what is right instead of our old ways of messing up. Whenever we're not paying attention, we can easily slide back into old, unproductive ways. We have to put forth the effort and persevere in doing what we know is right.
John wrote, For all that is in the World, the lust of the flesh [sensuality], the lust of the eyes [materialism, accumulating things], and the pride of life [reputation, popularity], is not of the Father, but is of the World (I John 2:16). Any or all three of these things can be idols to us, drawing us away from the pure joys of His ways.
Whatever we consider first in our thinking and our choices is our god. If I consider my own pleasure before any other consideration, then I am my own god. If I think first of what people will think of me, then pride is my god. If I want more money and things, then I will never have enough money and things, and materialism is my god. None of these will ever satisfy me, they are all just tools, not ends in themselves. I am to use the tools I have, in seeking to do what I perceive to be right.
I need to pay attention to what God has taught me so far, and be "in the moment" to not slide into any error or mistake that "misses the mark" (sin). And I hope you too, dear reader, will seek His wisdom to know what is right for you to do, so you can prosper in every way, also.
And because God has planned it to work out that way, then He will receive all the credit when it does work out. And we will get the benefits, and He will get the glory.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
