And he said, Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake (Matthew 5:10). 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. See what over 150,000 subscribers are already receiving each day. That plan incorporates all things (Romans 8:28), which includes pain, suffering, and sorrow. These are not always material blessings, however. (16) One of the blessings God gave Abraham and his seed (which includes us as believers) is that of being a blessing to others. The true view of temporal blessing seeks the enjoyment of Gods presence whether in pain or pleasure. He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. God promised every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). 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). Luke 6:20-28; 16:19-31 I must do whatever it takes to be happy, even if that involves disobedience to Gods revealed Word.. 103 Notice that while these saints obtained promises (verse 33) they did not receive what was promised (verse 39). Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is a heavenly one. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure, And washed my hands in innocence; For I have been stricken all day long, And chastened every morning. Your infinite glory, greatness, grander, majesty, and unlimited ability. Next we will look at our Lords teaching on blessing before turning to the rest of the New Testament to study divine blessing. (6) How can a clear understanding of divine blessings help us to better understand Gods eternal plan, especially as it relates to man? 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. So too does history and our own experience. It is also only in eternity that the curse of God will be fully poured out on sinners. The Abrahamic covenant takes up the promise of blessing: Now the Lord said to Abram, Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your fathers house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. For example, Genesis 49:1 . Because all of Gods blessings are a gift of His grace, through the work of Jesus Christ, we have no basis for demanding His blessings. Only in eternity will the full blessings of God be poured out on Gods people. Through Thee we will push back our adversaries; Through Thy name we will trample down those who rise up against us. (12) Gods temporal blessing is neither synonymous with prosperity nor incompatible with suffering. Such eternal blessings are far greater than any temporary physical blessings we could receive. And that about wraps it up. Download Article. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. Luke 14:12-14 (NIV), You will be blessed in every way, and you will be able to keep on being generous. Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God. But in the case of these innocent sufferers, their suffering was not attributed to their sin but was the outgrowth of their righteousness. Obedience, stemming from gratitude, faith, love, and hope, which is empowered by Gods Spirit, brings the temporal blessings of God, while disobedience brings a curse (Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28; Psalm 106:3; 112:1; 119:1-2; Proverbs 8:32; Isaiah 44:3; Daniel 12:12; John 13:17; James 1:12; Revelation 14;13). Suffering is both a blessing, and a means of blessing, when it is suffering for Christs sake: For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps (1 Peter 2:21). (11) Ultimately, blessing or cursing are the result of ones response to Gods provision of forgiveness and righteousness in Jesus Christ, the promised seed of Abraham (see Genesis 12:1-3; 15:1-6; John 3:18; 14:6; 1 John 5:12). And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Eternal blessings are experienced by saints who have been transformed into the image of Christ, whose mortal bodies are left behind and who live in a new world free of sin, of Satan, and of the curse (see 1 Corinthians 15:35-58; 1 John 3:2; Revelation 21 and 22). All this has come upon us, but we have not forgotten Thee, And we have not dealt falsely with Thy covenant. This is the profession of Job: And he said, Naked I came from my mothers womb, and naked I shall return there. As Israel trusted in God and obeyed His Law by faith, God poured out the blessings promised in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28. Gods blessing is the overturning and removal of the curse due to sin. The full and final blessing of God is not accompanied with sorrow. 2 Chronicles 36:15-16 Help me to rejoice always, Father, for this is Your will for me. She is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who lay hold of her will be blessed. Proverbs 3:13-18 (NIV), The memory of the righteous will be a blessing. Proverbs 10:7 (NIV), He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor. Proverbs 21:21 (NIV), Jesus said to his host, When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. You shall not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it. You will enjoy what you work for, and you will be blessed with good things. Psalm 128:1-2 (NCV), Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12 (NIV), If they listen and obey God, then they will be blessed with prosperity throughout their lives. To belong to Christ is to belong to God as our Father and to be heirs of all that God owns that is, everything. How could it be that the blessed Son of God could suffer? I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. (1 Kings 10:1, 45). For what does the Scripture say? Abraham had a twenty-five year wait for the blessing of a son. Bible Verses About Blessings and Prosperity. John 3:16. On the other hand, Jesus said, Blessed are the poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3). They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors! But in addition to the deserved suffering of Israel, many godly Israelites suffered. But Thou hast saved us from our adversaries, And Thou hast put to shame those who hate us. First the trial, then the blessing, the crown. Gods blessing is not based upon human merit or works, but upon His grace. What the Bible teaches is that the physical blessings to these people will continue until and after Christ's return. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Death becomes your servant because of Christs triumph over death. But just what has God promised to do for Abraham? They will likely be a part of an Arab confederation known as "the king of the South" (Daniel 11:40-41 . Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart. Bible verses about Blessings. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Israel was the showcase of Gods blessings among the nations. 100 When I speak of innocent suffering here, we must all understand that no mortal is ever innocent, save in the blood of Jesus Christ. This is one of the reasons Jesus teaching and His offer of the kingdom was rejected. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Few understand the blessings of God as they should. This child was not merely an adopted heir, but Abrahams own son (Genesis 15:1-6). But Jesus taught us explicitly not to expect them now. These blessings are not fulfilled in this life, but in the next. Most of us are not quite this honest in our thinking, nor quite so bold in our rebellion against God and His Word. When affliction comes into our life, we do not pray for Gods grace, nor do we ask God for wisdom, patience, or endurance. He makes me lie down in green pastures. Hebrews 11 and 12 Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. A Psalm of David. Perhaps best of all, our suffering for Christs sake deepens our love for our Lord and our fellowship with Him: More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. 1. The plan of God is to bring about His own glory and the Christians good (or blessing). It is by blessing Him that we enjoy Gods blessings, rather than the curse of sin. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. "Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways." Psalm 128:1 (NIV) "Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the Lord delivers him in times of trouble. This is what it means to be truly blessed. Eternal blessings are full and complete, the enjoyment of physical and material prosperity, the full manifestation of Gods goodness and glory, and the absence of sin, Satan, death, and the curse. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. Seeking the Gospel in Malachi, the Last Book of the Old Testament. Psalm 21:6. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. (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). From the Scriptures, we have seen that suffering is neither incompatible with faith nor inconsistent with Gods blessings. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage! You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing. Amram's sons: Aaron and Moses.Aaron, along with his descendants, was set apart forever to consecrate the most holy things, to burn incense in the presence of Yahweh, to minister to Him, and to pronounce blessings in His name forever. When our Lord presented Himself as Israels Messiah, He taught a great deal about the blessings of God. Jeremiah 18:7-10 Neither Gods blessings nor His wrath are fully manifested in this life. 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) 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. If we had forgotten the name of our God, Or extended our hands to a strange god; Would not God find this out? To belong to Christ is to belong to God as our Father and to be heirs of all that God owns that is, everything. 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. He protects them and keeps them alive; he publicly honors them and destroys the power of their enemies. Psalm 41:1-2 (LB). 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. W 2 Chron 30:27. The blessings here are plainly associated with happiness and welfare, both for Abram and others. When I pondered to understand this, It was troublesome in my sight Until I came into the sanctuary of God; Then I perceived their end. They knew these blessings would not come in life, but after death and resurrection: All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. K 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. His master said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant. He said, "I am the God that healeth thee." . If His people forsook the Law, then earthly cursings were promised: See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the Lord your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it. (14) God blesses all men physically and materially in this life out of His common grace. 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. Our blessings are in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). Put it at the disposal of me and my mission. Thats the kind of radical life were called to live in the New Testament. Your blessings in this life will be mixed with sorrow. John 14:1-3 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). Verses 3-14. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you!. As we study the promised blessings of God, my hope is that the present pleasures of this life will fade in the light of the glory awaiting us. Verse Concepts. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Divine blessing certainly is not well understood. This daily newsletter provides a starting point for personal study, and gives valuable insight into the verses that make up the Word of God. All things are yours.". And he will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles.". Psalm 24:5. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them (Hebrews 11:13-16).