Blessed to bless
The world could be radically changed if every single follower of Jesus lived believing that two things are true.
One, God blesses His children, and two, God blesses through His children.
Guess what? They are.
I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. (Genesis 12:2 NIV, emphasis mine)
What God promised the man who would be the father of the faith is still true for all of us in the faith today. You and I are blessed, which means that in every situation we find ourselves, we have something from God to share with others.
It could be money, or time, or a kind word, or a smile. Perhaps the scripture you read earlier in the day is the truth you needed to share with someone in a tough situation? The point is that God promised to bless us, and the blessing isn’t off in the distance. If you’re breathing, you’re blessed.
How would circumstances change if you and I stepped into them confident that we had something to give and were willing to give it? I thought about that last night as our family ate in a short-staffed restaurant, and we watched our server running between tables, smiling the whole time. She was in a tough situation, and yet she was blessing the people at her tables with kindness.
How would circumstances change if you and I stepped into them confident that we had something to give and were willing to give it? Share on XAt the end of the meal, it was our turn. We intentionally place margin in our family budget so that we can be generous when we sense God prompting us. Why? Because if number one above is true, then we need to live out the truth of the second statement, too. We need to be vessels of blessing.
You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. (2 Corinthians 9:11 NIV, emphasis mine)
If we have extra (whether intentionally through budgeting or unintentionally through a blessing), then God has enriched us so that we can be generous. I wanted to see our server’s face when she got the nearly 150% tip we left, but that wasn’t the point. I thought that maybe we should write some kind of Jesus-y thing on the bill or leave a tract, but that felt forced. So, I wrote three simple words on the receipt — “You were AWESOME!” — and then we walked out.
Because we’re blessed to be a blessing (Genesis 12:2), and because when we bless it results in God being thanked (2 Corinthians 9:11), I have no doubt that when she saw the words of blessing and the tip of generosity, she mouthed the words, “Thank God.”
Today, you’ve got blessings to bring to the table, but don’t settle for just bringing them. Give them, too, and watch people change.
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