Blessed, now bless!

 

Have you experienced the joy of being blessed by another? Probably you did not refer to that way, but if you received a word of thanks or praises or affirmation, you were ‘blessed.’ The word simply means to be ‘favored.’  When I receive a card of appreciation or a note that lets me know that something I have done has helped another person, my day brightens with joy. 

Parents who learn to ‘bless’ their children with true words of encouragement, hope, and recognition give a gift of amazing value in the formation of that child’s life. I am ‘blessed’ by watching each of my adult children pass along the ‘blessings’ to their children.   

Leaders of groups, large and small, will find their work much more effective when they recognize the work of those with whom they share a mission.  Let’s not confuse flattery with blessing.  Insincere praise is corrosive because it is not based in truth but that is a topic for another day.

Christian friend, we have a Father in Heaven who loves to bless us. "How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ. Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.  

His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the wonderful kindness he has poured out on us because we belong to his dearly loved Son. He is so rich in kindness that he purchased our freedom through the blood of his Son, and our sins are forgiven." (Ephesians 1:3-7, NLT)   

Oh that every Christian would memorize and meditate on the truth declared there.  We are no longer orphaned in this world, we are adopted into God’s own family. He is delighted to love us, not duty-bound. He has a destiny planned for us, to make us whole and holy. When we mess up (and we do!) He is not vindictive, He is kind and forgiving.

His greatest blessings are not the money in our bank account, the clothes we wear, or the meals we eat. They are His grace and love which make it possible for us to be more than His servants, we are His children – sons and daughters with full rights of inheritance of eternal life.

Yes, my friend, you are blessed!

Now, be a “blesser.”

If we take in His blessings but fail to learn to pour them back out onto others,  we will become like the Dead Sea. That body of water in Israel’s desert contains no life because it has no overflow. Water flows in but only leaves by evaporation which over the time has so concentrated minerals in the water that it is incompatible with life. Water, the very essence of life, has been turned into death by an over-concentration of minerals that are critical to health in the right proportions.  What a powerful metaphor for us.  We need to pour out God’s blessings so we can be refreshed.  In so doing, we are enriched even as we enrich others.

John says it like this - "We love because He first loved us." (1 John 4:19, NIV)   "My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love! " (1 John 4:11-12, The Message)  See the pattern?  God loves us and we, in turn, love others. The result is that His love grows stronger in us until it is mature and whole.

What a difference we can make in the world in which we live IF we receive God’s gifts and share them. God can retrain your thoughts and speech. He can fill your mouth with words of blessings, give you a genuine love even for those who are unlovely. The paradox is that the more we love, the greater the love we enjoy. There is no limit to the supply.   So, how about it?  Thank your Father for His blessings. Learn to give thanks and praise to Him, then go be a refreshing source of life-giving water in a parched, thirsty world.

Here is His blessing to us which I want to pray for you today. " For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:14-19, NIV)

(Video of this blog at this link)

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The Blessing

The Lord bless you

And keep you

Make his face shine upon you

And be gracious to you

The Lord turn his

Face toward you

And give you peace

 

Amen

Amen

Amen

 

May his favor

Be upon you

And a thousand generations

And your family

And your children

And their children

And their children

 

May his presence

Go before you

And behind you

And beside you

All around you

And within you

He is with you

He is with you

 

In the morning

In the evening

In your coming

And your going

In your weeping

And rejoicing

He is for you

He is for you

 

He is for you

He is for you

 

Chris Brown | Cody Carnes | Kari Jobe | Steven Furtick

© 2020 Capitol CMG Paragon (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

Kari Jobe Carnes Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

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Serenity, is it possible?

 

The smoke from a wildfire in Canada blanketed a third of the United States yesterday.  It was thick at my home, making my eyes water and apparently alarming many who called 9-1-1 to report a fire. Looking at my own dry lawn, I wondered about fire here.  I saw the story out of Ukraine about a major dam on the Dnieper River that was blown up, adding to the death count and misery of that war.  I spoke with someone deeply concerned about a struggle in their family and strained relationships. 

Yes, there is plenty to make us worry.   Who does not experience at least some anxiety over our deeply divided nation, the future of our leveraged economy, or gloomy rumors of wars?  Add in the personal challenges of work, family, health, and finance and there is a recipe for a stew of stress!  

In the second half of John’s Gospel, we read an extended conversation between Jesus and His disciples over the final Passover meal as He prepared them for His imminent arrest and death.  They were confused by His words, unable to grasp His promise of a new Comforter that will come to live in them, the Holy Spirit. Jesus does not sugarcoat the future. He warns them that they will be persecuted by the world who will not like them any more than they liked Him. He tells them that when they do good, they will be hated. He says that troubles will come their way. 

But, He promises them a pathway to peace.

Christians sometimes falsely conclude that they must have ‘faulty faith’ when they experience trouble and hardship.  “If there is all this trouble in my life I must be doing something wrong,” we tend to think. No doubt about it, we can bring trouble on our own heads by making foolish decisions, by living without prayerful awareness of God’s Spirit. However, because we live in a broken and sinful world, even the most devout saints will go through hard times.

