Tag: be a blessing
Blessed–to be a blessing!
Scripture reading for June 15: Psalms 67-72
God delights in blessing his people! The Aaronic blessing begins Psalm 67 as a prayer. God blessing means that He lavishes His best gifts and presence on those He loves and calls to be His children. His face is shining or beaming with a smile of love and joy as He beholds His own people. This smile means abundant provisions of food and water. It means health to our bodies and protection from enemies. It means love and fruitfulness in our relationships and homes and a sense of knowing God and walking in His will. The Hebrew word “selah” follows this first verse and is a term meaning to pause and ponder the thought that has been presented.
Why does God love to bless His people? Surely it is because he loves and delights in His people. But this psalm stated another reason for the blessing. God wants to use a blessed people to share the knowledge of His ways on the earth among all peoples. (Psalm 67:2) God desires the worship of all who are made in His image and likeness! He is their Guide, Ruler and Judge! We are blessed to be a blessing! Nothing really belongs to us. We must keep the blessing moving and not hoard it to ourselves and our own use!
The result of being a blessing is that the earth will yield its harvest. The harvest ultimately is souls that will come to know and worship the Lord through the witness of God’s people. God wants all the ends of the earth to fear Him! (Psalm 67:6-7) We set up a cycle of blessing when we give to the Lord of our blessings so that others may hear and learn! As we give, we become like God Who is the ultimate Giver of everything. As we give, God is praised and worshiped and He moves upon the lost and draws them to salvation. As we give, we are blessed by God again with more abundance so that we can give even more to make Him known. The cycle goes on and multiplies blessings to the peoples of the earth!
“Now He Who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” 2nd Corinthians 9:10-11
True Fasting!
Scripture reading for October 1st: Zechariah 7-8
In Zechariah’s day, the people were fasting in four different months. They had started this practice during the exile as a sign to God of their mourning over sin. Now that they were back in Jerusalem, they sought to know whether they should continue this practice. (Zechariah 7:2-3) God spoke to them by asking them some questions: “When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past 70 years, was it really for Me that you fasted? And when eating and drinking, were you not feasting for yourselves?” (Zechariah 7:5-6) God knew that their religious rituals were not done from the heart but in form only. He tried to get them to admit this and repent.
God is after real heart change. “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In you hearts do not think evil of each other.'” (Zechariah 7:9-10) True fasting produces results in our daily lives. (Isaiah 58:6-14) It is demonstrated by mercy and compassion on those who are broken and wounded. The widows and fatherless are of particular concern to God as well as the alien and poor. His people must not judge or speak evil, but work to build up and encourage those who are hurting.
God’s people did not respond earlier and because of their hardened hearts, He judged them by sending a whirlwind and scattering them among the nations. God put the blame on His people for their failure to respond to His word through the prophets. (Zechariah 7:13-14)
But God was now restoring Jerusalem and would again come and dwell among His people. They were to pay heed to His word and live a truly fasted life of compassion and service to their fellow men. God would bless their city, land, and personal lives as they obeyed. This required courage and a life consecrated to God. “Do not be afraid. These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts, do not plot evil against your neighbor, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this,” declares the Lord. (Zechariah 8:15b-17) True fasting is worked out in our lives each day. It is the state of a heart consecrated to God.