Blessed!
Posted By admin1 on May 5, 2010
And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God (Deuteronomy 28: 1-2).
Often we think of blessings as being independent of what we do, as random series of us receiving good things from the Lord. It could be so to some extent because “He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities” (Psalms 103: 10). God continues to be good even when we are not. And that is a blessing in itself.
However the blessings and curses are also the results of our actions or lack thereof. We are blessed when we keep the commandments and cursed when we do not: “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city” (Revelation 22: 14).
The scriptures emphasize that we are blessed in doing good, even before receiving the good reward. The blessing is in doing, hence Paul writes “I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20: 35). The blessing is in doing and in giving.
Jesus also taught: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (St. Matthew 6: 33). We will receive all these things, but we have to seek him first. Our commitment to God must come first. So religion is not to get, but it is something to do. That is why also Jesus specifically taught saying, “If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them” (St. John 13: 17). Meaning blessed are ye if ye do them. If we do not do them, then there is no blessing either.
Taking the understanding that it is more blessed to give than to receive, on the Mount of Olives Jesus taught a lot about being blessed. One of the blessings he mentioned was for those who are peace makers. The blessing and reward was for them to be called the Children of God (St. Matthew 5: 9). So to be blessed enough to be called a child of God, the duty is to go out and make peace with others and to pursue it (Psalms 34: 14).
It is a blessing to keep God’s Commandments because often it is only few who obey His voice. Being blessed is not only the reward for doing for the Lord. For David wrote in Psalms 34: 1 saying “I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise shall continually be in my mouth”. Our obedience can bless the Lord. Our praises bless the Lord, even as David sang “Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name” (Psalms 103: 1).
Blessing entails both receiving from the Lord as much as giving to the Lord. For as much as we want to receive good things from the Lord, let us also be prepared to give to God. “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen” (Psalms 41: 13).
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