Blessed to Be a Blessing预览

When the Rubber Hits the Road

As we saw yesterday, Jesus makes it really clear that God blesses you and me so we can be a blessing to other people. 

You can see that right at the beginning of the Bible, in Genesis chapter 1 – the story of creation. God’s final act in the creation story, the last thing He did before He rested, was He gave it all to you and me.

In short, we are blessed to be a blessing. 

Jesus speaks about this in Matthew chapter 5 when He’s teaching the ordinary people around Him … everyday people like you and me – mums and dads, farmers and shopkeepers, schoolteachers and public officials. He tells them, “You are the light of the world.” 

And here’s the important part: the light isn’t yours or mine. It’s God’s blessing to us. 

You and I have no light to shine except for the one that He shines in our hearts. His peace, His joy, His strength. He blesses you with these things, so you can show the world what it means to live in a loving relationship with the Creator.

So can I encourage you today to take an inventory of all the blessings, gifts, skills, money, possessions, and time that God has given you? What blessings has God dropped into your lap that you can bless other people with? 

We all have them. It doesn’t matter how “not blessed” you may feel. When you stop and think about it, I’m sure you’ll begin to see that you are uniquely blessed. 

But here’s the rub. 

Passing along the blessings of God isn’t always convenient. You won’t always feel like doing it. The people who need blessing aren’t always the ones you would naturally want to bless. Sometimes God even calls you to bless the one who slapped your cheek! 

But when you take the blessings God has given through Jesus Christ and share them in small practical ways, you magnify the name of God. Your actions speak His love into the life of another. The Spirit flows – no, He overflows – from your heart into another … and a life is blessed and transformed. 

And yes, at the same time, you will be blessed in ways you could never have imagined. As Jesus said in Luke 6:38: “Give and it will be given to you.” 

Life Application Questions 

• Here’s a crazy idea: Take some time to write down on a blank piece of paper every blessing that you can possibly think of that God has given you. Go on, I dare you!  
• Now, look at the list. Think about it. Turn it over in your mind. What do you see? What do you feel?  
• In what areas of your life do you have an abundance – more than enough? Now think about the people in your life who desperately need the overflow of abundance that you have in your life. 
• Pray for opportunities to bless them through the Lord. Seek His guidance. Jot down what He speaks to you – and what happens when you take those opportunities to share His blessings.