Many people think of blessings in material or financial terms. The Oxford Dictionary defines
blessing as God’s favor and protection. Merriam-Webster defines it as the acts or words of the one who blesses and also as something that makes one happy and content. Whatever your definition, blessings are invaluable gifts that help us live a more comfortable life. Some seek blessings with great fervor and diligence. Others who take no thought about their purpose and have little ambition could care less about them. When I use the word blessings, I think first about my family, good friends, godly relationships, good neighbors, peace, and the freedom to pursue God’s calling on my life. While wealth, money, and assets can also be blessings, and they certainly make our lives more comfortable, relationships are what help us enjoy life.
Today, I have been counting my blessings and thanking God for them. I have been meditating
on blessings and wanted to share some thoughts about how we steward, nurture, maintain,
and grow our blessings once we have them.
While Jesus spoke to a crowd one day, a woman called out, “Blessed is the womb that bore
you,” but Jesus replied that those who hear and keep the Word of God are more blessed.1
I live in Texas, and the Word of God is preached and taught in thousands of churches. The Bible is readily accessible. Yet not everyone who hears the Word is blessed. Why? Many hear the Word, but few keep it—hold, retain, preserve, protect, guard, attend to, practice, fulfill, copy carefully.2
Do you “keep” the Word of God you hear?
When my son, Joshua, was in his teens, every time he was corrected or reprimanded, he used to say, “I know, I know.“ After a few frustrating conversations, I started responding, “Then do something with what you know.“ I sometimes wonder if Holy Spirit thinks that of us. The Apostle John said, “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”3 It is one thing to know something; it is an entirely different matter to implement it.
If you do not feel the flow of blessings, consider whether you are actively practicing the Word
of God you know. Paul addressed this in his letter to the Hebrews, saying, “… the word which
they heard did not profit them (bless them), not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.”4
At times, the step between knowing something and doing it requires faith. Once you have
heard the voice of the Father, you can be sure that all the power and provision for it to come to pass is in that word. Mix it with faith and act upon it—do it. You can move forward boldly, and you will be blessed. I have witnessed this in my life time and time again. God will never say something He doesn’t back up or help bring to completion.
You can trust Him with reckless abandon, “… for I know whom I have believed and am
persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.”5
God is before all things and all things are held together in Him. 6 Being eternally minded and
focused will have you seated in heavenly places—operating in Him and through Him—with Him, not just for him. When Holy Spirit leads you, your life is built on solid rock. This is the secret to stewarding, maintaining, and growing blessings from glory to glory.
1. Keep the Word you hear (Luke 11:28).
2. Do what you know (John 13:17).
3. Attach faith to the Word you hear and know (Hebrews 4:2).
4. Commit all that you steward to God (2 Timothy 1:12).
5. Operate in Christ and through Christ (Colossians 1:17).
So you see that blessings are far more than material things. Pick something from the list above
and put it into practice this month, then see how your life changes for the better. I would love
to hear from you.
1 See Luke 11:27-28.
2 Keep. Webster’s 1828 Dictionary.
3 John 13:17, NKJV.
4 Hebrews 4:2, NKJV, parenthesis added.
5 2 Timothy 1:12, NKJV.
6 See Colossians 1:17.
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