BLESSINGS

How can I receive God's blessing?

EPHESIANS 1:3   All praise to God, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.

When you belong to Christ, you understand that all you are and all you have are gifts from him, to be used by him to bless others. When you truly desire to serve God, you will find yourself in the middle of a rushing stream of God's blessing, to be used to refresh others.

DEUTERONOMY 1:35-36   Not one of you from this wicked generation will live to see the good land I swore to give your ancestors, except Caleb...He will see this land because he has followed the LORD completely.

Throughout the Bible, you find a simple but profound principle: Obeying God brings blessing, and disobeying God brings misfortune. Be careful not to think of God's blessing only in terms of material possessions the greatest blessings are far more valuable than money or things. They come in the form of joy, family, relationships, peace of heart, spiritual gifts, and the confidence of eternal life.

How has God promised to bless his people?

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.

Like the constant movement of the ocean, God's blessings are constant, whether you are aware of them or not. Scripture is full of blessings God gives to those who love him, including his presence, his grace, and his peace.

EPHESIANS 1:2, 13-14   May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace...When you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the holy spirit, whom he promised long ago. The spirt is God's guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people.

Jesus Christ blesses you with forgiveness and redemption. God the Father blesses you with the assurance that you are loved and of infinite worth. The Holy Spirit blesses you with fellowship and the continuous presence of God. 

How can I be a blessing to others?

2 CORINTHIANS 2:14   Thank God!  He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ's triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume.

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

Should I bless my enemies?

ROMANS 12:14   Bless those who persecute you. Don't curse them; pray that God will bless them.

Jesus introduced a revolutionary new idea blessing and forgiving enemies. The natural response is revenge for enemies. Prayer for your enemies is a severe test of your devotion to Christ. Which is the greater blessing: to win over your enemies or to continue fighting with them?

Promise from God  GALATIANS 6:9   Let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up.