6:8). And he said, Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake (Matthew 5:10). He suffered because of his impatience in acquiring a son through Hagar. They are based upon His sacrifice at Calvary but are realized in His coming to judge the earth: And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. The adversity of those whom Jesus called blessed made them discontent with this world, causing them to look ahead to the promised blessings of the kingdom of God. His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes. If we do not understand Gods temporal blessings, and His eternal blessings, we will not understand the plan of God. The Lord will protect him and preserve his life; he will bless him in the land and not surrender him to the desire of his foes. Psalm 41:1-2 (NIV), Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it. Luke 11:28 (NIV), Im eager to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours. He blesses men out of His grace and curses out of His holiness. Philippians 4:19 Now, Father, I need You to restore my heart. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. The rich man spent eternity in hell while Lazarus spent eternity enjoying the blessings God promised in Abraham. What Does It Mean That There Is No One Holy Like God? God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer's; he makes me tread on my high places. To belong to Christ is to belong to God as our Father and to be heirs of all that God owns that is, everything. Undergrace, eating a ham sandwich is acceptable. The term blessed is thrown around in our culture today, and its all over our Bibles too. You cannot be richer than a Christian. Z. Enter into the joy of your master.. Later Judah and his brothers suffered much over their ill-treatment of Joseph (see Genesis 37-45). We must live by faith trusting God to fulfill His promises, even when our eyes tell us the opposite is happening now. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. When we understand the difference between Gods temporal blessings and His eternal blessings, we learn to expect suffering and trials as a part of His plan, and as a part of His program to bring about eternal blessing for us. (14) God blesses all men physically and materially in this life out of His common grace. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. There are no places to do pilgrimages in Christianity. Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. What an amazing promise--a promise which will surely be fulfilled! His master said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant. 1. And righteousness from the God of his salvation. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Revelation 21 and 22. The ultimate good is that which manifests Gods glory. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! The way human beings experience God's blessing changes with the redemptive storyline that traverses the major peaks of creation, fall, redemption, and final restoration. 104 Harold G. Stigers, A Commentary on Genesis (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1976), p. 135. But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. But what of Gods eternal blessings? Galatians 3 More likely, he meant that they received some of the promises but not the promises which could only be fulfilled at the second coming of Christ, promises which are still future for us. (10) Blessing and cursing have present manifestations, but they are not fully manifested until the second coming of Christ. To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fulness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things upon the earth. Humble yourself as Jesus said: "Blessed are the 'poor in spirit': for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 5:3) Read this and the other eight blessings for you as they were explained by Jesus, in Matthew 5, which are keys to unlocking such personal blessings. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. It is in Christ, the seed of Abraham, that we are blessed. So theres the principle. I will take away sickness from among you. Our faith in God and in His promise will result in the obedience of faith (Genesis 17:9-14; Romans 4:9-24; Hebrews 11:13-31; James 2:14-26). M As it is written, He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever. He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. But for Thy sake we are killed all day long; We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. Email: berean@bereanbiblesociety.org I must do whatever it takes to be happy, even if that involves disobedience to Gods revealed Word.. If we get hungry for God and follow his commands if we seek spiritual growth, physical blessing will follow. 2 Chron 30:27. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. Proud member Your blessings in eternity will not. So too does history and our own experience. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. I believe this is the dwelling of which our Lord Jesus spoke just before His death: Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. (1) Gods blessing refers to His purpose, pronouncement, and process of bringing about a persons good. And Im going to circle back and probably end there and affirm what he sees and show why it is such a great answer to his own question. Through suffering we are blessed in many ways: And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us (Romans 5:3-5). Where Moms Connect is a unique mom's ministry curriculum that brings women together and helps them connect naturally, through discussion, Bible study and fun. For the Lord is a God of justice, blessed are all who wait for him! Isaiah 30:18 (NIV), Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. Jeremiah 17:7 (NIV), The best of all the first fruits and of all your special gifts will belong to the priests. The simple fact is that our prayers betray us. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind! (19) Gods promised blessings do not assure us we will escape the wrath of men toward God, but only that we will escape the wrath of God toward men. Most of us are not quite this honest in our thinking, nor quite so bold in our rebellion against God and His Word. (3) The Jews thought of Gods blessings in terms of material prosperity and His cursings in terms of material adversity and physical affliction. O (From Forerunner Commentary). The promised blessings of the Bible are the good which God has purposed and promised. In everything [not just some thingsand not just spiritual things] give thanks: for this is thewill of God in Christ Jesus concerning you (I Thes. Deuteronomy 28:1-68 ESV / 265 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful "And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. The promise of blessing passed from Abraham to Isaac (Genesis 26:24) to Jacob (Genesis 27:27-29; 28:12-15). They have been waiting for us to join them in entering into Gods promised blessings. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Let's take a close look at blessing from the bible: who blesses who, how we receive blessings, how we give blessings, physical versus spiritual blessings, and finally how the flow of blessing can influence our prayers. Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. In Genesis 22:16-18, God again blesses Abram, and adds that blessing is due to his obedience to God's commands. In Gods economy, serving others is a privilege and not a curse. A review of Jesus teaching about the kingdom of God and about the blessings of God explains why His teaching was found unacceptable by the Jews. (7) How do the temporal blessings and cursings which God promised the nation Israel relate to the life and experience of the Christian today? "Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country. And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. June 10, 2013. Abrahams life had its own trials. We must view such blessing and suffering as temporary and not eternal. With Thy counsel Thou wilt guide me, And afterward receive me to glory. Peter rebuked our Lord for speaking of His own suffering (see Matthew 16:21-22). Let no one boast in men. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Temporal blessings are those blessings which God bestows upon sinful men, living in a fallen world, flowing from His grace. The same errors which plagued the Israelites and Christians of old are popular in evangelical Christianity today. But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve; and afterward they will come out with many possessions. All things are yours. Jesus said, Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5). But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. The difference between these two categories is not that one group has faith while the other does not. (1 Kings 10:1, 45). Sign up now to receive Two Minutes With the Bible every day in your email inbox. In summing up his life before Pharaoh, Jacob gave an account not of unceasing bliss but of much affliction: So Jacob said to Pharaoh, The years of my sojourning are one hundred and thirty; few and unpleasant have been the years of my life, nor have they attained the years that my fathers lived during the days of their sojourning (Genesis 47:9). HCSB, ISV, BBE. Often, the Old Testament Israelite had a mistaken concept of Gods blessings. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Gods blessings took time to fulfill, and the process of fulfillment involved suffering and adversity. (4) God has the right to bless or to curse men (see Romans 9:19-21). The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.. Jesus teaching concerning His own suffering and death took His disciples by surprise: From that time Jesus Christ began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. The promised blessings of the Bible are the good which God has purposed and promised. The very food we eat everyday would also be classified aphysical blessing. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. The Christian life should be lived out in the light of the superiority of Gods promised blessings in comparison to the blessings an ungodly world holds out to us (Hebrews 11:24-26). Job 4:6. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just. Thats the orientation of Jesus Christ the king. All of the prophets of Israel were resisted, rejected, and persecuted because they spoke to men for God: And the Lord, the God of their fathers, sent word to them again and again by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place; but they continually mocked the messengers of God, despised His words and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, until there was no remedy (2 Chronicles 36:15-16).101. You will be blessed when you come in and when you go out. Perhaps the most puzzling passage in the Old Testament concerning Gods blessings comes from the Book of Proverbs: It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich, And He adds no sorrow to it (Proverbs 10:22). And the failure to recognize this distinction between Gods plan for Israel in the Old Testament and Gods plan for the church in the New Testament has caused a lot of people to put way too much emphasis on earthly blessings today. He also promised to make him a great nation (Genesis 12:2; 15:5; 17:5-6). And he will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. Few understand the blessings of God as they should. If we had forgotten the name of our God, Or extended our hands to a strange god; Would not God find this out? In his lifetime, Abraham would not possess the land of Canaan. But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death (Revelation 21:1-8). This is to be the pattern for the Christians dealings with others, including our enemies (Matthew 6:44-48; Acts 14:15-17; 17:30-31). Just a few - of many - New Testament texts make this clear: Mark 1:4-5 And so John the Baptist appeared . As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. We will never share your personal information and you can unsubscribe at any time. At the time of Sarahs death, the land of Canaan was possessed by the Canaanites (Genesis 12:6) and Abraham did not own any part of the promised land. - Philippians 4:19 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot. Three Advantages You Gain From Trusting In God, i love belivers portal.very inspiring and informarive, Thanks for the efforts to compile this. God promised to bless Abraham and his offspring. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. Jeremiah 29:11 planning hope promises. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (5) What errors concerning divine blessing can we see in the Jews of old and also in Christians of today? Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts. A Prayer for God's Power. For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness. He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor. Psalm 112:1-9 (NIV), Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. Then in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete (Genesis 15:13-16). P You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on Gods interests, but mans. Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. Gods blessing is the overturning and removal of the curse due to sin. PO Box 756 He said, "I am the God that healeth thee." . In the Old Testament we find that while the righteous were those who believed Gods promise of blessing, they were also those who suffered innocently.100 David suffered for his sins (Psalm 32), but he also suffered innocently for the Lords sake (see Psalm 22). Good will comes to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice. To be spiritual they say is the assurance of earthly pleasures; to be sinful is to bring upon oneself pain and suffering. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. N The apostle John heard a voice from heaven saying, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord (Revelation 14:13). May it not be said of us that our faith is too small, or to help us to look to You, to see in You, Your infinite power. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. It is good for me that I was afflicted, That I may learn Thy statutes (Psalm 119:71). Then Jacob made a vow, saying, If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear. The prophets suffered themselves and also spoke of the Messiah to come as the One who would suffer for the sins of men (Isaiah 52:13--53:12). 