BLESSINGS

Blessings have to do with both giving and receiving. We don’t talk much today about blessing others, but it was a vital part of life in Bible times. To bless someone meant many things. It meant to praise them, to pray for them, and to commit them to God’s care. It also meant to dedicate and challenge them to live forever committed to God; it was a challenge to keep hold of spiritual things. It was a call for abundance and prosperity for another. And it was also a way of officially passing on the family inheritance to the oldest son. Wishes for a rich and abundant life were inherent in a blessing, although not always abundance in a material sense. God was recognized as the ultimate source of the blessing, and the person blessed would walk with the Lord and receive his benefits. To receive God’s blessing meant not only to enjoy innumerable tangible gifts (life, joy, peace, abundance, children, home, reputation, health, freedom, work, food, etc.) but in a much deeper way to be welcomed into a special relationship with him, a relationship to be affirmed and practiced. Part of this, in turn, means being a blessing to others, a way of saying we have been a godly help for others.

WHAT KINDS OF BLESSINGS DOES GOD SEND MY WAY?

Deuteronomy 28:1-14 . . . You will experience all these blessings if you obey the Lord your God.

Psalm 139:17-18 . . . How precious are your thoughts about me, O God! They are innumerable! I can’t even count them.

God’s blessings are too many to count or even mention. His blessings come to us every day, in every conceivable form.

Numbers 6:24-26 . . . May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.

Success and prosperity are not the most common blessings from God, but rather peace, comfort, joy, fellowship with God, hope, and eternal life with him.

BLESSINGS SOMETIMES COME IN STRANGE FORMS.

Acts 5:41 . . . The apostles left the high council rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer dishonor for the name of Jesus.

James 1:12 . . . God blesses the people who patiently endure testing.

Sometimes the greatest blessings come from suffering or persecution because we have proven ourselves faithful to God.

BE THANKFUL FOR YOUR BLESSINGS.

Psalm 92:1-2 . . . It is good to give thanks to the Lord . . . to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening.

God has given us far more than we will ever realize. Thank him for this before you become ungrateful and lose out on all he has yet to offer.

HOW CAN I BE A BLESSING TO OTHERS?

Galatians 5:22-23 . . . When the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

If you share this fruit with other people you will be a great blessing to them.

Romans 1:11-12 . . . I long to visit you so I can share a spiritual blessing with you that will help you grow strong in the Lord. I’m eager to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours. In this way, each of us will be a blessing to the other.

2 Corinthians 2:14 . . . Thanks be to God, who made us his captives and leads us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now wherever we go he uses us to tell others about the Lord and to spread the Good News like a sweet perfume.

As we share the blessings God has poured on us, we bless others as well. Encouraging others with God’s good news is one of the most rewarding of his blessings.

HOW DO WE LIMIT GOD’S BLESSINGS TO US?

Numbers 20:12 . . . “Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!”

2 Samuel 12:7-14 . . . I would have given you much, much more. Why, then, have you despised the word of the Lord and done this horrible deed?

We limit God’s blessings when we willfully sin and therefore hinder our relationship with God.

James 1:14-15 . . . These evil desires lead to evil actions, and evil actions lead to death.

We limit God’s blessings when we give in to temptation.

BLESSINGS CAN MAKE US FORGET GOD.

Deuteronomy 6:11-12 . . . When you have eaten your fill in this land, be careful not to forget the Lord who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt.

We must be careful that we don’t become so comfortable that we forget the God who gave us all we have.

WHAT ARE THE QUALITIES IN MY LIFE THAT BRING GOD’S BLESSINGS?

Psalm 128:1 . . . How happy are those who fear the Lord-all who follow his ways!

Psalm 146:5 . . . Happy are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God.

Jeremiah 17:7 . . . Blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.

A life focused on God brings joy to God and many blessings to you. Blessings from God come to those who trust and obey God. Blessings are not merely words spoken by a father, but a special relationship offered by God.

WHAT RESPONSIBILITIES COME WITH GOD’S BLESSINGS?

Deuteronomy 16:17 . . . All must give as they are able, according to the blessings given to them by the Lord your God.

As God prospers us, we are to share that prosperity in our giving. Receiving and giving go hand in hand.

BLESSINGS CAN BE NOT ONLY FOR FAMILIES AND SPECIAL PEOPLE, BUT ALSO FOR ENEMIES.

Romans 12:14 . . . If people persecute you because you are a Christian, don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them.

Jesus brought a new idea-blessing and forgiveness for enemies. This is unique to Christianity. The natural response is revenge for enemies. Prayer for our enemies is a severe test of our devotion to Christ.

PROMISES FROM GOD:

Psalm 1:1 . . . Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked.

Blessings come from obeying God.

Psalm 84:11 . . . No good thing will the Lord withhold from those who do what is right.

God blesses those who do what is right.

Proverbs 19:17 . . . If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord-and he will repay you!

God blesses those who help the poor.

Galatians 6:9 . . . Don’t get tired of doing what is good. Don’t get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time.

Don’t give up in your faith and you will reap great blessings.

Revelation 21:7 . . . All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings.

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