A Balanced Life

The Blessed Life

The topic that we are about to study together in this class is a topic that we often take for granted and forget. Interestingly, I will be attending a Mental Health Symposium for the Law Enforcement Death Response Team (LEDR) next week and one of the break out classes covers this very topic.

When you hear that someone is blessed, what is the first thing that pops into your head?

When you say that I am blessed, what do you mean?

Does anyone have example of what being blessed looked like in the Bible?

The term "blessed" refers to being favored or fortunate, often in a spiritual or religious context. It denotes a state of happiness and well-being bestowed by divine favor or grace.

Holman Treasury of Key Bible Words: 200 Greek and 200 Hebrew Words Defined and Explained (Blessing)

In the Old Testament, many people granted blessings to others—parents (Gen. 49:28), Moses (Deut. 33:1). But, God is presented as the source of all blessing (Gen. 1:28; Exod. 32:29). He set before His people Israel the way of blessing and the way of cursing (Deut. 27, 28) and let them know that He was the one who dispensed blessings for trusting and obeying Him or curses, the opposite of blessings, to those who did not trust Him (Deut. 30:1, 19). The Israelites simply had to choose the path they would take—the path to blessings or the path to cursing (Deut. 30:19

Praise for Spiritual Blessings/Chosen and Cherished

Ephesians 1:3–6 (ESV)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love

he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,

to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

Paul opens his letter to the Church of Ephesus by praising God for spiritual blessings. What Paul was establishing is that the source of our blessings are not by our own hands or what we acquire, but rather all blessings come from God.

Our gratitude begins with acknowledging our identity in Christ, chosen and adopted by grace. Our identity in Christ transforms our worldview, making us vessels of blessing to others.

We can find joy and blessings in our identity alone. For we were once lost, but now we are found. We were blind but now we see.

If we find ourselves in a position of feeling down and out or if borderline depression and anxiety begins to surround our life, then we need to take a good look at our lives and make sure we are drawing from the source of life.

We can live a life of gratitude because our gratefulness is not settle on what we have done, but rather what God has done. He has redeemed us, He has saved us, and He has given new life with a new purpose.

Praise for Personal Provision

Psalm 103:1–5 (ESV)

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,

who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,

who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

The Psalmist’s acknowledgment of God’s blessings rejuvenates the spirit. Having gratitude is recognizing the multiple facets of God’s goodness, such as healing and redemption.

This beckons us to daily affirm and appreciate God’s gifts and invites us to live in constant thankfulness, encouraging us to have an attitude reflecting Christ’s love for us.

Allow me to bring what I just said into a real life application. If you woke up this morning and were able to take a hot shower, we are blessed. If we walked into our kitchen and had to struggle with the question of choosing what to eat rather than the question of will we have have anything to eat today, we are blessed.

If we walked outside got into a car, we are blessed. If we got to work without our car breaking down, we are blessed.

We in America especially, have so much to be thankful and grateful for. There is no excuse on why we cannot have an attitude of gratitude.

Gifts from the Unchanging God

James 1:17 (ESV)

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

As we discover from James 1:17 all good things derive from God. This underscores His unchanging nature reveals that His blessings will endure amidst trials. We can recognize and rejoice that that God is stedfast at all times.

It is because He is a firm foundation that we can build our lives upon Him. In the homes we live, we often don’t stop and think about the foundation. Perhaps the only time we begin to think about the foundation of our homes is when it starts breaking down. If the foundation of our homes break down, everything it supports will begin to break down.

We need to be reminded that our God, Jesus Christ, is a firm foundation and the chief cornerstone from which we can have built and continue to build our lives upon.

Beatitudes: True Blessings

What do blessings then look like? To answer this question, let’s look at what Jesus said.

Matthew 5:3–12 ESV

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

The Beatitudes, as we have just read, were taught by Jesus to provide his eager listeners with Kingdom values. These are not easy to achieve values.

For instance, who enjoys being persecuted? Who enjoys being a peacemaker? One who always has to bring the problems up to be dealt with? Who enjoys mourning?

When Jesus was speaking, He was expressing that when we go through trials it is an avenue for His blessings to pour out over our lives. These trials that lead to blessing will lead us to growth and maturity.

We have to and need to change our perspective of our lives.

When we grumble and complain about things in our life, we have brought our perspective from Him to here on earth. We need to get back to being a kingdom-minded people.

