A BLESSED HOUSE
As humans, we have a tendency to drift out of God's standard of what He has set out for us as His children. How do we receive a blessed life?
Ephesians 1:3 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
Blessed – 'To invoke divine favour upon. To confer well-being and abundance upon.'
We can define blessing in our lives by these factors:
- Happiness/Contentment
- Peace
- Wholeness (spiritual richness, emotional and mental health)
- Healthy relationships
- Fruitfulness (success in work, increase and fullness)
From the beginning of humanity with Adam and Eve, God has wanted to bless His people, giving them fruitfulness and authority. God gave a promise of blessing of Abraham that continues to be fulfilled in all who receive Christ.
Genesis 12:2-3 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
Righteousness was imputed to Abraham and because we are children of his promise as well as having the righteousness of Jesus, we are blessed with the same blessing as Abraham.
Galatians 3:7-9 Therefore we know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles, by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying "In you all the nations shall be blessed." So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham
Romans 4:13 For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
We receive the promise not through our lineage but through our faith and acceptance of Jesus as our Saviour.
John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.
The last thing Jesus did before He ascended to Heaven was lift His hands and bless the disciples. Because of this, we can now receive Christ so He can show us a new way of living, a way that inherits the blessing of God. Under the New Testament, God has made it absolutely foolproof for us to be blessed; if we receive Christ we are called blessed. It's that simple!
So How Do We Live It Out?
Wisdom is not just knowing what to do, but actually living it out daily. We need to understand how to appropriate Christ and blessing into our lives.
Practically, wisdom looks like this:
- Fear God = make God your first priority
- We can honour and please God by serving Him first and out of love
- Honour the Lord with your possessions = acknowledge what you have came from God and return it to him in tithes and offerings
- Arrange your time, money, and lifestyle so that God is respected in your life
Live out your blessed life and you will be a blessing to others!
See you in church!
