Deuteronomy 28:1–14 KJV 1900

And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. The Lord shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways. And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee. And the Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers to give thee. The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them: And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

deuteronomy 28:1-14

The Blessed Life

Being blessed means having supernatural power working for you. The days of the blessed person are filled with divine coincidences and heavenly meaning.

ME:

I always get excited at Christmas time. It’s not the gifts I get, in fact, I’m not really looking for any gifts. They are nice and it’s nice to be thought of, but I get excited at Christmas because it was my mom’s favorite time of year. Each year she would put up our tree with those little hand made decorations that my brother and I have made over the years. She would decorate her house with Christmas lights which she would ask me to string along the roof of the house. Santa Claus and reindeer would be displayed in her front yard and Christmas cards all around the mantle of the fireplace. Mom loved Christmas and it brought out this glow on her face.

She’s gone now and I miss her more and more each year that passes. At Christmas time, things have never felt the same as when she was living. Sure, I still enjoy Christmas and try to do some of the traditional things she did. As I sat at home this Christmas and reminisced about my Christmas’s as a child, I realized that I have lived a blessed life.

Blessed: makários- Fortunate and favor. Comes from root word: (Mak) to make long

I have learned to look at life as a blessing and that everyone in my life, past or present, have been a blessing to me. That circumstances that have occurred, have been divine lessons that have taught me a great deal. I have been fortunate to live the life that I’m now living.

WE:

We often let disappointments and hardships with others dictate our lives and alienate us from others. Because we have had several situations where people who hurt, lied to us, or simply used us, we pull away. We put up walls to isolate ourselves. You build emotional walls. 

Your walls are high because you’ve been that person before. You jumped in with both feet, you trusted, you cared more, you loved, you waited, you forgave and you gave chances and they still hurt you.

I am often amazed at the number of trials and tribulations people face on a daily basis.  While it appears some live charmed lives, I have come to believe that every one of us is dealing with a burden of some sort; many are dealing with health issues, others financial woes and some are struggling with getting their adult children to act like, well, adults.  Believing some are blessed with supernatural protection from life’s struggles is probably faulty thinking.  A better explanation is some are just better at dealing with adversity.

Going through a hard time? Then help others who are struggling. It may seem counterintuitive to reach out to others in need when you’re feeling so needy yourself. But when you help other people, you help yourself, too.

Helping others is a healthy habit to develop, no matter what circumstances you may be going through. While your focus is on blessing other people, you’ll find that God blesses you in a wide variety of ways.

GOD:

Mark 10:45 KJV 1900

For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Jesus is our greatest example of selflessness. Scripture is full of examples of Him serving others – from going out of His way to talk to the woman at the well, to healing lepers, to washing His disciples’ feet, to the ultimate sacrifice of giving His life.

Consider the needs of others.

Serve generously and without reservation.

Serve with gladness. 

Ephesians 6:7–8 KJV 1900

With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.

Philippians 2:3–7 KJV 1900

Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

Philippians 2:3-7

Proverbs 11:25 KJV 1900

The liberal soul shall be made fat: And he that watereth shall be watered also himself.

Opportunities to serve are all around us. It’s easy to find them when we are at home: doing someone else’s chore or fixing someone a special meal during a hard week. But God gives us plenty of opportunities to imitate Him outside our houses too. We can hold the door for a mom pushing a stroller. Help a neighbor rake their yard. Or offer to get someone a refill while at a restaurant.

God will put someone in our path whom we can serve today. Let’s consider their needs and serve them gladly, without reservation! 

We are blessed (fortunate) to live this life. We are fortunate to have these people in our lives. We can’t let past hurts and disappointments hold us back. When we allow unforgiveness to reside in our hearts, we rob ourselves of our destiny. We have to let go, to move on. We can’t live the rest of our lives with bitterness in our hearts. Get rid of the excuses why you can’t and begin to trust God. Allow Him to mold your life, to change your thinking. it may have happened to you but it don’t let it define you. You have a blessed life, you are a very fortunate person. Your life is divinely orchestrated by the creator of the universe. He thinks you are special, you are the apple of His eye. He will make you the head and not the tail.

You don’t need others to validate you or to approve you. God is for you, that’s all that matters. Start walking in what His Word says about you. You are His masterpiece. You didn’t come from your mother, you came through her. You came from God. God has this great life planned out for you and it’s Amazing!

Quote

“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

WE:

Psalm 139:14 KJV 1900

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: Marvellous are thy works; And that my soul knoweth right well.

Illustration

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

Thomas Obediah Chisholm was born in a log cabin in Franklin, Kentucky in 1866. He received his education in a little country schoolhouse, and at age 16 began teaching there. He was saved at age 27, and with no college or seminary training was ordained to the Methodist ministry at age 36. He served as a Methodist minister for a year, but ill health made it impossible for him to continue. He moved to Vineland, New Jersey, where he opened an insurance office.

Always interested in poetry, Chisholm wrote hundreds of poems during his lifetime. inspired him to write the text for “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.” Those verses read, “It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”

Chisholm experienced that faithfulness. He suffered ill health most of his adult life, and never made much money, but he said, “God has given me many wonderful displays of His providing care which have filled me with astonishing gratefulness.”

Psalm 119:18 KJV 1900

Open thou mine eyes, That I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.

Could it be that there are so many blessing all around me that I just can't see them? There are exposed blessings, blessings that are tangible. But there are also blessings that I can't see. Unseen and untold blessings. Blessings that haven't been revealed yet. So I pray, Open my eyes, Lord.

Oh Lord, You are my shepherd and I should not be in want, but so often I struggle to be content and do want; forgetting that you have graciously provided me with every spiritual blessing in Christ and everything I need for life and godliness.

Thank you for often not giving me what I want because my desires would draw my heart from being satisfied in You. Help me to be content in You with what You have given me and to not be focused on what my flesh wants or the world tells me I should have.

Protect me from coveting possessions or people, talent or influence, relationships or prestige. Keep my heart from being anxious about what I don’t have and make me thankful for the numerous gifts that You have already given. Amen!