Simplifying… me

2 Corinthians 9:15

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”

 

A few months ago, I hammered out my thoughts on being blessed.  “What does it mean to be blessed?” was my question.  Revisiting the post, a wave of “writer’s remorse” washed over me.  The thought seemed unfinished, but I needed more time to process and more time in God’s word.  This is what I have since discovered in my quest to understand God’s blessing: 

 

There are different kinds of blessings.  In this post, I am going to touch on the following:  Covenantal blessing, material and spiritual blessing, the blessedness of Christ and grace, and the cup of blessing. 

 

On the Covenant Blessing:

 

The covenant blessing signified God’s promise and favor over His people (Deuteronomy 28:1-14).  This favor that God extended to His people was evidence of His graciousness towards them – a sign of His endless mercy and goodness.  At the same time, God’s blessings were oftentimes contingent upon man’s obedience to His laws as were His cursings a result of disobedience (Deuteronomy 30:15-20). 

 

There is also the covenant blessing God made to Abraham in Genesis:

 

Genesis 15:5

And He took him outside and said: “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.”  And He said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

 

God made a pact with Abraham, being nearly one hundred years old, with no offspring of his own.  God took him outside, pointed to the vast and ominous heavens filled from one end of the sky to the next with stars, and promised Abraham that his offspring would be as many.  Abraham believed in the Lord.

 

Again in Genesis 17, God established a covenant between Himself, Abraham, and Abraham’s descendants.

 

Genesis 17:7-8

I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.  The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.

 

On Material versus Spiritual Blessing:

 

In the Old Testament, material blessing was a result of God’s favor upon His people and also their obedience.  God’s hand of blessing and favor can be seen from the moment of creation.  He looked at what He had made, and He saw that it was good.  It was pleasing to Him.  He created man in His image, and again, He was pleased.  Then came the fall of man – disobedience - and the divine curse.  This curse not only touched the lives of man, but also that of God’s creation entirely.  It is only because of God’s graciousness and mercy towards man that restoration of relationship could be made.  Still, in order to live under that blessing, there had to be obedience.

 

While we do not live under the Old Testament law today, we can draw much from this example.  In the Old Testament, material blessing was the evidence that signified God’s hand and favor on His people.  Today, while God may bring material blessings our way, the actual blessings a believer receives in return for their obedience, are spiritual.  A blessed life comes from the inside out, not the outside in.  God’s hand and His favor are found most heavily upon those whose lives are fully surrendered and sacrificed to God.  It is not about those things that glitter and shine and please the physical eye, but what shines out from our innermost beings- who we are, not what we have.

 

The Blessedness of Christ:

 

And then, there is the blessing of Christ.  God gave us the gift of His Son, Jesus, which far surpasses any blessing that we could ever imagine.  “Thanks be to God for this indescribable gift!”  The treasure we have in salvation is more than we can fathom.  I know I look for validation of God’s blessing in material things.   I, too, fall into the trap that financial success and wealth are a reflection, or result of, spiritual depth and closeness to God.  Because I don’ t have that, I question whether or not I am living under God’s favor.  Am I missing something?  Yet, looking at God’s word, rediscovering the gift that takes the words right out of my mouth, I realize it has nothing to do with stuff, and everything to do with the blessing of God’s Son.  Because of Jesus, I can be forgiven of my sins and no longer live under a curse.  Because of Jesus, even in suffering I know a peace that passes understanding.  And because of Jesus, I, in turn, can bless others.  There is nothing magical about God’s blessing.  It is simply His grace poured out lavishly upon us.

 

Which brings me to my final thought:  The Cup of Blessing:

 

The ancient Jews had a custom in which they would conclude their meal with a prayer of thanksgiving over a cup of wine – “the cup of blessing”.  In doing so, they acknowledged God as the Giver of all good gifts. 

 

As I have reflected upon this, my thoughts have been drawn to my family.  What cup of blessing am I passing down to my children?  Do they see God’s blessing as superficial as a brand new toy, or lunch out at a fun restaurant?  Or am I teaching them the beauty of God’s blessing from the inside out?  I see this cup of blessing as something that each generation passes down to the next.  My parents, godly and wise, raised me to know God, love God, and see His handiwork in every aspect of our lives.  My husband, as well, was raised in a home where godly principles and instruction were taught and modeled.  From one generation to the next, we pass the cup.  We pass the gift of Jesus down to our children, pray that they will receive this gift, and in turn pass it on to their children.  With the cup of blessing in hand, we are unshakable.  We know who we are.  We know to Whom we belong.  We understand profoundly who provides our daily bread, the roof over our head, the clothes on our backs.  We give thanks to the One who gave us breath and life.  Oh, what a blessing that is!  What a blessed life we have!  All those outward things can fade away, but the gift of Jesus Christ remains forever.  And that, more than riches and wealth, is the inheritance I want to pass on to my children and the generations to follow.  

 

Jesus is the blessing, and the blessing I long to hold on to all of my days.

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