The Four Laws of God’s Blessing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Four Laws of God’s Blessing

"I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you . . . and you will be a blessing to others" (Genesis 12:2).

 

The Bible teaches that we should use our blessings to bless others:

Our blessings should flow to others The Bible teaches us that we are blessed not just so that we can feel good, not just so we can be happy and comfortable, but so that we will bless others. God told Abraham, "I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others" (Genesis 12:2). This is the first law of blessing: it must flow outwardly.

When we bless others, God takes care of our needs God promises that if we will concentrate on blessing others, he'll take care of our needs. There's almost nothing that God won't do for the person who really wants to help other people. In fact, God guarantees this blessing. Jesus said, "I tell you the truth . . . no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life" (Luke 18:29-30).

When you care about helping other people, God assumes responsibility for your problems. And that's a real blessing, for he's much better at handling your difficulties than you are. Our blessings to others will come back on us The more you bless other people . . . the more you help others, the more God blesses your life. Luke tells us, "Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not merely given back--given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity" (Luke 6:38).

You cannot out give God. The more you try to bless other people in the world around you, the more God says, "I'm going to pour blessings out on you. We'll play a little game here. Let's see who will win. Let's see who can give the most. The more you bless others the more I'm going to bless you in return."

The more we're blessed by God the more He expects us to help others. Jesus said it this way: "Much is required from the person to whom much is given; much more is required from the person to whom much more is given" (Luke 12:48).

Would you agree that based on the blessings of your life you probably have a greater responsibility than other people in the world? If you live in the United States, I'm sure you’d agree, because it's obvious we've been given freedom that many people don't have. We've been given opportunities that many people don't have. We've been given material and physical and spiritual abundance that a lot of people around the world simply do not have.

Think this through with me. If I've been blessed more than the rest of the world then it would stand to reason that God would want me to care about the rest of the world. Does that make sense?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Be Thankful Even in Tough Times

"May you always be joyful in your union with the Lord. I say it again: rejoice!" (Philippians 4:4).

 

In Philippians 4, Paul says, "May you always be joyful in your life in the Lord." Can we really be joyful in all circumstances? The Bible suggests the following strategy:

Don't worry about anything--Worrying doesn't change anything. It's stewing without doing. There are no such things as born-worriers. Worry is a learned response. You learned it from your parents. You learned it from your peers. You learned it from experience. That's good news. The fact that worry is learned means it can also be unlearned.

How do you unlearn it? Jesus says, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:34). He's saying don't open your umbrella until it starts raining. Don't worry about tomorrow. Live one day at a time.

Pray about everything--Next, instead of worrying, use your time for praying. If you prayed as much as you worried, you'd have a whole lot less to worry about. Some people think God only cares about religious things, such as how many people I invite to church or my tithing. Is God interested in car payments? Yes. He's interested in every detail of your life. That means you can take any problem you face to God.

Thank God in all things--Whenever you pray, you should always pray with thanksgiving. The healthiest human emotion is not love but gratitude. It actually increases your immunities. It makes you more resistant to stress and less susceptible to illness. People who are grateful are happy. But people who are ungrateful are miserable because nothing makes them happy. They're never satisfied. It's never good enough. So if you cultivate the attitude of gratitude, of being thankful in everything, it reduces stress in your life.

Think about the right things--If you want to reduce the level of stress in your life, you must change the way you think because the way you think determines how you feel. And the way you feel determines how you act, which is why the Bible teaches that, if you want to change your life, you need to change what you’re thinking about.

This involves a deliberate conscious choice where you change the channels. You choose to think about the right things. Because the root cause of stress is the way we choose to think, we need to focus on the positive and on God's word.

What is the result of not worrying, praying about everything, giving thanks, and focusing on the right things? Paul tells us the result is, "you will experience God's peace which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your heart quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus."

What a guarantee!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Biblical Response to an Uncertain Future

"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes" (Matthew 6:34).

 

 

No matter what the pollsters, pundits, and prognosticators claim, no one can accurately predict all that is going to happen in the next year, let alone the next few days or weeks. Our best forecasts are just educated guesses.

Change is not only increasing in speed and intensity, but also in unpredictability. How can anyone succeed when the future is so uncertain?

The Bible suggests three timeless principles for facing an uncertain future:

Set goals according to God’s direction--It's foolish to make plans without first consulting God. He's the only one who DOES know the future - and he's eager to guide you through it: "I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for . . . You will seek me, and you will find me because you will seek me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:11,13).

The Bible also says, "We may make our plans, but God has the last word" (Proverbs 16:1). In other words, planning without praying is presumption. Start by praying, "God, what do YOU want me to do over the next year?"

Live one day at a time--While you can plan for tomorrow, you can't live it until it arrives. Most people spend so much time regretting the past and worrying about the future, they have no time to enjoy today!

John Lennon once wrote, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." Decide to make the most of each moment this year. Jesus said, "Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes" (Matthew 6:34).

Don't procrastinate - DO IT NOW!--"Never boast about tomorrow. You don't know what will happen between now and then" (Proverbs 27:1).

Procrastinating is a subtle trap. It wastes today by postponing things until tomorrow. You promise yourself that you'll do it 'one of these days.' But 'one of these days' usually turns into 'none of these days.'

What did you plan to get done last year that you didn't do? When do you intend to start working on it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Steps Toward Spiritual Growth

"I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds" (John 12:24).

 

 

When you think about your walk with Jesus, some days you may wonder, "Why is this so hard? I'm still struggling with so many problems. When will I finally get it right?"

In my journey as a pastor, I've learned spiritual growth is often like the growth we see in nature--the best fruit ripens slowly. In John 12:24, Jesus says, "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds" (John 12:24).

The problem is we tend to get impatient, so we dig up the seed to check the progress of its growth, and that slows down our growth! If you're not seeing as much fruit as you'd like, don't despair. Growth takes time.

In the meantime, try these steps toward spiritual growth:

Nurture growth with God's Word--I know you're already doing this, but when you read the promises of God, again and again, it helps you remember that he is at work, even when you can't see him at work: "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1).

Cooperate with God as he prunes--Praise God for the work he's doing in your life, remembering "he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more" (John 15:2).

Pray through the 'fruit list'--Pray through the 'fruit list' from Galatians 5:22-23. The NIV Bible lists the fruit as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Ask God to help you grow this fruit in your life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PurposeDriven.com by Rick Warren