Hold fast!

This passage caught my eye. It reinforces the principle that God blesses through his commands.

      Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh and said to them, “You have done all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded, and you have obeyed me in everything I commanded. For a long time now—to this very day—you have not deserted your fellow Israelites but have carried out the mission the LORD your God gave you. Now that the LORD your God has given them rest as he promised, return to your homes in the land that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side of the Jordan. But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Joshua 22:1–5)

When we follow God’s commands, for example, to put him first, we open our lives to his presence— which is always a blessing. When we love our neighbors we make it more likely we will have good relations with our neighbors. Obedience to God is a kind of co-operating with God; we work alongside him as he works in this world for good. And that feels good, too!