This blog is by no means a complete essay on blessing. That would be impossible to write I think. Keys are quite simply instruments to open things~ usually doors. These are some keys that have opened the doors for blessing in my family. I am sharing them to encourage those who feel sometimes that they are missing out by “doing the right thing”. This is also for those who are maybe wondering how to get to blessing in their life.
I began to ponder this concept a few weeks ago when my daughter asked why we weren’t having to deal with some issues that seemed to be commonplace. As I thought about it one thing I knew for sure was that it wasn’t because of any righteousness on our part. JESUS is our only claim to righteousness, just as He is with every Christian. So, what is the key to blessing?
It would be of no benefit to give in to condemnation. Instead, in areas where it is clear that we aren’t walking in blessing ask the LORD to show us and guide us in how to begin. We each must search out GOD’S view and determine in our heart to walk in His way not leaning on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6). I am searching for more keys for my own life, as I see this as an area to continually grow in.
In Deuteronomy 28:1-14 we find the LORD telling the Israelites the blessings they could be assured of if they were faithful to obey His commands. The rest of the chapter tells what to expect when walking in disobedience. The Israelites were GOD’s covenant people going back to the day of Abraham when GOD made covenant with him (Genesis 17). We live under a covenant with better promises because JESUS Himself sealed our covenant (Hebrews 8:6, 10:35) When people say you can’t tell the difference in Christians and the world something is wrong. There should be a marked difference! While bad things do happen to good people because we live in a sinful world, that should not be where we abide.
We live in blessing but our lives are not perfect and we have life situations to deal with just like everyone else, for we must live by faith (Hebrews 10:6, Romans 4:13-15) Living in blessing did not happen over night. It was a process of choices. We didn’t always get it right. But, we kept working, tilling our soil, sowing our seed, trusting GOD to be faithful~ and at times that meant being gut wrenching honest and saying GOD it doesn’t look like or feel like You are faithful (1 Thessalonians 5:24, 2 Timothy 2:13) but I know You are who Your Word says You are, with tears streaming down our face! Those tears were the rain for our seed many times! (Psalm 126:5-6) Yet, no matter what difficulty comes our way there is peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7)! Faith is believing GOD to be faithful when you can’t see His faithfulness (Hebrews 11:1). It doesn’t take faith to believe what you can already see.
The choices we made that were keys to blessing were:
(1) To be thankful in all things (Philippians 4:11), whether we had little or much. We couldn’t be truly thankful without being content. When we are content and grateful for what we have we can be trusted with more. Many times we can think we are grateful when in reality we are not because we can’t be grateful and complain at the same time. While we don’t think of it this way complaining is in essence saying, “GOD I don’t like what You’ve given me and if I were GOD I would do it differently” (different weather, spouse, house, car, city, job, body etc.). When we are thankful we can be at peace because we know GOD will take care of all we need. (Philippians 4:19)
(2)To walk in integrity~ doing what’s right when no one is looking, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem at the time. We all know GOD always sees but often someone else sees too and that’s our children. I remember my husband coming home with a pen from work by accident and his making sure it got back there the next day. That may seem insignificant but if you can be careful about the little things the big things won’t tempt you. It could be picking up a piece of trash in the church parking lot, returning the change when you were given too much, placing an item back on the shelf that has fallen off in a store, refusing to fudge on your time off for break/lunch……… Even if “everyone” is doing it if we are going by the name Christian what we do should reflect what He would do no matter what. The scandals we see on the news didn’t start out with the big story. It started with a fudge on integrity and many times caring more about what people said than what GOD said. It’s the little foxes that spoil the vine (Song of Solomon 2:15) .
(3)To give to GOD what is His. (Malachi 3:10, Matthew 23:23) We learned early on that when we tithed our money went further and we didn’t have as many “emergencies”. I have heard so often people say they can’t afford to tithe~ I can’t afford not to. To me it is about honoring GOD, believing if I do as His Word says He will do as He has promised. This may require faith but faith is simply believing GOD to be faithful when we can see no way for Him to be (Hebrews 11:6). ( For more study on the tithe see Genesis 14 and Hebrews 6:13-7:22)
(4)To give~ while this could be money it is anything we give with a heart to bless. I have noticed the things I give more often are the things I have more of. Anything we have of value is something we can give. To some that may even be something as simple as time~ yet it is something that so blesses others. We all have something to give~~ time, resources, food, money, encouragement, joy, words of hope and peace. Luke 6:38 says with the measure we give is what will be used to give back to us. “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.<sup class="crossreference" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(AV)”> For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
(5)To honor our parents and leaders~ the Bible never tells us to trust them but we are to esteem their position. (Ephesians 6:2-3, Hebrews 13:17) The day after I wrote this I came across an article written by a Rabbi that explained how this commandment is viewed in Jewish culture. In their tradition to honor ones parents is to honor GOD. I cringe when people roll their eyes at their parents, call them demeaning names, walk away when they are talking, neglect them in their old age or disrespect them in so many different ways. Ephesians 6:2-3 says “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”(See also Exodus 20:12) In every place where we honor our parents we can expect things to go well with us and in every place where we do not honor them it won’t go well.
(6)To repent quickly and forgive quickly~ because when we do this it closes doors to enemy footholds, helps us stay in peace and keep our eyes on JESUS not what we’ve done or what’s been done to us. (Luke 1:46) We are then able to move forward instead of becoming bogged down along the way or being a slave to our past.
(7)To obey when our soul (mind, will, emotions) wants to do the opposite. This could be different things for different people. Our human nature is to flee from pain and we usually will take the least painful path. We just want to avoid pain at all costs. I am just as human as anyone else about pain! But sometimes we need to stay in a painful place in obedience to the LORD because he sees and knows the whole picture and we don’t. It’s hard to stay in a painful place and even harder when you don’t understand why. To do that we have to know and trust that GOD is good (Nahum 1:7, 1 John 4:7-8, Lamentations 2:22-25) and He has a good plan for us (Jeremiah 29:11) even if we can’t see it at the moment. We can be sure His grace will be sufficient. (2 Corinthians 12:9) I think of Abraham and Sarah, David after he was anointed to be king but not yet commissioned, Joseph, Paul and so many others who went through trial and then saw GOD’S faithfulness and some never saw the complete promise fulfilled yet trusted that GOD would do all He had said (Hebrews 11) He is so faithful (Numbers 23:19)!!
All of this can be summed up with one thing~ walking in the Fear of the LORD. This is not to be scared of GOD but to see Him as holy, One to be honored and respected, One who is faithful and true! When we honor and respect someone we listen to what they say and take heed to their words. Abraham is recorded in the Bible as a friend of GOD (Isaiah 41:8, 2 Chronicles 20:7) “Friendship with the LORD is reserved for those who fear Him. With them He shares the secrets of His covenant.”( Psalm 25:14) GOD will share with us the secrets of His covenant and count us as His friend if we will only walk in fear of Him. Proverbs 19:23 says, “The fear of the LORD leads to life: then one rests content, untouched by trouble.”
Coffee With the King 