Words are powerful.
They have the power of life and of death, of blessing and cursing. And taking the route of not talking is a
communication of no blessing and no commitment.
It is essential and vital to speak words of blessing, and to back those
words up with an active commitment.
God spoke to Abraham. He said he would bless him, and God backed up
his words (Genesis 12:1-9; 15:1-21). The
real question for Abraham, which is also the question for us, is not how we
will respond to God’s commands, but
how will we respond to his promise of blessing,
and to be a blessing? Abraham left the
city of Ur because he believed in the promise that God was holding out to him
of blessing. It is the promises of God,
not the commands, which change our lives.
It is the promise, not the command, which requires a decision and a
change. The world revolves around
promise. And promise is powered by
blessing.
The term “blessing” in Scripture is
a powerful communication of God’s presence and approval. God said that he would show Abraham the
Promised Land; in other words, he would be with Abraham. Abraham was not alone; he was not on his
own. God provided for Abraham a picture
of a special future; he would make Abraham into a great nation. And even more than that, he would bless
everyone else through Abraham. God’s
approval was with Abraham – “I will bless you.”
God’s active commitment to Abraham was this: he would bless those who bless him and curse
those who curse him.
This blessing was passed from
generation to generation, from Abraham to Isaac, Isaac to Jacob, Jacob to his
twelve sons; a blessing of God’s presence and approval; a blessing of a special
future, and an active commitment. The
promise of the blessing found its ultimate fulfillment in the person of Jesus,
who extended the original promise to the nations. We, as Gentiles, have come to faith because
of the blessing.
When we come to the New Testament, the
Father blessed the Son (Matthew 3:16-17):
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he
went up out of the water. At that moment
heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and
lighting on him. And a voice from heaven
said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” God communicated his constant presence
and an active commitment through the Spirit; God spoke words of approval and
affirmation; God the Father had a special future for Jesus the Son, which
helped Jesus to reject the words of Satan.
If Jesus needed a blessing from his Father, how much more do we? Earthly fathers stand in a very special
position as those who have the power of bestowing a blessing on their children
– a blessing of being with them, approving of them, affirming their gifts and
abilities, picturing for them a special future of how God can use them. Those words of blessing have the power to
help children navigate the tons of decisions that they must make. With a blessing they can filter-out the
choices in front of them, and walk in the way of God.
Jesus, in turn, blessed his
disciples (Matthew 28:18-20). We
typically view these verses through the lenses of command. But we need to see Christ’s Great Commission through
the eyes of promise and blessing: “All authority in heaven and on earth has
been given to me. Therefore go and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have
commanded you. And surely I am with you
always, to the very end of the age.”
Jesus let his disciples know that his presence would be with them; he
communicated an active commitment to give them the authority that he possessed
to do the job of disciple-making; he pictured for them a special future of
reaching the nations; he affirmed them and approved them. This Great Commission is really a re-statement
of God’s original blessing to Abraham.
God is with you. He
has given us his very great and precious promises in Christ. He has demonstrated his active commitment to
us by giving us the Holy Spirit. The
Holy Spirit has gifted each believer for service so that every individual may
be a blessing to the Body of Christ, and make disciples of all nations of the
world.
You have God’s blessing. There is no need to try and earn it; you
already have it. Let that blessing help
you to reject the organization of wicked spirits who seek to have you for their
own. And you have been blessed so that
you can be a blessing in the world. You
have the privilege and ability to reverse the Fall of humanity by turning the
world’s curse into a blessing. If you
have been blessed with money, be a blessing by giving it away. If you have been blessed by growing up in a
loving family, give that love to others who are unloved and need that special
blessing. If you have been given wisdom,
give it away to those who need wisdom. If
you have been blessed with the mercy of God, be merciful to others. If you have been blessed with a wonderful
relationship with God, make it your ministry to pray people into the kingdom of
God.
It is never too late to receive
blessing, and never too late to bless others.
The church ought to be the one place on planet earth that is full of a
culture of blessing. May the Lord bless
you and keep you. May the Lord make his
face to shine upon you and give you peace.
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