The promised blessings of the Bible are the good which God has purposed and promised. John 3:16. Thou dost make us a byword among the nations, A laughingstock among the peoples. 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. Humble yourself as Jesus said: "Blessed are the 'poor in spirit': for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 5:3) Read this and the other eight blessings for you as they were explained by Jesus, in Matthew 5, which are keys to unlocking such personal blessings. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Indeed, this is how many translations of the Bible, including the New King James Version, translate Paul's statement to the Galatians: "Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made" . A Psalm of David. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. There will always be some among you who are poor. What exactly do you believe those are?. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. What is the basis for blessing and cursing? These are the blessings our Lord Himself brings to pass in His second coming. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Help me to rejoice always, Father, for this is Your will for me. He makes me lie down in green pastures. Only God can make something good from that which seems evil at the moment. One only needs enough faith to be confident God hears and answers our prayers as we desire. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. We will see God: They shall see God (Matthew 5:8). . He referred to a blessing found in Numbers that . 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. In Gods wisdom, the church of Jesus Christ is not an ethnic or geographic or political or national entity. Uphold me with Your generous Spirit. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future all are yours, and you are Christs, and Christ is Gods. But Peter was wrong for supposing that Gods blessings were incompatible with suffering. The common factor in all the blessings in the Bible is this: God's Kingdom. 5:18). You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. No matter where a mom is on her journey, she's welcome at Where Moms Connect.. Storing up spiritual treasures in heaven is far more important than physical prosperity. Foolishly, they sought to keep the Israelites subject to them as slaves and to keep them from leaving their land (Exodus 1:8-22). Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. Eve was cursed with pain in child-bearing and with the dominion of her husband over her. 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. 6:8). O Ephraim, what have I to do with idols? To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. The rich man spent eternity in hell while Lazarus spent eternity enjoying the blessings God promised in Abraham. 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. The adversity of those whom Jesus called blessed made them discontent with this world, causing them to look ahead to the promised blessings of the kingdom of God. As Asaph protested centuries ago in Psalm 73, the wicked may prosper, and the righteous may suffer. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. The Lord your God will bless your work and everything you touch. Deuteronomy 15:10 (NCV), Blessed is the man who trusts in you. Psalm 84:12 (NIV), If the place of worship is too far from your home for you to carry there the tithe of the produce that the Lord has blessed you with, then do this: Sell your produce and take the money with you to the one place of worship. Deuteronomy 14:24-25 (TEV), Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O Lord. Psalm 89:15 (NIV), Blessed are they who maintain justice, who constantly do what is right. Psalm 106:3 (NIV), 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. - THANKSGIVING FOR THEIR DIVINE ORDINATION TO THE BLESSINGS OF GRACE. Verses 3-14. Heres the principle: in Gods wisdom, the Jewish religion of the Old Testament was largely a come and see religion. Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, in order that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. 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. I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Your children will be blessed, as well as your crops; your herds will be blessed with calves and your flocks with lambs. Abraham may not have left Haran immediately which would mean that Abraham was younger when the promise of a son was first given to him. In his lifetime, Abraham would not possess the land of Canaan. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Blog, A (Marriage and children are both a blessing, but neither is without its trials and suffering.) Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:8-12). 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! The Whole Bible for the Whole Christian - CultureWatch A Prayer for God's Power. Biblical blessings are often associated with protection and happiness. Thus you are to know in your heart that the Lord your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. These can all be good things, but I think you could also argue that if these blessings lead us further away from God, they are not truly blessings at all. His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Psalm 112:1-2 (NIV), Blessed are those who keep my ways. Proverbs 8:32 (NIV), Each of these blessings depends on your not turning aside in any way from the laws I have given you; and you must never worship other gods. Deuteronomy 28:14 (Living), Blessed is the man you discipline, O Lord, the man you teach from your law. Psalm 94:12 (NIV), It is sin to despise ones neighbors; blessed are those who help the poor. Proverbs 14:21 (NLT), It is more blessed to give than to receive. Acts 20:35 (NIV), A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor. Proverbs 22:9 (NIV), Good people will be generous to others and will be blessed for all they do. Isaiah 32:8 (NLT), Blessed is the man who finds wisdom and gains understanding. Proverbs 3:13 (NIV), A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished. Proverbs 28:20 (NIV), The Lords curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous. Proverbs 3:33 (NIV), People curse the man who hoards grain, but blessing crowns him who is willing to sell. Proverbs 11:26 (NIV), He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy. Proverbs 14:21 (NIV), Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord. Proverbs 16:20 (NIV), An inheritance quickly gained at the beginning will not be blessed at the end. Proverbs 20:21 (NIV), It will go well with those who convict the guilty and rich blessing will come upon them. Proverbs 24:25 (NIV), Blessed is the man who always fears the Lord but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble. Proverbs 28:14 (NIV), The Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. on 03/30/2021. First the trial, then the blessing, the crown. We must live by faith trusting God to fulfill His promises, even when our eyes tell us the opposite is happening now. 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). Job 1 and 2 Where Moms Connect is a unique mom's ministry curriculum that brings women together and helps them connect naturally, through discussion, Bible study and fun. 98 This verse tells us that Abraham was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. 1. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. As Israel trusted in God and obeyed His Law by faith, God poured out the blessings promised in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28. Both were cursed with death by being banned from the Garden and the tree of life. For there are no pains in their death; And their body is fat. By no means let any of you suffer as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not feel ashamed, but in that name let him glorify God (1 Peter 4:14-16). (1) What is blessing? Proverbs 10:22 Your infinite glory, greatness, grander, majesty, and unlimited ability. If you have not trusted in Gods promise of blessing in Jesus Christ, then you are under the curse of sin. Jacob saw much strife in his family and suffered much over the loss of Joseph and then Benjamin. Proverbs 15:6 says, "In the house of the righteous there is much treasure, but in the revenues of the wicked there is trouble.". "Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country. Download a Personal Copy of these Bible Verses about Blessings! Peter, who once rejected the idea of suffering, later has much to say about suffering in his epistles. Why dost Thou hide Thy face, And forget our affliction and our oppression? Theres no great temple-like edifice in Christianity. On the other hand, Jesus said, Blessed are the poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3). The Lord will bless you with full barns, and he will bless everything you do. Deuteronomy 28:2-8 (NCV), I will also bless the Gentiles who commit themselves to the Lord and serve him and love his name, who worship him and do not desecrate the Sabbath day of rest, and who have accepted his covenant. Isaiah 56:6 (NLT), A beautiful palace does not make a great king! We seek to obey God when we used to delight in disobedience. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 1:9,10). Yet Thou hast rejected us and brought us to dishonor, And dost not go out with our armies. Peter rebuked our Lord for speaking of His own suffering (see Matthew 16:21-22). Use these Bible verses to remind you of the many blessing you can claim as a child of God! Paul says, "The world is yours. What the Bible says about 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. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. - Numbers 6:24-26. That plan incorporates all things (Romans 8:28), which includes pain, suffering, and sorrow. Bible prophecy reveals that the descendants of Esau will exist in the end time. Paul says, The world is yours. I am not happy. All day long my dishonor is before me, And my humiliation has overwhelmed me, Because of the voice of him who reproaches and reviles, Because of the presence of the enemy and the avenger. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. Most of us are not quite this honest in our thinking, nor quite so bold in our rebellion against God and His Word. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. They suffered for Gods sake and not for their own sins (Psalm 44:22). Divine blessing refers to Gods purpose to bring about the good of an individual or nation, His proclamation of this purpose by His promise, and a program of bringing about this blessing which includes suffering and adversity. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Two Minutes with the Bible lets you start your day with short but powerful Bible study articles from the Berean Bible Society. 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. (13) Adversity and suffering is not synonymous with sin and cursing. The Christian life should be lived out in the light of the superiority of Gods promised blessings in comparison to the blessings an ungodly world holds out to us (Hebrews 11:24-26). Their numerical growth concerned the Egyptians and brought about a time of great persecution and affliction. Like Job, they would be badgered by their friends to find the sin in their life, and confess it so they could be blessed. It can range from getting a new girlfriend, a new job, or a pay raise, to finding a ten-dollar bill on the sidewalk or getting surprisingly good news. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage! 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. He blesses the Christian temporally by His presence, by producing our growth and maturity, and by creating a hunger for the full and final blessings of heaven. 104 Harold G. Stigers, A Commentary on Genesis (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1976), p. 135. K Abraham was one-hundred and sixty years old when Jacob and Esau were born. Rarely, if ever, do I see people posting about how blessed they are as poor in spirit or persecuted like we read about in the Beatitudes. Ephesians 1:3-5. Gods blessing is not based upon human merit or works, but upon His grace. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. D Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling; My steps had almost slipped. It is in Christ, the seed of Abraham, that we are blessed. 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. The Israelites of Jesus day also held a distorted view of divine blessings. For I was envious of the arrogant, As I saw the prosperity of the wicked. But in addition to the deserved suffering of Israel, many godly Israelites suffered. He points them to the true blessings which are in Christ. 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. Jordan puts his finger on the nub of the issue, I think, by referring to the Beatitudes in Matthew 5. If we are a child of God, we know His eternal plan allows only those things into our lives which result in our ultimate and eternal good: And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Suffering at the hand of a gracious God is a comfort, for our chastening evidences that we are Gods sons: For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. Adam was cursed with hard labor, providing for his family by the sweat of his brow. I know, O Lord, that Thy judgments are righteous, And that in faithfulness Thou hast afflicted me (Psalm 119:75). Why is that? (5) The Jews of our Lords time believed suffering was incompatible with Gods blessings. Well, normally we do rejoice in a merciful God who forgives. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. Paul answers in Ephesians 1:3: God has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing every blessing that heaven can conceive for the eternal happiness of Gods people will be ours. And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, their clothing, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more breath in her. Theres nothing like that in the New Testament. Undergrace, eating a ham sandwich is acceptable. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. And who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. The Jews of old and many Christians and others today think of Gods blessings in terms of the immediate enjoyment of physical and material pleasures and the absence of pain. They are His to give; they are also His to withhold. Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. Malachi 3:10 (NIV), Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. You shall serve the Lord your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you. The blood of Christ has taken away the guilt of our sins, and we stand before the Father as perfectly accepted. When we observe the Lords Supper, we are partaking ofphysical elements, the bread and the cup, which convey aspiritual message (I Cor. When affliction comes into our life, we do not pray for Gods grace, nor do we ask God for wisdom, patience, or endurance. Abrahams life had its own trials. The temporal blessings of Judaism were tempting in the light of the affliction they faced as Christians. But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, I BELIEVED, THEREFORE I SPOKE, we also believe, therefore also we speak; knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will present us with you. Are we becoming more like Jesus by the power of the Spirit? We must view such blessing and suffering as temporary and not eternal. God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!