Serenity is possible, a gift God provides.  Here’s what Jesus said at the Last Supper to men who were confused and stressed by what He had told them about their future:  "Truly, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy when you see me again. It will be like a woman experiencing the pains of labor. When her child is born, her anguish gives place to joy because she has brought a new person into the world. You have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy." (John 16:20-22, NLT)   

Those men were going to enter into a greater darkness than they had ever known, but in three days the Resurrection would let them put the puzzle together, give them the assurance they needed, and prepare them for the future. – “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”    (John 16:33)

“Take heart! I have overcome the world!” is still a promise to shape our emotions. Temptation, death, divorce, disappointment, failure, missed expectations, wars, divided culture, dysfunctional people – will bring us concern, but for the saint there is serenity found in the care of the Lord.

Stressed and anxious, worried and weary?  Meditate prayerfully on this word from the Word and I pray serenity will flood your mind.
"Do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—
think about such things.
Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—
put it into practice.
And the God of peace will be with you." (Philippians 4:6-9, NIV)

(Video of this blog at this link)

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O Come To The Altar

 

Are you hurting and broken within

Overwhelmed by the weight of your sin

Jesus is calling

Have you come to the end of yourself

Do you thirst for a drink from the well

Jesus is calling

 

O come to the altar

The Father's arms are open wide

Forgiveness was bought with

The precious blood of Jesus Christ

 

Leave behind your regrets and mistakes

Come today there's no reason to wait

Jesus is calling

Bring your sorrows and trade them for joy

From the ashes a new life is born

Jesus is calling

 

Oh what a Savior

Isn't he wonderful

Sing alleluia Christ is risen

Bow down before him

For he is Lord of all

Sing alleluia Christ is risen

 

Bear your cross as you wait for the crown

Tell the world of the treasure you've found

 

Chris Brown | Mack Brock | Steven Furtick | Wade Joye

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Eyes on the Prize?

   

I drove past the house for many years and somehow became aware of the life changes that were going on there over time. At first there were two people sitting out front or walking their dogs. An RV was parked in the drive, the lawn was neatly cut. Then I noticed the RV was gone one day.  A couple of seasons came and went.  The care of the property declined, evidence of aging owners. Then as I drove by I noticed there was just one walking alone.  Another season passed and I saw no one, though there were younger people often at the house. Then, a few weeks ago, the "for sale" sign appeared.  Shortly thereafter I noted a dumpster in front of the garage that was piled high with the ‘stuff.’  

What a parable for this transitory life!

Does that little story leave you depressed? It surely will IF you live with a singular focus only on those things which will inevitably be taken from each of us in time. Solomon, the cynic, was old, near the end of his life. He had wasted so much time and effort trying to capture happiness and ends up muttering that ‘all is meaningless.’  For a few chapters he rages at the vanity of wealth, pleasure, accomplishments, and fame. Then he shifts his attention to the spiritual, remembering that we are more than flesh and blood. He urges wisdom and reflection on the ways of the Lord, all the while reminding us to live fully today. Finally he counsels this- "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them.” (Ecclesiastes 12:1, NIV)

Stephen Covey wrote about 7 habits of those who live best. The second principle is – “Begin with the End in Mind.”  Remembering our mortality is not an exercise in gloom. It is a way to avoid the diversions that will eat up our time and resources. Many tombs in churches in Europe during the late Middle Ages and early modern age included memento mori  (Latin for “Remember death”).  Paintings or sculptures often included a skull to remind the living that life is passing. We do just about everything possible to avoid our own mortality and we are less wise in those choices.  But without memento mori we tend to superficiality giving ourselves to things of little value.

Paul was inspired to teach us in this way. "For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down—when we die and leave these bodies—we will have a home in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long for the day when we will put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will not be spirits without bodies, but we will put on new heavenly bodies. Our dying bodies make us groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and have no bodies at all. We want to slip into our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by everlasting life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit. So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord." (2 Corinthians 5:1-6, NLT)

When we love others, an eternal treasure is created.
When we live with gentleness and forgiveness, we create lasting treasure.
When we serve with faithful joy, we create a rich reward.
When we worship in ‘spirit and in truth,’ we touch Heaven and learn to love our God.

Are your eyes on the prize of the higher calling?

Jesus’ words are our word from the Word. Let them live in your mind and heart, making you wise today.  “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where they can be eaten by moths and get rusty, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where they will never become moth-eaten or rusty and where they will be safe from thieves." (Matthew 6:19-20, NLT)

(Video of this blog at this link)

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Be Thou My Vision

Be Thou my vision
O Lord of my heart
Naught be all else to me
Save that Thou art
Thou my best thought
By day or by night
Waking or sleeping
Thy presence my light

Be Thou my wisdom
Be Thou my true Word
I ever with Thee
And Thou with me Lord
Thou my great Father
I Thy true son
Thou in me dwelling
And I with Thee one

Riches I heed not
Nor man's empty praise
Thou mine inheritance
Now and always
Thou and Thou only
Be first in my heart
High King of heaven
My treasure Thou art

High King of heaven
When vict'ry is won
May I reach heaven's joys
O bright heaven's Sun
Heart of my own heart
Whatever befall
Still be my vision
O Ruler of all

Eleanor Henrietta Hull | Mary Elizabeth Byrne

• © Words: Public Domain