Articles
Blessings
"May his name endure forever; May his name increase as long as the sun shines; And let men bless themselves by him; Let all nations call him blessed." (Psalm 72:17)
Solomon envisioned mutual blessings in the relationship between God's perfect king and His subjects. They bless themselves by Him, and they also call Him blessed.
We see all of this fulfilled in Jesus. There are blessings available to all who bow themselves before God's perfect king — from every nation and in every age as long as this world remains. There are the obvious spiritual blessings of redemption and fellowship through the blood of Jesus. When we are weak and suffering, God promises to give us the grace that we need to persevere. On many occasions we see the apostles and the early disciples rejoicing in their sufferings. Paul called his own imminent death a drink offering to the Lord (2 Timothy 4:6). Paul had been blessed by giving his allegiance to Jesus. In turn, Paul would bless the name of Jesus by serving Him faithfully, even to the point of death.
It is important to remember that God’s ability to bless us is never limited. Paul was making this point when he called himself the chief of sinners. If Christ would save a person who had persecuted the church of God and allow them the privilege of preaching as an apostle, then Christ will save you and me (1 Timothy 1:15, 16)…if we give up our wills to live for Him. We probably don’t want to imagine the worst physical thing that we might be called to endure, but whatever it is, His grace is sufficient to bring us through it.
God’s ability to bless us does not mean that we are guaranteed to become rich as Christians. Christ Himself was not physically rich on this earth. Yet, Jesus taught us to pray for our daily needs (Luke 11:3). Malachi told the Israelites that if they would pay the tithes required by the law, God would open up the windows of heaven to bless them (Malachi 3:10). We tend to think of physical resources as limited by what we can control or predict. We tend to think in terms of a limited number of items or opportunities. This is true in one sense. We are not supposed to waste blessings. This is selfish and the Giver Who has unlimited power will not be with selfish people. But when we think there are no more blessings to be had, God can open the windows of heaven.
This knowledge can go along way in guarding our minds against envy and jealousy. God doesn’t need to tear someone down to build us up and if He builds someone up this will not limit our prospects. If one endeavor does not seem to work, another opportunity may prove to be even better. We may desire for suffering to be removed. God may perceive a need for us to learn the sufficiency of His grace. He will bless us according to our abilities and our needs. Look for those blessings. Be honest about them and bless the name of the Father for all that He provides in Jesus for our lives in this world and in eternity.
