THE BLESSINGS OF GOD

There is a fable about a man who found an enormous building in Heaven. Inside the building, he saw rows and rows of neatly stacked boxes, each tied with a satin bow. When the man found the box with his name on it, he quickly tore it open. Inside his box, he found all the blessings that God had wanted to give to him while he was on earth…but he had never asked.

In Genesis 12:2 and 3, God gave Abraham a sevenfold promise, and two of those were, first, “I will bless you,” revealing that God wants to bless us individually. Second, “And you will be a blessing.” The Hebrew is taken as an imperative. This is really a command. God blesses us so that we can be a blessing.

Augustine stated, “God is more anxious to bestow His blessings on us than we are to receive them.” In Psalm 21:3 David wrote of himself, “For You meet him with the blessing of goodness.” The word “meet” means “to anticipate, to precede, to foresee and fulfill in advance, to pay a debt before it is due.” Furthermore, in almost every usage, it implies something of pleasure. He claimed God’s promise of blessing.

Dr. S. D. Gordon wrote that he could never forget his mother’s paraphrase of Malachi 3:10. The verse begins, “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,” and ends, “I will pour.” Her paraphrase was this: “Give all He asks; take all He promises.”

God states in Isaiah 65:24, “It will come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear.” David Wilkerson commented, “This verse provides us with an incredible picture of our Lord’s love for us. Evidently, He is so anxious to bless us, so ready to fulfill His lovingkindness in our lives, that He can’t even wait for us to tell Him our needs. He jumps in and performs acts of mercy, grace and love toward us. And that is a supreme pleasure to Him.”

Ephesians 1:3 reveals our heavenly Father is the source of our spiritual blessing. Philippians 4:19 tells us that He supplies our temporal blessings through Christ. Psalm 103 lists five of God’s benefits for His people. Someone has described them as: First, God’s court of law, “Who forgives all your iniquities.” Second, God’s hospital, “Who heals all your diseases.” Third, God’s safe haven, “Who redeems your life from destruction.” Fourth, God’s throne room, “Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies.” Fifth, God’s banquet hall, “Who satisfies your mouth with good things.”

“How thankful we should be that God’s blessings are dispensed according to the riches of His grace, and not according to the poverty of our faith” (Arthur W. Pink).

(by David Arnold)

“And this is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them:

‘The Lord bless you and keep you;

The Lord make His face to shine upon you,

And be gracious unto you;

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,

And give you peace.’

So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them.”

(Numbers 6:23 – 27)

Blessings,

Pastor Kevin