When we are kingdom-minded, we are not looking for the wrong or the heartache in our situations, but we are looking for the kingdom purpose in them.

Job 5:17 (KJV 1900)

Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: Therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:

Notice that the word happy is used here. The word happy is the Hebrew word Âshêrı̂y (aw-shay-ree) which is interchangeable with blessed.

Job 5:17–22 (ESV)

“Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves; therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty.

For he wounds, but he binds up; he shatters, but his hands heal.

He will deliver you from six troubles; in seven no evil shall touch you.

In famine he will redeem you from death, and in war from the power of the sword.

You shall be hidden from the lash of the tongue, and shall not fear destruction when it comes.

At destruction and famine you shall laugh, and shall not fear the beasts of the earth.

We serve a God who has blessed us!

Perpetual Rejoicing and Gratitude

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 ESV

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Gratitude is not just an emotion but an active expression of our faith.

This perspective helps us to live in constant communion with God, turning every moment into an opportunity for thanksgiving and witness to others, in both abundance and struggles.

There’s a story about a famous artist who painted a beautiful landscape. One day, a man watched him paint and complimented him on how amazing the scene captured was. The artist smiled and said, 'Thank you! But look a little closer, I’m merely painting the world God’s already created!' This reflects how we should be thankful for the beauty around us and recognize that all good things come from God, as reflected in James 1:17.

When we analyze this short story, we find a man observing the work this painter was placing in this painting. The man was amazed at the ability of the painter and the picture that he was creating. It drew this observing man in and he interacted with the painter and complimented him on his work.

The painter stopped the man and stated this is not my work but rather God’s!

When we live a life that is blessed and we reflect that through our everyday efforts in life, people can’t help but to be drawn in to you. The reason is not because of what we have done but rather the work that God is and has done through us.

If people cannot recognize the God we serve without our mouths opening, then I am sorry friends, we are failing at being the grateful witness that we need to be for this world.

Living a life of gratitude is not only for emotional state but also those around us. This world is crashing and burning very quickly, and what is normal is people complaining and being upset.

If we think that just because the general election is going to end in couple of weeks that this will get better. I hope your right, but I seriously doubt it and in fact I personally believe it is only going to get worse!

People are tired of the lies that world tries to sell them through showing them all these devices that it has to offer claiming that pornography will bring happiness, going out drinking will bring happiness, drugs will bring happiness, or just ended your life will bring the peace that you want.

This is what the world preaches, but the Church ought to be preaching that when we find Jesus and our lives are changed for ever, we are living the blessed life! Don’t believe our word? Then look at the fruit!

STORY OF DEALING WITH DIFFERENT CHRISTIAN FAITHS

Emphasizing gratitude leads to deeper faith in God and richer relationships with people.

On a plane that are many instruments that a pilot must read to ensure they have a safe flight.

Three of these instruments are the attitude indicator, the altimeter, and the Vertical Speed Indicator/VSI Tape.

The attitude indicator provides the pilot with information on the aircraft’s bank angle and pitch angle in relation to the horizon. This allows the pilot to interpret the attitude of the aircraft and adjust accordingly.

The altimeter he altimeter uses information from the static ports of the aircraft to determine the static pressure. The altimeter has two needles, one long and one short. The altimeter is read like a clock, where the short needle indicates thousands of feet, and the long needle indicates hundreds of feet.

The VSI is sometimes referred to as a variometer or vertical velocity indicator. Like the altimeter, the aneroid capsule inside the VSI expands and contracts based on the change in altitude, and the rate of change of pressure is measured and displayed on the VSI as a Rate of Climb or Descent (ROC/D).

If the attitude of the plane is off, then this in turn affects the vertical velocity of the plane and has significant effects on how quickly and effectively the plane can climb.

I say all this to say, that our attitude will effect our altitude. If we want to become closer with God, then we need to make some attitude adjustments in our life. If we want God to utilize us as willing vessels then we need to make sure that are attitudes are aligned with the horizon of His purpose so that He can elevate us in His kingdom to be effective.

In stressful public spaces, such as during a crowded commute, people can easily become irritable and frustrated. When you feel your patience wearing thin, consciously choose to respond with gratitude. For instance, instead of grumbling about delays, take a moment to recognize the hardworking transit staff who keep things running and say a quick prayer of blessing over them. Alternatively, express a kind word or smile to those around you, fostering a more positive atmosphere. This shift can help alleviate anger and bring joy not only to your day but to those you interact with.