Genesis: The Story of God's FaithfulnessSample

BLESSED TO BLESS

Listen to the audio guide to hear the complete devotional with Scripture, teaching and a worship song! Find a condensed, written version of this devotional below: 

What does it mean to be blessed? In our culture, to be blessed often means to be happy or fulfilled. It means we are content with our family, our home or our job. The Bible, however, takes blessing a step further. It says blessing doesn’t just stop with contentment, but it overflows into blessing others. The Bible says we are blessed to be a blessing. 

In the story of Abram, we see that God blesses Abram to be a blessing to others. “I will bless you...and so you shall be a blessing,” God says in Genesis 12:2. God blesses Abram with land and descendants that eventually become the nation of Israel. But this blessing is not only for Israel’s sake, but for all people everywhere. God uses his relationship with Abram and his family to move towards establishing his rule over all of creation, towards bringing people from all over the world to faith in Him. 

Years later, Jesus fulfilled this original promise of blessing. With his death, resurrection and giving of the Holy Spirit, Jesus became the way through which all the families of the Earth could be saved and blessed. 

So, where does our role as believers today fit into this story? While Jesus fulfilled the blessing promised to Abram, God is still not done establishing his rule over creation and bringing blessing and salvation to people all over the world. Just as he did with Abram, God blesses us so that we may be a blessing to others. And just as he did with Abram, God calls us to go forward in faith, joining in his mission of redeeming the world!

REFLECT: Think about the ways God has blessed you. Pray about how you can use your blessings to bless someone else today.