And there shall no longer be any night; and they shall not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God shall illumine them; and they shall reign forever and ever (Revelation 22:1-5). And he said, Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account (Matthew 5:11). "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. Now the first thing we notice is that God lets us know that he is a healer. All of us deserve to suffer for our sins. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Nevertheless I am continually with Thee; Thou hast taken hold of my right hand. Our very clothing is a physicalblessing. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. I know, O Lord, that Thy judgments are righteous, And that in faithfulness Thou hast afflicted me (Psalm 119:75). The difference is that one group seems to succeed on the basis of faith while the other group suffers by faith. Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. (3) What is the relationship between blessing, faith, and obedience? Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. in 1971. We will be part of Gods family: They shall be called sons of God (Matthew 5:9). Jesus said, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" ( Matthew 5:5 ). This false view of blessing justifies ones expectations of no pain and all pleasure in this life. Put all the billionaires together. 25 Bible verses about The Fear Of The Lord 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. Unless otherwise indicated, all content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. And instead of telling the world to come to us Come see how I bless my people; God never says that he says, Go go to the world. As a result, Jacob and his family moved to Egypt where they became a great nation. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. What Does the Bible Say About Physical? - OpenBible.info They are not in trouble as other men; Nor are they plagued like mankind. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God. We ask God to take away the pain and the circumstance. Ed, Issue 46, Winter 2023, What in the World Is Going On? He leads me beside still waters. You have entered an incorrect email address! But that forgiveness is not always guaranteed, and is usually conditional on our repentance. And Im going to circle back and probably end there and affirm what he sees and show why it is such a great answer to his own question. AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS. Now to the one who works, his wage is not reckoned as a favor, but as what is due. (1) Gods blessing refers to His purpose, pronouncement, and process of bringing about a persons good. The pure shall see God. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence. You will be blessed when you come in and when you go out. (2) The Jews thought of Gods blessings in primarily physical and material terms and not in spiritual terms. Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. All of the prophets of Israel were resisted, rejected, and persecuted because they spoke to men for God: And the Lord, the God of their fathers, sent word to them again and again by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place; but they continually mocked the messengers of God, despised His words and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, until there was no remedy (2 Chronicles 36:15-16).101. Peter rebuked our Lord for speaking of His own suffering (see Matthew 16:21-22). Our Lords suffering and sacrificial death were Gods means of blessing us: It is you who are the sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. For you first, God raised up His Servant, and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways (Acts 3:25-26). God promised every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). While the Old Testament records many instances in which Israel suffered for their sins, texts like this one in Psalm 44 indicate there are times when Gods people suffer innocently, for His sake (see verse 22). R P Bible Verses About Blessings and Prosperity. Through Thee we will push back our adversaries; Through Thy name we will trample down those who rise up against us. While we are primarily blessed with all spiritual blessingsin the heavenlies (Eph. Jacob saw much strife in his family and suffered much over the loss of Joseph and then Benjamin. 2 Chronicles 36:15-16 In this glorious anthem, in which the apostle, tracing all to the Divine Fountain, enumerates the glorious privileges of the Church, and blesses God for them, he first (ver. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. To be spiritual they say is the assurance of earthly pleasures; to be sinful is to bring upon oneself pain and suffering. When my heart was embittered, And I was pierced within, Then I was senseless and ignorant; I was like a beast before Thee. The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Be lord over your brothers, and may your mother's sons bow down to you. 1:9,10). Their journey to the promised land held many trials. He leads me beside still waters. Gods blessing is not only the gift of those things which are good and desirable but the removal of the curse. First and foremost, Gods blessing involves the forgiveness of our sins, the defeat and destruction of Satan, the passing away of that which is old and corrupted by sin, and the creation of that which is holy and acceptable. But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling; My steps had almost slipped. Both were cursed with death by being banned from the Garden and the tree of life. