Christians often find their third tithe years to be abundant with all types of blessings and invaluable lessons learned. (From Forerunner Commentary). Paul later put it this way: But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. And he said, Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake (Matthew 5:10). Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord. Now, Father, I need You to restore my heart. Spiritual Blessings Growing Christians Ministries Gods temporal blessings are not inconsistent with suffering. The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace. These are the blessings our Lord Himself brings to pass in His second coming. Blessing and cursing are both temporal and eternal, the temporal being partial and mixed with sorrow, while the eternal is full and complete. W Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. All their years will be pleasant. Job 36:11 (NLT), Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. Job 5:17 (NIV), Blessed is the person who does not follow the advice of wicked people, take the path of sinners, or join the company of mockers. Psalm 1:1 (GW), Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods. Psalm 40:4 (NIV), Blessed are those who dwell in your house to worship; they are ever praising you. Psalm 84:4 (NIV), Give freely to the poor person, and do not wish that you didnt have to give. Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. 1:9,10). To belong to Christ is to belong to God as our Father and to be heirs of all that God owns that is, everything. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage! For the Lord is a God of justice, blessed are all who wait for him! Isaiah 30:18 (NIV), Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. Jeremiah 17:7 (NIV), The best of all the first fruits and of all your special gifts will belong to the priests. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:7-18). To sum up, let all be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil, or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing (1 Peter 3:8-9). But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. By paying to God what we owe Him (that is, His tithes), He rewards us with blessings. All of the prophets of Israel were resisted, rejected, and persecuted because they spoke to men for God: And the Lord, the God of their fathers, sent word to them again and again by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place; but they continually mocked the messengers of God, despised His words and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, until there was no remedy (2 Chronicles 36:15-16).101. Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. Some Christians seem to be saying that we can be assured of receiving all the promises now. And in so doing, we actually miss the blessing God has for us in affliction. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, Behold, we are your servants. But Joseph said to them, Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? Heres the principle: in Gods wisdom, the Jewish religion of the Old Testament was largely a come and see religion. Revelation 21 and 22. Storing up spiritual treasures in heaven is far more important than physical prosperity. Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. Verses 3-14. Deuteronomy 28:1-2. C Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Though Esau would not receive the physical blessings passed down from Abraham, Isaac did give him a smaller blessing of limited agricultural blessings . For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong (1 Peter 3:13-17). Matthew 16:21-27 If Thy law had not been my delight, Then I would have perished in my affliction (Psalm 119:92). And if it costs you your life, lay it down. Jesus says very plainly, Any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple (Luke 14:33). Routinely, such letters go in the trash without my even opening them. on 03/30/2021. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. Philippians 4:19 Give, and it will be given to you. I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily; he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon; his shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive, and his fragrance like Lebanon. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. Paul adds that itis set apart by God in accordance with His Word and prayer,a clear indication that we are to offer thanks to the Lord forwhat we have at every meal. Think of being "in Christ" as a spiritual location. Paul says, The world is yours. Gods blessings are based upon His grace and not our works. Through suffering we are blessed in many ways: And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us (Romans 5:3-5). The suffering of some saints should be no more troublesome to us than the success of some saints, or even the success of some sinners. If we would understand what in the world God is doing in these days, we must understand what the Bible teaches about divine blessing. The full and final blessing of God is not accompanied with sorrow. For all things are for your sakes, that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God. Theres no great temple-like edifice in Christianity. 1:9,10). From later history, we know that because of Josephs ill-treatment by his brothers, he was enslaved in Egypt. But in addition to the deserved suffering of Israel, many godly Israelites suffered. in 1971. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. The way you handle matters like this triggers God, your Gods, blessing in everything you do, all your work and ventures. Deuteronomy 15:10 (Msg), Worship the Lord your God and his blessing will be on your food and water. The Lord will help you defeat the enemies that come to fight you. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? But that forgiveness is not always guaranteed, and is usually conditional on our repentance. Therefore do not be anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we wear? For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. They suppose prosperity is ones reward for being spiritual and that suffering is the consequence of sin. Some preachers and teachers promise Gods blessings as confidently as the mail promises a free gift. The great nation was still one seed, Jacob. Obedience, stemming from gratitude, faith, love, and hope, which is empowered by Gods Spirit, brings the temporal blessings of God, while disobedience brings a curse (Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28; Psalm 106:3; 112:1; 119:1-2; Proverbs 8:32; Isaiah 44:3; Daniel 12:12; John 13:17; James 1:12; Revelation 14;13). What are spiritual blessings? | GotQuestions.org Next we will look at our Lords teaching on blessing before turning to the rest of the New Testament to study divine blessing. One would not have chosen Abrahams life to illustrate blessing. Eternal blessings are experienced by saints who have been transformed into the image of Christ, whose mortal bodies are left behind and who live in a new world free of sin, of Satan, and of the curse (see 1 Corinthians 15:35-58; 1 John 3:2; Revelation 21 and 22). When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface: "It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. Luke 14:12-14 (NIV), You will be blessed in every way, and you will be able to keep on being generous. (12) Gods temporal blessing is neither synonymous with prosperity nor incompatible with suffering. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you!. Yet our prayers betray us. Be lord over your brothers, and may your mother's sons bow down to you. 1 Chron 23:13. Jeremiah 18:7-10 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God. But Peter was wrong for supposing that Gods blessings were incompatible with suffering. Here are 10 bible verses about unexpected blessings that will bring you peace and joy when you need it most. His teaching was radically different from that of the Jewish religious leaders of His day. (1) Gods blessing refers to His purpose, pronouncement, and process of bringing about a persons good. All of us deserve to suffer for our sins. Divine blessing certainly is not well understood. J Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them (Hebrews 11:13-16). The promise of blessing passed from Abraham to Isaac (Genesis 26:24) to Jacob (Genesis 27:27-29; 28:12-15). On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. What a verse! Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God. Through Thee we will push back our adversaries; Through Thy name we will trample down those who rise up against us. The Jews thought of God's blessings in primarily physical and . Only God can make something good from that which seems evil at the moment. God's blessings are meant to protect us, guide us to the path of righteousness, and give us hope. Blog, A If not, we have reason to question whether our faith is real. - Numbers 6:24-26. He protects them and keeps them alive; he publicly honors them and destroys the power of their enemies. Psalm 41:1-2 (LB). My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. All, as the writer informs us in verse 39, gained approval through their faith. All, as he also reminds us, did not receive what was promised (verse 39, see also Hebrews 11:13). God promised to finish the work He started in us (Philippians 1:6). Yet Thou hast rejected us and brought us to dishonor, And dost not go out with our armies. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. What is the basis for blessing and cursing? 3) states summarily the ground of thanksgiving, expanding it with glowing fullness in vers. To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library.