U And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed (Genesis 12:1-3). But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Most people in the world have no experience of lasting joy in their lives. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. There is a sense in which our suffering bears testimony to the end of sins dominion in our lives (1 Peter 4:1). Therefore his people return to this place; And waters of abundance are drunk by them. When we understand the difference between Gods temporal blessings and His eternal blessings, we learn to expect suffering and trials as a part of His plan, and as a part of His program to bring about eternal blessing for us. Of how much more value are you than the birds! Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:8-12). For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just. Thats the orientation of Jesus Christ the king. Paul answers in Ephesians 1:3: God has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing every blessing that heaven can conceive for the eternal happiness of Gods people will be ours. Your basket and your kitchen will be blessed. When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. All of those referred to were people who obtained Gods approval through their faith in Gods promise. - Numbers 6:24-26. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused,if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctifiedby the Word of God and prayer (I Tim. P Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Whether God in His goodness enables us to succeed, or whether His grace enables us to endure our suffering, let us realize that God is able to make use of suffering to produce blessings. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Well, normally we do rejoice in a merciful God who forgives. I must do whatever it takes to be happy, even if that involves disobedience to Gods revealed Word.. You cannot be richer than a Christian. We now loathe that which we once loved. This was the land of Canaan (Genesis 12:5-7; 13:14-15) whose boundaries were more fully defined in Genesis 15:18-21. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies. Gods blessing is the overturning and removal of the curse due to sin. The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. What the Bible says about Y W (8) Divine cursing or condemnation is based upon an individuals decision and works. The son was just the beginning. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Ephesians 1:3-5. How could it be that the blessed Son of God could suffer? It is the blessing which comes from faith in Jesus Christ and not from human effort or achievement. To belong to Christ is to belong to God as our Father and to be heirs of all that God owns that is, everything. He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your wine and your oil, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock, in the land that he swore to your fathers to give you. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.. He said, "I am the God that healeth thee." . I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. God also promised Abraham a great land that his seed would possess. This is what it means to be truly blessed. But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. In the early days of Davids life, he was misunderstood and chided by his brothers (1 Samuel 17:20-30). And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also (John 14:1-3). Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. In Genesis 22:16-18, God again blesses Abram, and adds that blessing is due to his obedience to God's commands. Now, Father, I need You to restore my heart. If we do not understand Gods temporal blessings, and His eternal blessings, we will not understand the plan of God. For what will a man be profited, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his soul? . But Jesus taught us explicitly not to expect them now. I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. Browse the best Bible verses about blessings in this collection of scripture quotes: Photo credit: GettyImages/Digitalskillet. John Piper is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. I have become a cynic when it comes to promises received in the mail. Often, the Old Testament Israelite had a mistaken concept of Gods blessings. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Job 1 and 2 (20) If Gods blessing cannot be equated with prosperity and ease, neither can it be said that His blessing is automatically associated with asceticism (denying ourselves of earthly pleasures). And is there knowledge with the Most High? Behold, these are the wicked; And always at ease, they have increased in wealth. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.. Surely Thou dost set them in slippery places; Thou dost cast them down to destruction. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Paul later put it this way: But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. Gods blessing is not only the gift of those things which are good and desirable but the removal of the curse. Like Lot, we find our righteous souls vexed by sin (2 Peter 2:7-8). Death turned earthly, external appearances upside-down. The accursed were those who were rich, well-fed, and happy. This is to be the pattern for the Christians dealings with others, including our enemies (Matthew 6:44-48; Acts 14:15-17; 17:30-31). Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. Both were cursed with death by being banned from the Garden and the tree of life. When our Lord presented Himself as Israels Messiah, He taught a great deal about the blessings of God. The apostle instructed Timothy, having food and raimentlet us be therewith content (I Tim. C Being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. Let that sink in. Selah. May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine. Email: berean@bereanbiblesociety.org And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. Yet our prayers betray us. Their journey to the promised land held many trials. Our heart has not turned back, And our steps have not deviated from Thy way, Yet Thou hast crushed us in a place of jackals, And covered us with the shadow of death. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man. Gods plan is purposed to bring glory to Himself and blessing to us. For the Lord is a God of justice, blessed are all who wait for him! Isaiah 30:18 (NIV), Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. Jeremiah 17:7 (NIV), The best of all the first fruits and of all your special gifts will belong to the priests. He makes me lie down in green pastures. You shall not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it. (3) The Jews thought of Gods blessings in terms of material prosperity and His cursings in terms of material adversity and physical affliction. 1:9,10). Steps. A beautiful way to begin any new year is with a dox How Daniels Prophecy of 70 Weeks Connects to the End Times. "In everything [ not just some things and not just spiritual things] give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you" (I Thes. The writer may have meant that they were given promises, but they did not receive them. Therefore, you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him (Deuteronomy 8:2-6). But as it is, they desire a better country, that is a heavenly one. Download a Personal Copy of these Bible Verses about Blessings! When affliction comes into our life, we do not pray for Gods grace, nor do we ask God for wisdom, patience, or endurance. At other times, Israels suffering was not due to her unbelief and rebellion. Peter rejected the thought out of hand. It is good for me that I was afflicted, That I may learn Thy statutes (Psalm 119:71). We must live by faith trusting God to fulfill His promises, even when our eyes tell us the opposite is happening now. