• 2 minute read •
“The blessing of the Lord makes rich…”
There are times in our life when we are overwhelmed by the fact that we’ve been blessed, having received something great that’s truly more than deserved. It is a powerful, compelling moment. (I bet Steph Curry felt at least somewhat that way in his recent game against Phoenix at Oracle Arena…Boy was it ever electric in there!)
And, like a train pulling out of a station, we find ourselves increasingly crediting others for these blessings, God included. The more frequent these awarenesses come, the better. (Any thought of blessing instantly grabbing your attention?)
Yes, blessings often do make us wonder why. And God has surely outlined good reasons for His blessings to us. There are three primary understandings. Let’s master them.
God blesses us:
- TO REWARD US. We’ve been good. God sees this and wants to encourage our faith, our faithfulness, and our obedience. He doesn’t want the good we do to go unnoticed and unrewarded. He loves us and wants to catch us doing things right, not just wrong, so He reserves blessings for us. (1 Samuel 2:30 and Hebrews 11:6)
- TO ELICIT OUR WORSHIP. Above all, we were made for worship. In fact, the highest purpose for our creation is His worship. So the blessings God bestows are meant to generate what He wants – His further, ongoing worship. The more we recognize Him in these blessings, the more our worship will flow. Our blessings are meant to elevate Him, not us. (Romans 2:4)
- TO BLESS OTHERS. We cannot assume that the blessings we receive are meant solely for us. Many are meant to be shared, to be extended to others. As we do so, we imitate God and others get a better idea of what He is like. When we fail to extend God’s grace and His blessings to others after we have received it ourselves, the Bible says we have received it in vain. This third reason for our blessing is most oft overlooked. (2 Corinthians 6:1, freely give, much given)
Making it personal, may I ask…
* You feeling blessedly rewarded lately? Blessed by whom? For what?
* How much worship is God getting out of your blessings?
* In what way could you practice this week the blessing of others as you’ve been blessed?
LORD,
Keep making it compellingly clear how much I’ve been blessed. Open my eyes and overwhelm me with a sense of Your goodness and grace that will drive me to express Your greater worth and worship in my life. Help me to extend it to others as you’ve extended it to me.
For Your glory and my great joy in You,
Amen
Maximum effort.
Heart for others.
Glory to God.
Coach Mo
P.S. Here is a short sample of that Curry barrage for your viewing pleasure below:
Written by: Coach Mo
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As a veteran basketball coach, life coach, and Jesus follower, ‘Coach Mo’ is all about finding joy in the journey by making stops, scoring buckets, and getting wins in life with others. His daily wake-up cadence is “For the good of the game and growth of its people to the glory of God!“
Countdown
3 Simple Joys
- Reading God‘s Word (Jeremiah 15:16)
- Being in gymnasium
- Finding light switches in the dark
2 Hobbies
- Backgammon/Sudoku/spike ball with my family
- Dating my wife 🙂
1 Favorite Scripture
It’s a tie…;-)
- 2 Corinthians 4:18
As we look not to things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. - Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. - Psalm 16:11
You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. - Colossians 1:17
“And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”