1. All of us deserve to suffer for our sins. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. When Jesus began to teach His disciples concerning His coming rejection, suffering, and death in Jerusalem, even His disciples reacted. We must see that in the midst of our suffering, we are drawn nearer to God, and recognize this as true blessing. (2) Gods curse is the process of bringing about mans deserved retribution of divine judgment. The plan of God is to bring about His own glory and the Christians good (or blessing). Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! And they say, How does God know? (16) One of the blessings God gave Abraham and his seed (which includes us as believers) is that of being a blessing to others. Living in the midst of a fallen world itself suffering from the curse of sin (Romans 8:18-25) results in a suffering of soul for the Christian. And who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. If suffering is meant to result in our spiritual growth, in a deeper level of commitment, and in greater intimacy and communion with our Lord, we must accept suffering as a part of Gods good and perfect plan for our lives, one purposed to result in our good, in a blessing for us. Now the first thing we notice is that God lets us know that he is a healer. BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT (Romans 4:3-8). Not one of them received the promised blessing. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them (Deuteronomy 30:15-20). The reason, we are told, is that God wanted them to enter into blessings with us, at the same time. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface: "It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. In what ways does God bless only Christians? A Psalm of David. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. If not, we have reason to question whether our faith is real. His blessings were not the kind they wanted. When affliction and adversity comes into our life, we conclude that suffering is incompatible with blessing. To sum up, let all be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil, or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing (1 Peter 3:8-9). And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. While we should not seek suffering in this life, we should expect it, recognizing it as a part of the plan of a loving God who is bringing about our good and His glory. God chose Israel as the object of His blessings. This daily newsletter provides a starting point for personal study, and gives valuable insight into the verses that make up the Word of God. The Christian life should be lived out in the light of the superiority of God's promised blessings in comparison to the "blessings" an ungodly world holds out to us (Hebrews 11:24-26). I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. Physical John 3:5 ESV / 23 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Gods blessing is found in trusting and obeying God and in the resulting enjoyment (blessing) of His presence and fellowship. When Israel turned from God, the promised cursings came. With that in mind, what is a biblical definition of what it means to be truly blessed?. Our text speaks only of Old Testament saints. Temporal blessings are experienced by sinners, living in a sin-cursed world. The trials and afflictions of the Israelites did not end with their exodus from Egypt. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us. These six blessings summarize what it means to live forever under the kingdom, the heavenly rule of God: So in summary, (1) the presence of God seen and enjoyed in the face of Christ, (2) covering us with mercy because of all our sins, (3) calling us his children, (4) comforting us for all pain and loss in this world, (5) bequeathing to us the universe for a familiar homeland, and (6) everything set right in our souls and in the social order of the new world this is our great reward. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. God is strong, and he wants you strong. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Our very clothing is a physical blessing. These blessings are not fulfilled in this life, but in the next. (20) If Gods blessing cannot be equated with prosperity and ease, neither can it be said that His blessing is automatically associated with asceticism (denying ourselves of earthly pleasures). Just as our Lord suffered because of His identification with sinful men, so God has purposed that we who trust in Him should suffer because of our identification with Him. I call that the showcasing of the blessing of God on the people of God in the Old Testament. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. After David was anointed as Israels future king, and Sauls replacement, David spent his days fleeing for his life from Saul who was bent on killing him (1 Samuel 18-31). To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. Abraham had a twenty-five year wait for the blessing of a son. V Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toilthis is the gift of God. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Phone: (262) 255-4750 Ephesians 1:3-5. When we struggle with sin and the flesh (Romans 7), we know it is because we have become a new creation in Christ. Those who identified with Israel and Israels God would also be blessed, as God told Abraham (Genesis 12:2-3). We now desire that which we once found offensive and repulsive. The Hebrews were Christians who came out of Judaism by faith in Jesus Christ. The land of Canaan was not to be possessed until Abrahams offspring had been oppressed and enslaved for four hundred years. Abraham was one-hundred and sixty years old when Jacob and Esau were born. But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, That I may tell of all Thy works (Psalm 73:1-28). So remove evil from your house. Job 22:23 (NCV), Even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice. Luke 11:28 (NLT), (Help the unfortunate) and you will be blessed. In the context of prayer, Paul prayed that he might have the Lord's prospering on his physical journey to visit the saints at Rome (Rom. Here are 10 bible verses about unexpected blessings that will bring you peace and joy when you need it most. See what over 150,000 subscribers are already receiving each day. K Our Lords suffering and sacrificial death were Gods means of blessing us: It is you who are the sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. For you first, God raised up His Servant, and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways (Acts 3:25-26). In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation-- having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of Gods own possession, to the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:3-14). They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow; they shall flourish like the grain; they shall blossom like the vine; their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.