I asked my family the other day if they understood the meaning of the word blessing. In my mind I’m thinking of the classic line by Inigo Montoya from The Princess Bride, “I do not think it means what you think it means.”
Anyway, Toby provided a pretty good answer. He said, “It’s something good.” From a soon-to-be eight-year-old’s perspective, our dog is something good. He’s a good playmate and a good friend. Of course, Toby’s not the one waking up when the dog barks in the middle of the night or the one filling holes in the back yard with dirt or avoiding landmines in the yard. But he’s part of our family, as a pet, and yes, he’s a blessing.
Friend, just in case you’ve been fed some false theology somewhere along the way, I want you to know that God does desire to bless you. He wants to give you something good. He’s not an ogre in the sky frowning down on mankind. He’s not stalking your every move with a lightning bolt in His hand waiting for you to get out of line. The Bible describes the Lord God in such recurring themes as, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Ps. 103:8, et al).
For those who hear His voice and follow Him, He is a Good Shepherd to them. They know that “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6). That’s something good! That’s a blessing.
Here are a few other snapshots from the Psalms of ways in which God desires to give you something good:
“The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing” (Psalm 34:10).
“For the Lord God is a sun and a shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless” (Psalm 84:11).
“Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things” (Psalm 107:9).
This list throughout Scripture goes on and on, lasting longer than the Energizer Bunny. You simply cannot exhaust the goodness and mercy of our God. He showed us love even when we were rebelling in sin against Him. He gave His only Son, Jesus, to die a torturous and humiliating death on the cross to prove that love. He offers forgiveness and salvation to those who come to Him through Christ. He gives a peace that passes all understanding, joy that words cannot express and hope that endures beyond the grave.
Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).
Are you experiencing the blessings of that abundant life today? I know I am, and I long to know Him more. I long to have a more grateful heart, though I know I am blessed beyond measure. My wife and two boys are precious and priceless gifts from God’s hand. The call God has given me to preach and serve Him is an abundant-life kind of blessing. The church family is a rich blessing as we work together for the sake of the Kingdom of God and build up one another in love. Living in this nation of freedom and opportunity is a display of God’s blessings of grace. There’s so much more and much more yet to come.
Follow Christ in obedient faith, and even though there will be less than lovely circumstances surrounding you, you’ll still experience the riches of His blessings.
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