2Kings 8:19- Nevertheless, for the sake of his servant David, the Lord was not willing to destroy Judah. He had promised to maintain a lamp for David and his descendants forever.
Some blessings are not based on our behavior, but on our favor.
Have you ever reflected on the fortune you have been given in life? For example:
- blessed by having hands, feet, eyes, ears, etc that allow us to do and experience all life offers
- blessed to have parents and family
- blessed with friends and community
- blessed to live in the united states
- blessed to be born in an era of freedom and opportunity
- blessed to have a job, or the skills and intelligence to make a living
- blessed to be married, or to have kids, or to be single
- blessed to be able to read (this post) and communicate ideas
The list can go on, but the point is that many times blessing is not earned, it is simply received from previous generations. We tend to think we are smart or cunning or capable of generating our own blessings in life, when the truth is that often it has nothing to do with us. And then our pride kicks in and we don't appreciate what blessing we have received.
Worse yet, what if we are being blessed but living a lifestyle opposite of what the blessing requires? Then our pride starts taking credit for the blessings of life that we should be stripped of. Even more disastrous, we would be teaching others to do the exact opposite behaviors of producing blessing.
Many kings of Judah lived like this---enjoying the blessing of God even though they were living in opposition to Him. Although they deserved destruction, they were given favor. In the end, if passed on curses instead of blessing to their grandchildren.
You also see this in families and batons today---where kids take advantage of what their parents provide while living in rebellion, or generations living in debt on the backs of their kids and grand kids. Blessed? Yes. Behaving? No.
Be careful how you evaluate your blessings. You might just be living on the reserves of a previous blessing and liquidating your bank account rapidly. Eventually, there will be a day of reckoning, and you will have to deal with it.
And one other thought. We all were blessed to live in the period of time AFTER the cross. Our lives were given incredible blessing through God's forgiveness, but it wasn't because of our behavior. So if you are living in rebellion or sin, consider the effect on your blessing account. Start living to be a depositor instead of a withdrawer.
How can you make deposits to the blessing account in others lives?
No comments:
Post a Comment