If Ye Be

"If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land."  Isaiah 1:19.  God says that my blessings upon you come with a price.  We, however, seem to want everything at a discount.  We bargain shop.  With God, however, there is no basement discounts.  Serving God comes at a cost.  The people to whom Isaiah is writing wanted "the good of the land", but did not want to "be willing and obedient."  We must serve God because we are willing to serve Him.  God would have it no other way.  The willing heart is the obedient heart.  God rewards willingness and obedience.  Our "good land" is the daily blessings that He gives unto us.  Our "good land" is in the peace and confidence that we possess because of our relationship with Him.  There is no relationship with God outside of willingness and obedience.  Our "good land" is in the hope that has been given us through Jesus Christ.  Our "good land" is the rest and comfort surrounding our journey through this worldly land.  To the "willing and obedient" there is an eternal promise of a "good land" where all the sorrows and disappointments of this land will no longer be known.  Indeed, if we be willing and obedient, we shall eat the good of the land.