Message summary: Today we consider a lesson we can learn from barns and hard work.

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"The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to" (Deuteronomy 28:8).

Every direction we take in leaving our rural home we pass barns. I especially noted them this morning when I was out to transport Amish teachers, who live on farms with barns.

We have a small two story utility barn where I have my workshop and lots of storage. It was made by a previous owner of our property out of salvaged siding and rough-hewn framing from another old barn so it has some interesting characteristics. This is probably the only barn I will ever have on this side of eternity.

A barn is a large farm building used for storing grain, hay, straw, farm equipment or for housing livestock. Barns vary in size, design, color and even their intended usage.

As a little boy I would play in my Uncle Gentry's barn on his farm outside of Harwood, Missouri. When the cousins came together for family gatherings we'd play for hours in that barn and especially the hay loft. Uncle Gentry would hitch a wagon to his Allis-Chalmers tractor and take us for a ride in the fields. When we heard the ringing of the dinner bell we'd all run back to the old white 1880's farmhouse for Aunt Dora's country fried chicken, sizzling in a cast iron frying pan.

Barns are mentioned throughout the Bible with today's verse being the very first reference to "barn" in the Scripture. This was prior to the crossing of the Jordan River into the Promised Land and thus is a prophetic promise since, at the time, they were concluding their wilderness wanderings and certainly did not have barns.

"The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to." It was a wonderful promise to them and in principle a promise to all of us whether or not we have a barn.

"The Lord will send." It's so vital to recognize where our blessings come from and to readily acknowledge that is heard when we sing the Doxology, "Praise God from whom all blessings flow". God continues to send forth His physical and spiritual blessings to the fallen human race. Sadly, many reject the reality of this source or exhibit an entitlement attitude. God owes us nothing and yet provides for all that which we need.

"A blessing on your barns." This phrase indicates the agricultural way of life so prevalent in the Bible period. But in principle it surely also means our work or business, whatever that may be, that relates to the way we make a living today.

"On everything you put your hand to." Regardless of whether it's office work or manual labor we use our hands. Note carefully how that this Scripture expresses a cooperative relationship. God is faithful to bless. But farmers don't just lay around all day waiting for God's blessings to fall down from the skies. They work hard, using the skills God has taught them over the years, often through the trials and errors of farming. Although most of us don't work on farms the principle is surely the same in life.

Many tend to see work as a mere necessity to be avoided as much as possible. But God has called us all to use our hands for His glory, for our own betterment and to bless others. Consider these verses:

Let us claim today's promise and faithfully obey God's commands. We must ever be mindful of His blessings and regularly give Him thanks.

Be encouraged today!  Hebrews 3:13

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber