Blessings
Blessings
Come to the faithful.
(1 Sm 2:21) God honored the desires of faithful Hannah. We never hear about Peninnah or her children again, but Samuel was used mightily by God. God also gave Hannah five children in addition to Samuel. God often blesses us in ways we do not expect. Hannah never expected to have a child at her age, much less six children! Resent God’s timing. His blessings might not be immediate, but they will come if we are faithful to do what he says in his Word.
Limiting them by lack of faith.
(2 Kgs 4:6) The woman and her sons collected jars from their neighbors pouring oil into them from their one pot. The oil was probably olive oil and was used for cooking, for lamps, and for fuel. The oil stopped pouring only when they ran out of containers. The number of jars they gathered was an indication of their faith. God’s provision was large as their faith and willingness to obey. Beware of limiting God’s blessings by lack of faith and obedience. God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).
Received through humble obedience.
(2 Kgs 5:9-15) Naaman, a great hero, was used to getting respect, and he was outraged when Elisha treated him like an ordinary person. A proud man, he expected royal treatment. To wash in a great river would be one thing, but the Jordan was small and dirty. To wash in the Jordan, Naaman thought, was beneath a man of his position. But Naaman had to humble himself and obey Elisha’s commands in order to be healed.
Obedience to God begins with humility. We must believe that his way is better than our own. We may not always understand his ways of working, but by humbly obeying, we will receive His blessings. We must remember that (1) God’s ways are best; (2) God wants our obedience more than anything else; (3) God can use anything to accomplish his purpose.
Prosperity not always an indication of a blessing.
(2 kgs 14:28) Jeroboam it had no devotion to God, yet under his warlike policies and skillful administration Israel enjoyed more national and material prosperity than at any time since the days of Solomon. The prophets Amos and Hosea, however, tell us what was really happening within the kingdom (Hosea 13:4-8, Amos 6:11-14). Jeroboam’s administration ignored policies of justice and fairness. As a result, the rich became richer, and the poor, poorer. The people became self-centered, relying more on their power, security and possessions than on God. The poor were so oppressed that it was hard for them to believe God noticed their plight. Material prosperity is not always an indication of God’s blessing. It can also be a result of self-centeredness. If you are experiencing prosperity, remember that God holds us accountable for how we attain success and how we use our wealth. Everything we have really belongs to him. We must use God’s gifts with his interests in mind.
Don’t use blessings to impress others.
(2 kgs 20:12-19) Hezekiah had been a good and faithful king, but when Isaiah asked him what he had shown the messengers from Babylon, he replied, “they saw everything in my palace.” From the account in 2 Chronicles 32:24-31). It appears that Hezekiah’s prosperity, success and deliverance from sickness had made him proud. Rather than giving credit to God for all his blessings, he tried to impress the foreigners. When God helps us, we must not use His blessings to impress others. A testimony of victory can quickly degenerate into vanity and self-congratulations.
Balancing God’s blessings and judgment.
(1 Chr 13:10-14) Uzzah died instantly for touching the ark, but God blessed Obed-Edom’s home where the ark was stored. This demonstrates the two -edged aspect of God’s power, he is perfectly loving and perfectly just. Great blessings come to those who disobey him. This punishment may come swiftly or over time, but it will come. Sometimes we focus only on the blessings God gives us, while forgetting that when we sin. “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31). At other times, however, we concentrate so much on judgement that we miss his blessings comes the responsibility to live up to his demands for fairness, honesty, and justice.
Don’t let God’s blessings make you forget him.
(Neh 9:35) Sometimes the very blessings God has showered on us make us forget him (9:28). We are often tempted to rely on wealth for security rather than on God. As you see what happened to the Israelites, look at your own life. Do your blessings make you thankful to God and draw you closer to him or do they make you feel self-sufficient and forgetful of God?
Some of God’s blessings are conditional.
(Ps 34:1) God promises great blessings to his people, but many of these blessings require our active participation. He will deliver us from fear (34:4), saves us out of our troubles (34:6), guard and deliver us (34:7), show us goodness (34:8), supply our needs (34:9), listen when we talk to him (34:15), and redeem us (34:22), but we must do our part. We can appreciate his blessings when we seek him (34:4, 10), cry out to him (34:6, 17), trust him (34:8), fear him (34:8), fear him (34:7, 9), refrain from lying (34:13), turn from evil, do good and seek peace (34:14), are humble (34:18), and serve him (34:22).
Don’t let God’s blessing let you forget him.
(Neh 9:35) Sometimes the very blessings God has showered on us makes us forget him (9:28). We are often tempted to rely on wealth for security rather than on God. As you see what happened to the Israelites, look at your own life. Do your blessings make you thankful to God and draw you closer to Him, or do they make you feel self-sufficient and forgetful of God.
Some of God’s blessings are conditional.
(Ps 34:1) God promises great blessings to his people, but many of these blessings require our active participation. He will deliver us from fear (34:4), save us out of our troubles (34:6), guard and deliver us (34:7), show us goodness (34:8), supply our needs (34:9), listen when we talk to him (34:15), and redeem us (34:22), but we need to seek him (34:4, 10), cry out to him (34:6, 17) trust him (34:8), fear him (34:7, 9), refrain from lying (34:13), turn from evil, do good and seek peace (34:13), turn from evil, do good and seek peace (34:14), are humble (34:18), and serve him (34:22).
What keeps us from God’s ultimate blessings.
(Ps 95:11) What keeps us from God’s ultimate blessings (entering his ‘rest’)? Un-grateful hearts (95:2), not worshiping or submitting to him (95:6), hardening our hearts (95:8), testing God because of stubborn doubts (95:9), in Hebrews 4:5-11, we are warned not to harden our hearts, but to reject the glamor of sin and anything else that would lead us away from God.
Blessings comes from referencing God.
(Ps 112:1) Many blessings are available to us – honor, prosperity, security, freedom from fear (112:2-9) – if we fear the Lord and delight in obeying his commands. If you expect God’s blessings you must revere Him and gladly obey Him.
May lead first to pain.
(Lk 1:30-31) God’s favor does not automatically bring instant success or fame. His blessing on Mary, the honor of being the mother of the Messiah, would lead to much pain, her peers would ridicule her, her fiancé would come close to leaving her, her son would cone the world’s only help, and this why Mary has been praised by countless generation as the young girl who “found favor with God.” Her submission was part of God’s plan to bring about our salvation. If sorrow weights you down and dims your hope, think of Mary and wait patiently for God to finish working out His plans.
Being hardhearted despite our blessings.
(Lk 16:19-31) The Pharisees considered wealth to be a proof of a person’s righteousness. Jesus startled them with this story where a diseased beggar is rewarded and a rich man is punished. The rich man did not go to hell because of his wealth but because he was selfish, refusing to feed Lazarus, take him in, or care for him the amount of money we have is not as important as the way we use it. What is your attitude toward your money and possessions. Do you hoard them selfishly or do you use them to help others?
How persecution is a blessing.
(Acts 5:11) God’s judgment on Anahias and Sapphira produced shock and fear among the believers, making them realize how seriously God regards sin in the church.
Coming from staying in contact with God’s people.
(Eph 3:14-15) The family of God includes who have loved Him in the past, all who love in the present, and all who will love in the future. We are all a family because we have the same Father. He is the source of all creation, the rightful owner of everything. God promise his love and power to his family, the church (3-16-21). If we want to receive God’s blessings, it is important; that we stay in contact with other believers in the body of Christ. Those who isolate themselves from God’s family and try to go if alone out themselves off from God’s people.
Don’t always come as material possessions.
(Jas 2:2-4) We are often partial to the rich because we mistakenly assume that riches are a sign of God’s blessing and approve. But God does not promise us earthly rewards or riches, in fact. Christ calls us to be ready to suffer for him and give up everything in order to eternal life (Matthew 6:19-21, 19:28-30, Luke12:14-34, Romans 8:15-21; 1 Timothy 6:17-19). We will have untold riches in eternity if we are faithful in our present life (Luke 6:35, John 12:23-25, Galatians 6:7-10, Titus 3:4-8).
Blessings of eternal life.
(Rv 21:7-8) The “cowardly” are not those who are fainthearted in their faith or who sometimes doubt or question, but those who turn from following God. They are not brave enough to stand up for Christ, they are not humble enough to accept his authority over their lives. They are not brave enough to stand up for Christ they are not humble enough to accept his authority over their lives. They are put in the same list as the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the liars, the idolaters, the sexually immoral, and those practicing magic arts.
People who overcome “stand firm to the end” (Mark !3:13). They will receive the blessings that God promised: (1) eating from the tree of life (2:7), (2) escaping from the lake of fire (the “second death,” 2:11), (3) receiving a special name (2:17), (4) having authority over the nations (2:26), (5) being included in the book of life (3:5), (6) being a pillar in God’s spiritual temple (3:21). Those who can endure the testing of evil and remain faithful will be rewarded by God.
Let’s take a look at Character next.