B.L.E.S.S.I.N.G.
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Dictionary of Bible Themes 8261 generosity, God’s
generosity, God’s
The generosity of God is evident in the way in which he deals with his creation, and supremely with sinners. God bestows his gracious gifts upon sinners in salvation, in sanctification and through the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Today I want to talk about God’s Blessings as you enter into a week of celebrating the national day of Thanksgiving.
Last week Bonnie and I were blessed to receive the gift of another grandchild, Harris Timothy Walker
To bless is… to give or receive another’s favor.
God said to Abraham in
1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
In we read
8 Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”
God’s desire is to bless us and I believe for us to also be a blessing to others. On Wednesday evening, we will have an Evening of sharing God’s blessings to us, with one another. Today, i want us to talk about how we can bless others...
Blessings begin with Prayer… Several month ago, Jay Gerdin said he remembered growing up hearing the blessing from
24 “ ‘ “The Lord bless you and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” ’
It is a prayer that God gave to the Israelites. It was to put the name of God on them and to bless them.
When we pray for others to be blessed, it begins with a prayer and it is to ask God’s hand to be upon them!
I pray for God’s blessings to be upon my family and their families. I pray for God to bless you and your families. It is increasingly becoming a major, more meaningful prayer for me, because I truly believe God wants to bless His creation.
I’m not talking about wealth and prosperity. I’m talking about God being with us in all things, in sickness and in health, in prosperity or poverty.
Blessings begin with prayer… Remember last week we talked about praying for others and how we are to pray for our leaders and those in authority? The week before that we talked about Jesus prayer for His disciples and the fact that he intercedes for us as well.
Jesus is praying for you. He is calling you to a godly and holy lifestyle and His desire is to bless you!
Blessings begin with prayer… That’s how we are blessed and that is how we can bless other people.
Secondly, Blessings come from Listening. Learning to listen is one of, if not the most important thing we can do in loving One Another.
His is a video from Marriage 101…
Listen to what
19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,
Did you ever wonder why God gave us only one mouth and two ears? Perhaps it is to emphasis the importance of ‘Listening.’
I was having breakfast with a friend recently who was sharing he and his wife’s struggle with one of their children. My mode is to go into counsel, thinking I can help him. What I needed to realize at that moment more than anything was he needed someone to ‘Listen’ to him. Later on as we were leaving, the person behind the counter, whom we’ve come to know shared how her two brother-in-laws had been killed in a fire. She too, just needed someone to confide in and listen.
We can bless others by learning the art of listening and trying to understand. That becomes a blessing to many people, simply having someone to listen to them.
When a person goes to therapy for counseling, more often than not, that person needs someone to listen to what’s going on in their lives. Listening builds friendship; listening provides counsel. God calls upon us to ‘Listen to Him.’
32 “Now then, my children, listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways.
33 Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not disregard it.
34 Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway.
Blessings come from listening to God, being a blessing comes from listening to others. By listening to God we gain ‘Godly’ wisdom, which while listening to others, we can share with them.
The Third letter in Blessing is ‘E’
It represent Eating with one another or Fellowship with one another. If you think about the home, the one place that we most often congregate at is in the kitchen. The kitchen seems to be the hub of the home. We tend to gravitate towards food.
In we read…
20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
This verse is being written to the church in Laodicea. He is calling them to repentance because they are luke warm; neither hot nor cold. They did not realize that there lives were wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and wicked. They had plenty of money and great wealth, but spiritually there were in need of genuine fellowship with God. So God is calling them to repentance and telling them, here I am, open the door and I will come into your home and fellowship with you; i am the living water, i am the bread of life.
When I shared this verse with the kids on Wednesday night, one of them raised their hands and said, “It’s like opening the door of your heart and having Jesus come in to have tea with you.” She gets what Jesus is trying to say. Blessings come from fellowship with Jesus and we become a blessing to others by having fellowship with other in the spirit of love.
I imagine Jesus coming into a home that has been decorated with earthly pleasures; the wrong kind of pictures on the wall, the wrong kind of food and drink on the table. He comes in and cleans the wall by removing the improper pictures; giving the walls a fresh coat of paint. Clearing the table and setting down a bag of groceries filled with nourishing food that is delightful to eat and drink that is good for you. While you are sitting there he tells you about his love; you listen. You tell him about your struggles; He listens. Then together you figure out a way to find peace in the midst of chaos and conflict.
