by J. Randal Matheny

"The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom" (Deuteronomy 28:13, NIV).

The flip of the coin randomly determines heads or tails. Nobody knows until it plops in the hand or on the table what side will show its face.

Not so the people of God. You can always call it heads. You can always be at the top. You can always be sure of God's blessing.

There is one factor, one condition, one determinant. Nothing left to chance. No gamble. No risk.

What determines placement at the top? Paying attention to the Lord's commands. Such attention that hears and obeys. In the Old Testament, hearing is often a synonym for obedience. Following his orders puts you at the head.

Today, it seems that those who are determined to pay attention to the Lord's commands have fallen to the bottom. The butt of jokes. The despised of the grace-talkers. The detailed legalists.

The feel-good, accept-all talking heads have the upper hand. They look good, they talk nice, they please crowds.

And they are slowly but surely sinking to the bottom of God's scale. They're coming up tails. They may appear to be flying high, but, again, appearances are deceiving.

Obey the Lord in all things. Hold the course. Do not give ear to those who say "Peace" when there is no peace. Listen to what the Lord says. He will make you the head.

See you at the top.