Today try to bless others; let it be the measure of your character and heart as you shower favor and mercy on those who need God’s touch. For when you do, you will be doubly blessed.
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SHAUNA: Hi, I’m Shauna on Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope with a blessing from Joni for you today.
JONI: Because the book of Psalms is filled with blessings, and perhaps that’s why the very first word of the first Psalm is a blessing, for Psalm 1 says, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.” Isn’t it great that when you open the Bible, you realize the very first thing God does in relation to man is to bless him. Everything in the Garden of Eden, everything about the creation was intended as a blessing for God’s children. And when you dig a little further, you’ll find that Moses and Joshua pronounced all sorts of blessings on God’s people. Follow the lead to the New Testament, and the most famous sermon Jesus ever preached centers on blessings. In Matthew 5, his sermon on the beatitudes is nothing but one blessing after the next. It is God’s disposition to bless us. It is in his nature; it is his temperament to bless us. And a blessing is an act of declaring or wishing God’s favor and goodness upon others. The blessing is not only the good effect of words [get this]; no more than that, inspired by the Spirit, a blessing also has the power to bring those words to pass.
Dr. John Piper puts it this way. He says, “When God blesses us, it is what he really loves to do. God is not acting in a generous manner in order to cloak some malicious motive. God is not saying inside, ‘Well, I guess I’m going to have to be generous for a while, even though I don’t want to be, because what I really want to do is bring judgment on these sinners.’ No, God is truly acting out his deepest delight when he blesses. His joy, his desire, his want and wish and hope, his pleasure and gladness and delight is to bless; and to give the kingdom to his flock.”
Now that should foster a lot of trust in the Lord. Knowing that God’s true inclination is to shower his favor on our dry, shriveled souls should increase our devotion and confidence in the Lord. He is not out to harm or injure your soul. He’s not going to do things that will diminish your faith but strengthen it. What’s more, it’s not God's duty nor his obligation to bless us. It’s something he does out of the greatness of his heart. Think of all the many ways he does this. He blesses you with instruction, with gentle persuasion, with health, and comfort and consolation in times of hardship. He blesses you with friends, with eyesight and hearing and intellect. He blesses you with a purpose for living and a mission to accomplish. He blesses you with grace upon grace. And he wants to do this in the lives of people around you.
And it’s why you need to pass on the blessing. You need to give comfort, give consolation to those you know who hurt. Use gentle persuasion. Use kindness when instructing your children. Invest in your friendships. Speak kindly to family members. And look for good character traits in your children or spouse and nurture those traits with affirming words. Be pleasant to those with whom you disagree politically. Engage lonely people at church in conversations. In short, show God to others; and make him real in their lives.
So today, cultivate a personal disposition to bless others; let it be the measure of your character and heart as you shower favor and mercy on those who need his touch. For when you do, you will be doubly blessed. And you may find yourself saying at the end of the day, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his Holy Name!” You know what, friend? Thanks so much for sharing your heart with me today and feel free to share this program with friends and visit joniradio.org.
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