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Psalm 21:6. These are the very ones who would be chided today for their lack of faith. . Job 1 and 2 The promise of blessing passed from Abraham to Isaac (Genesis 26:24) to Jacob (Genesis 27:27-29; 28:12-15). I know that no matter how good their promises sound, they simply are not true. When we understand the difference between Gods temporal blessings and His eternal blessings, we learn to expect suffering and trials as a part of His plan, and as a part of His program to bring about eternal blessing for us. Gods blessings are not sovereignly bestowed in the way He chooses but are mechanically obtained by doing the right things. He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. This daily newsletter provides a starting point for personal study, and gives valuable insight into the verses that make up the Word of God. It does not tell us that he was seventy-five when he first received the promise of a son. Such suffering serves as a test of our faith and obedience as we see from Jobs experiences.99 Precisely at times like these, Gods people find their perspectives changing and discover Gods presence as their true source of blessing: Surely God is good to Israel, To those who are pure in heart! Our Spiritual Blessings From God | United Church of God Whether God in His goodness enables us to succeed, or whether His grace enables us to endure our suffering, let us realize that God is able to make use of suffering to produce blessings. Those who identified with Israel and Israels God would also be blessed, as God told Abraham (Genesis 12:2-3). Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. 1. This leads us right into the fourth blessing ( Ephesians 1:7 ), the redemption through His blood. 102 This is not to say they do not believe in spiritual and eternal blessings, but only that their emphasis is on present material prosperity. To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. However there are too many repetition eliminate some of the duplication. For all things are for your sakes, that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God. Our blessings are in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.. 104 Harold G. Stigers, A Commentary on Genesis (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1976), p. 135. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? Verse Concepts. No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. The great nation was still one seed, Jacob. Use these Bible verses to remind you of the many blessing you can claim as a child of God! In what ways does God bless only Christians? To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. 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), Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it. Luke 11:28 (NIV), Im eager to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours. Biblical blessings are often associated with protection and happiness. June 10, 2013. Put the bounce back in my step, the smile back on my face, and the dance back in my feet. Next we will look at our Lords teaching on blessing before turning to the rest of the New Testament to study divine blessing. Therefore do not be anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we wear? For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. What the Bible says about Blessings, Physical - Bible Tools Sign up now to receive Two Minutes With the Bible every day in your email inbox. Q He said, "I am the God that healeth thee." . Christ is the source of all our blessings; indeed, He is the blessing: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. Like Lot, we find our righteous souls vexed by sin (2 Peter 2:7-8). I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. We must view such blessing and suffering as temporary and not eternal. Salvation is "in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 2:10). But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. By paying to God what we owe Him (that is, His tithes), He rewards us with blessings. To sum up, let all be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil, or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing (1 Peter 3:8-9). The plan of God is to bring about His own glory and the Christians good (or blessing). Well, normally we do rejoice in a merciful God who forgives. Romans 4:3-8; 5:3-5; 8:18-25, 28; 12:14 He also promised to make him a great nation (Genesis 12:2; 15:5; 17:5-6). The very food we eat everyday would also be classified aphysical blessing. Heres the principle: in Gods wisdom, the Jewish religion of the Old Testament was largely a come and see religion. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us. S - 2 Corinthians 9:8 Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. These are not always material blessings, however. His teaching was different not as the result of a change in Gods plan, but due to the Jews misconceptions concerning Gods promised blessings. 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. Revelation 21 and 22. Later Judah and his brothers suffered much over their ill-treatment of Joseph (see Genesis 37-45). Gods blessing is the overturning and removal of the curse due to sin. I love it. Their identification with Jesus Christ had brought on them the reproach of Christ and the opposition and persecution of unbelieving Jews. Bob was born and raised in a Christian home i More, The Net Pastors Journal, Eng. Deuteronomy 8:2-6; 28; 30:15-20 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. J His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, Behold, we are your servants. But Joseph said to them, Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? I have become a cynic when it comes to promises received in the mail. Deuteronomy 28:1-2. Suffering is also a blessing because it is a part of Gods process of sanctification. List Of Bible Prophecies Not Yet Fulfilled. And who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor. Psalm 112:1-9 (NIV), Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. Why dost Thou hide Thy face, And forget our affliction and our oppression? The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. His teaching was radically different from that of the Jewish religious leaders of His day. Where are all spiritual blessings? | Church Page | murrayledger.com Proverbs 15:6 says, "In the house of the righteous there is much treasure, but in the revenues of the wicked there is trouble.". Exodus 1:5-22 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. All rights reserved. It cuts across all ethnicities, all geographies, all politics, nationalities. In our identification with Christ, we enter into His rejection and persecution by men, and in so doing are blessed by a closer walk with Him, a deeper fellowship with Him, and a growing hunger for heaven and the full blessings of God (see 2 Corinthians 4 and 5; Philippians 3:10; 1 Peter 2-4).