We all want to live a life of blessing and experience the manifestations of God's promises for our lives. We want to live a healthy life where our relationships are flourishing, having financial freedom and more than enough to bless others. But many Christians battle with how to apply the principles of Christ for these blessings!
One of the general principles of Christ for a blessing is giving. The benefit of giving works for Christians and non-Christians. You remembered the encounter between Jesus and a centurion in the Bible... "And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, “for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue.”
Then Jesus went with them. And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof. Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. Luke 7:4-6
They beg Jesus to help the man because he is a giver and he built a place of worship for the people. Hearing this, Jesus went with them. Christ's principles for material riches respond to Christians and non-Christians. However, riches and luxury without Christ are vanity and exposure to the devil and his activities.
The Bible gives us the principles over and over again to unlock the blessing that acknowledges God. The key principle here is to delight yourself in the Lord. it also says “...Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in His commandments... (Psalm 112:1-3)
This is one of the strong keys to receiving the blessing that acknowledges and glorifies God.
Moreover, to receive God's blessing is to find out what God has blessed then you get involved... and not say “Lord, here’s what I am doing. Please bless it.” That’s a man-centred approach that may never work because it starts with us, not with God. We should instead say, “Lord, show me what you have already blessed so I can get involved in it.”
God's word revealed to us what God has blessed! The Bible recorded how the blessing has flowed from one generation to another which is still very much active in our generation.
It starts in Genesis 12, continues through the Old Testament, and finds its fullest expression in what we call the Great Commission. God has said, “This is what I have blessed. This is my plan, my purpose, my program in the world.” If we want a blessing that acknowledges God, we must align ourselves with what God has already blessed and live in it to honour God
God spoke to Abram to go from his country to the land where he will show him “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonours you I will curse, and in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3).
God said He will take Abram to a new land, make him a great nation and through him the nations of the earth will be blessed.
This blessing with Abraham continued in the new testament! “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1). Abraham’s name came up in the very first verse of the New Testament because the birth of Jesus is directly connected to the promise God made to Abraham 2000 years earlier in the Ur of the Chaldees.
The blessing is also very much active in our days! God is blessing the whole world through the preaching of the Good News of Jesus Christ. It all goes back to the original promise made to Abraham. "And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham." Galatians 3:8-9
This is the reason why knowing Jesus personally is the greatest blessing you can ever receive. In Christ, we have permanent inheritance and there is no blessing as meaningful or as permanent as our inheritance in Christ "For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise." Galatians 3:18
If you don’t know Jesus, you need him first and foremost. What’s your greatest need, to know him is the greatest blessing you can have. To know him is to have the knowledge that your sins have been forgiven. To know him is to have the assurance that when you die, you will go to heaven.
Also, the greatest blessing you can be is to share Jesus with someone else. Get involved in the things God cares about, and you will be blessed. Make his priority your priority, and you will be blessed. Make his kingdom your passion, and you will be blessed.
Finally, getting a blessing is different and keeping it or living long in it is also different. God's word tells us how we can stay in the blessing of God... “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life so that you and your descendants might live! Deuteronomy 30:19
God tells us in this scripture that He has called heaven and earth as witnesses and set two choices before us: blessings or cursings, life or death. If we choose life, we will be blessed, and we will live. We will always have a choice to make while in the blessing and most times the choices we make keep us long in the blessing!
So, how do you choose life and stay in the blessing? You choose by making a conscious decision to honour God and obey His commands. You choose to delight in Him and His ways. This is the blessing of the Lord!
PRAYER
"The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift His countenance upon you, And give you peace.”’ (Amen)