This leads to the first ‘S’ in blessing, which is the fact that he came to Serve, sacrificially.
Serve - Sacrificially - The gospels tell us that Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve.
28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
When Jesus shares these words, we find that he has just answered the request of James’ and John’s Mother who had asked Jesus to grant that of her two sons, one might sit at the right and the other at his left in the kingdom of God. Jesus told her, you really don’t know what you are asking. He said this is a place that belongs only to those whom God the Father had prepared it for. Then the other 10 disciples became indignant towards James and John. Jesus speaks saying, if you want to be great, you must have a servant’s heart. He then told them, “Even I came not to be served, but to serve, giving myself as a ransom for many.” A ransom is a price paid to set someone free from bondage; slavery.
In this case it is to set someone free from the slavery of sin… that which separates us from God.
several years ago there was a film produced called “Ransom.” It was about a wealthy family whose child had been kidnapped. The father wet to extreme lengths to get his child back. That’s what God did, but giving his son as a sacrifice for our sins; that’s what Jesus himself was willing to do so that we could be free from the bondage of sin. Being a blessing begins by praying for one another; then we learn to listen to where they are in life; we do this by building relationship around a table of fellowship; we learn to serve sacrificially with our time, talents, and treasures. Then we come to the final S in Blessing, which is to Share.
Share the Good News about Jesus.
I want to go back to the fact that we have one mouth and two ear… AND two eyes. Eyes are the doorway to the soul. What we see effects our heart. in the same way God gave us two ears to emphasis listening, we have two eyes to be discerning; to observe what is going on around us; to help us focus properly upon that which is right. The Bible tells us to ‘Seek’ first the kingdom of God.
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
This verse is shared by Jesus in the context of people of people worrying about food and clothing. He promises that he will take care of us. He also commands us to seek him first.
Our story as believers is of how we have been blessed by God, coming to know his love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness; knowing that he is the one who know the number of hair on our head; he knows about every minute detail of our lives and he genuinely cares for you and about you. Blessings come from being available to share the story of Jesus in your life with others when the opportunities arrises.
So, when I asked you to pray for God’s blessings upon you; to ask God to enlarge your territory; to keep his hand upon you and keep you from evil and harm, it included looking for ways that God is blessing you and ways in which God wants you to be a blessing to others… by praying for one another, listening to one another, eating together, Serving one another; and finally sharing life in the context of the story that each one of us have - sharing it with other.
Ways to share you story is through your testimony… how you came to know Jesus as your savior. Ways to share the Good News is through tools like the ‘Four Spiritual Laws’ or ‘The way of Peace’ using the Bible taking someone through the Romans Road...
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
6 And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.
Grace is God’s unmerited favor.
,
9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
The simplest way to share Jesus, is to tell how you came to trust Jesus as your savior. Then to ask them if they would like to.
Remember, God isn’t looking at our ability, but our ‘Availability’… are you willing to be a blessing? are you willing to be blessed? The answer is yes God, we are willing, we are available.
Blessing come from Investing time in one another; inviting others to your home or to an event or to church; blessings come from including people in your life; blessings come from implementing a plan that says to others, you are important to me.
Blessings are about the “Good News” of Jesus. That News is about his love, forgiveness, acceptance of who you become when you are Born Again in the Spirit of God.
Blessings come from Growing together in Fellowship with God; wanting others to know God as you do.
Blessings
Begin with prayer
Listen to one another
Eat with one another
Serve one another
Share your story with one another
invest in one another
News is shared about God and his love for you and others
Growing together; worshiping together, studying God’s word together; serving together… all this leads to spiritual growth in Christ Jesus.
How can you be involved in being a blessing?
Begin a Bless List… Who will you pray for so they may know the love and fellowship of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit
Whom might God want you to listen to? Write that person’s name down.
Whom would God want you to eat a meal together with? Write that person’s name down
Whom would God want you to Serve? Write that person’s name down
Whom might God want you to Share your Story - The Story of Jesus in your life - write that person’s name down
Whom might God want you to invest in; invite into the fellowship of God’s Good News
Whom would God want you to share that News that God loves them, Jesus died for them, and He wants to save you for Sin
Whom might God want you to grow with? Write these people names down. In the future we will continue to focus on these things to help us all be a B.L.E.S.S.I.N.G.