I’m so excited to have a guest blogger on today… hope you enjoy!
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Have you ever had a friend tell you some good news that they are experiencing and found yourself saying that they are blessed?
Perhaps you have said that you are blessed to have a job, or blessed that you have a house, a car, get to travel, and the list goes on. Whenever I hear people saying that someone is blessed by God based on their current circumstance, I ask myself “Is that really a blessing?” This may seem like an odd question to ponder, so let me explain what I believe was a God inspired conviction.
A few weeks ago while I was showering I thanked God for the ability to shower every day, I thanked Him for the hot water, I thanked Him for the clean water, then I said thank you God for blessing me. I immediately heard a small voice say back to me, “There are Christians in the world that will never experience hot showers, or have access to clean water – does this mean that they are less blessed than you?” Wow, this powerful conviction really awakened my spirit to a new way of thinking.
It didn’t end here for me, over the next few weeks I found myself listening to how other Christians refer to some of our privileges as blessings. I heard someone comment that God blessed them because they had children. I asked myself “Does this mean that barren Christian women are not blessed by God?” I heard someone comment that God blessed them because they had medication for a health issue. I asked myself “Is a Christian without access to medical services less blessed by God.” I continued to answer these types of question with the same response “No!”
I am so thankful to God for what He has provided to me, there is no way that someone like me should have the luxuries and privileges that I experience daily. How wonderful to be born in a country with so many freedoms, how wonderful to be placed in Ontario, a premium province in Canada. How wonderful to have food in abundance and the ability to waste as much as I do. What did I do to deserve this? Nothing.
Does God bless me? The answer is a resounding Yes. Is all of the above an indication of how blessed by God I am? The answer is a resounding No. I love God and I am so thankful that He chose to place me in this station in life, but this is not an indication of blessings. Look around, there are a number of non-believers that have the same privileges that I do; conversely there are a number of Christian believers in the world that lack so many of the fundamentals that we take for granted.
I now understand that the blessings of God are accessible to all Christian believers everywhere in the world regardless of their circumstance. I turned to the Word to see what Jesus said in Matthew chapter 5, what is commonly known as the BeAttitudes.3”Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. 7Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. 8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God. 10Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Our precious Father is so wonderful and careful with people that He made it possible for all believers to receive His blessings. His blessings include: the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in our lives; the reconciliation work of Jesus on the cross, and the eternal blessing of being with Him forever in Heaven.
I am still thankful and know the importance of following Philippians chapter 4 “6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be known to God; 7and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guide your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
While life may not always respond in my favour I know that God – has blessed me with all the eternal things that each believer receives. I am thankful that I can walk in the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit and that I serve a King who is willing to teach me about Him even when I am in the shower!
As believers, we do seem to equate what we call “blessings”, with things that benefit us, make us feel good, better our lives financially or otherwise, and are the answers were were hoping for to the requests we made in prayer.
But in my personal life, God has shown me His true blessings are quite different!
Like in the Beatitudes, my blessings resembled more like the poor in spirit, the mournful, the hungry & thirsty, and the persecuted.
But it was not until these experiences had been repeating in my life for awhile that I began to understand that God was actually Blessing me with Brokenness.
You see, God knew I needed to be broken of my own will and self-sufficient spirit for Him to begin to answer my prayer for a deeper trust and faith with Him.
I can now say that I am Thankful for God’s Blessing of ongoing work of brokenness in my life.
Carolyn
Thank you for sharing.