It’s not God’s duty, nor his obligation to bless you. It's something he does out of the greatness of his heart. Today, remember the enormity of the three simple words: “God bless you” and pass it on.
SHAUNA: Hi I’m Shauna on Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope, with a word about God’s blessings. We say, “God bless you” a lot, don’t we? Sometimes it’s said without thinking and other times we certainly mean it, but do we grasp the enormity of those three little words? Joni, what do you think?
JONI: Not long ago, I did a little Bible study on what happens when God blesses us. And I discovered that when you open the Bible, you realize the very first thing God does in relation to man is to bless him. And my goodness does that speak volumes about not only the character of God, but his generous mercy.
Because when you dig a little further, you'll find the very first psalm is about blessings: Psalm 1:1 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.” You flip to the New Testament, and the most famous sermon Jesus ever preached in Matthew 5 starts off with a long list of wonderful blessings. Friend, it is God's disposition to bless you. A blessing is an act of declaring or wishing God's favor and goodness upon you. The blessing is not only the good effect of words inspired by the spirit; it also has the power to bring those words to pass. And right there, you have got the best reason to never allow the phrase “God bless you” to become trite or pat or just nominal. Because the Holy Spirit has the power to bring our blessing upon that friend or family member. And that is pretty awesome.
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, ‘I will 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 sinners.’ No, God is truly acting out his deepest delight when he blesses us. His joy, desire, his want and wish and hope, his pleasure and gladness is to bless, to give the kingdom to his flock.”
Oh my goodness, don’t you just love God for that? It’s the true inclination of God to shower his favor on our dry, shriveled souls. It’s not his duty, nor his obligation to bless us. It's something he does out of the greatness of his heart. How does he bless us? Well, he blesses you with instruction, with gentle persuasion, with health, comfort and consolation in times of hardship. Sometimes he blesses you with a greater degree of faith, or perhaps an unusual freedom in sharing your testimony; he may bless you with inspired words – I know I often experience the blessing of God when I pray. Sometimes I just sense power and conviction for that which I’m praying, right? Other blessings from God? Well, there are friends, intellect, eyesight, hearing. But I think the most obvious blessing is the joy of the Lord – and you’ve been there, you know what I’m talking about. When we experience the unmistakable joy of the Lord, don’t you just feel blessed?
SHAUNA: Well Joni, thank you for this great message. And friend, can I encourage you to bless others like God blesses you? To cultivate a disposition to shower your favor on others? To let it be the measure of your character and heart as you extend kindness through your words, and often through your actions? Today, count your blessings, and be sure to pass them on.
© Joni and Friends