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow; they shall flourish like the grain; they shall blossom like the vine; their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon. Why is that? Unlike many Israelites in the Old Testament, and most of the Jews of Jesus day, Abraham looked for a better blessing. The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot. Faith and obedience are both necessary because each calls upon us to act, not on the basis of what we see, but on the basis of what He has said. It cuts across all ethnicities, all geographies, all politics, nationalities. For example, Genesis 49:1 . Gods common grace is extended to all men, without distinction. of You do not have to fear the future when God's hand is over your life. Verse Concepts. (6) The Jews concluded those who prospered were pious (spiritual, righteous), while those who suffered were sinners. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless. Dont have a stingy heart. In the context of prayer, Paul prayed that he might have the Lord's prospering on his physical journey to visit the saints at Rome (Rom. Every word in the Bible is for us; for our learning. Redemption speaks of buying one's freedom, paying a ransom. K Be glad in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets. He blesses men out of His grace and curses out of His holiness. 5:18). Verse Concepts. Rarely, if ever, do I see people posting about how blessed they are as poor in spirit or persecuted like we read about in the Beatitudes. For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Are we becoming more like Jesus by the power of the Spirit? Our Lords suffering and sacrificial death were Gods means of blessing us: It is you who are the sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. For you first, God raised up His Servant, and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways (Acts 3:25-26). Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage! To those who equated wealth and ease with piety and the blessing of God, the story of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) was shocking and disturbing. Nearly six hundred years passed from the promise of possessing this land to the time his seed actually acquired the land. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. What exactly do you believe those are?. No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. . Cite this page: Editor: Stephen Smith. But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, I BELIEVED, THEREFORE I SPOKE, we also believe, therefore also we speak; knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will present us with you. 103 Notice that while these saints obtained promises (verse 33) they did not receive what was promised (verse 39). If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? I will take away sickness from among you. Exodus 23:25 (NIV), Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 1 Peter 3:9 (NIV), Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. Deuteronomy 15:10 (NIV), Happy are those who respect the Lord and obey him. God not only graciously blesses men, He also graciously delays the curse so that men might be saved (see Romans 9:22-24). And besides Thee, I desire nothing on earth. The promise of blessing passed from Abraham to Isaac (Genesis 26:24) to Jacob (Genesis 27:27-29; 28:12-15). For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Peter rebuked our Lord for speaking of His own suffering (see Matthew 16:21-22). Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Death becomes your servant because of Christs triumph over death. From later history, we know that because of Josephs ill-treatment by his brothers, he was enslaved in Egypt. God is not the only one who pronounces blessings. Abraham may not have left Haran immediately which would mean that Abraham was younger when the promise of a son was first given to him. You are to give them the first portion of your ground meal so that a blessing may rest on your household. Ezekiel 44:30 (NIV), Give freely without begrudging it, and the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do. Archaeologists Discover 2,000-year-old Gemstone With balm Of Gilead Engraved On It, The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it. Proverbs 10:22 (NIV), For those who are always generous and lend freely, their children will be blessed. Psalm 37:26 (NIV), If you return to the Almighty, you will be blessed again. Christ is the source of all our blessings; indeed, He is the blessing: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. He also promised Abraham that he would become a blessing to all who would bless him. Proud member They think of Gods blessings primarily in terms of that which is physical and material.102 They believe that because Christ has come, every promised blessing can be ours, now, if we but believe and ask for them in faith. 100 When I speak of innocent suffering here, we must all understand that no mortal is ever innocent, save in the blood of Jesus Christ. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. If Thy law had not been my delight, Then I would have perished in my affliction (Psalm 119:92). We will be shown mercy: They shall receive mercy (Matthew 5:7). Germantown, WI 53022-0756 (16) One of the blessings God gave Abraham and his seed (which includes us as believers) is that of being a blessing to others. I love it. Along with sin came the curse. Unless otherwise indicated, all content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. But this command I gave them: Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people. And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. Transcript Craig Scott Pastor, United Church of God When we struggle with sin and the flesh (Romans 7), we know it is because we have become a new creation in Christ. If you have not trusted in Gods promise of blessing in Jesus Christ, then you are under the curse of sin. All of us deserve to suffer for our sins. In God we have boasted all day long, And we will give thanks to Thy name forever. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. First the trial, then the blessing, the crown. Give, and it will be given to you. It is by blessing Him that we enjoy Gods blessings, rather than the curse of sin. Put all the billionaires together. To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. It is the blessing to which Abraham and every other Old Testament saint looked forward. We must therefore live by faith. But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve; and afterward they will come out with many possessions. We must see that in the midst of our suffering, we are drawn nearer to God, and recognize this as true blessing. His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. V Theres no great temple-like edifice in Christianity. Therefore do not be anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we wear? For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. #blessed Its a social media tag for when someone feels blessed and who has, or is getting, everything theyve dreamed of getting. Philippians 3:8-12 2 Chron 30:27. (2) In what ways does God bless all men? As I conclude this lesson, let me share a quotation by Harold Stigers in his commentary of the Book of Genesis: God designs certain tests and trials in regard to earthly things so that we may see that our inheritance resides in God Himself--in our finding them nothing without Him, and Him everything even without them.104.