But the land which you enter to possess is…a land for which the Lord your God cares… – Deuteronomy 11:11-12, Amplified Bible (AMP)

Can we be successful in life due to the works of our own hands? Of course we can. Throughout the ages, both saved and unsaved alike have plowed fields of their own choosing, and with hard work, wit, and discipline, they have built lives that the human observer would deem “successful.” But what so many have failed to realize is that the good is always the enemy of the best, and even the most successful lives, apart from God’s involvement, pale in comparison to those lives that have God tending to them on a daily basis. 

The Egyptian land the Israelites tilled was fruitful, but it was fruitful only to the degree that human power could generate. In the Promised Land, however, the Israelites did not enjoy the adequate fruits of a human gardener. Instead, they enjoyed the extraordinary fruits of the Supreme Gardener who cared for the land Himself. 

We, in our arrogance, miss out on so much of the joy that God wants to give us because we pursue, in our own power, what we think will make us happy. How foolish we are, thinking that we can improve upon the work of the Creator of the universe! Man-power is no match for God-power in ANYTHING, so why do we think we can build our lives apart from the promises and ways of God? Selfishness, unbelief, and pride are the culprits, and until we confess these sins, our lives will fall short of their complete potential. 

The Promised Land, and its extraordinary fruits, were the Israelites’ to enjoy on one condition: seek God first in everything. If we do this, then God will add unto us His best fruits (See Luke 12:31). If, however, we fall into the same trap as the rich man of Luke 12:16-21 – thinking that a man’s life is wrapped up in what he can gain for himself with his own two hands – then we are bound to suffer his same fate.

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