“Bless you!”
“Let’s say the blessing.”
“Bless your heart.”
“God bless America.”
The word “bless” has become part of our everyday language. We look at it casually, almost like a slightly more spiritual version of a wish. Even those with highly sensitive radars for political correctness can accept the word “bless.” Yet this word began as much more than a desire for well-being in another person or nation. Rolf Garborg says in The Family Blessing:
Throughout the Bible we find ample evidence that the God of Abraham was a God of blessing. In fact, the words bless or blessing appear in Scripture in some form or another about seven hundred times. Apparently Abraham, along with countless other people in the Bible, needed and welcomed the grace, power, and encouragement that could be poured into their lives through God’s blessing.
The first blessing appears in Genesis 1:22, “God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number.” This type of blessing is yours simply because you exist. All of humanity experiences God’s goodness in many ways. As Jesus said, “God causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good” (Matthew 5:45).
For those of us who are in Christ the blessings go much deeper. Not only do we share in the physical blessings of this earth; we also receive the spiritual blessings of heaven. The verse above makes an astounding claim—every spiritual blessing is ours through Christ. God has not withheld anything from us. Grace, peace, hope, love, strength…they are all ours.
Next time you hear someone casually exclaim, “Bless you!” take a moment to pause and remember you are already blessed. Far more than you could ever ask or imagine has been given to you through Christ. You are spiritually rich beyond your wildest dreams. Our Heavenly Father held nothing back from us—may nothing hold us back from living fully in His blessings.
You are blessed
not just with what you need for today
but with everything that matters for all eternity.
You are blessed
not just with good things
but with the best of all God has to offer
You are blessed
not just because you’re alive
but because you’re loved by One who’s Life Himself.
You are blessed
not just so you can receive
but so you can give and be a blessing too
(and you are).
– from God’s Heart for You: Embracing Your True Worth as a Woman
* Weekly Link Up: For the next five weeks, each Tuesday we’ll be talking about a different word that answers “In God’s Heart I Am….” This week’s word is Blessed. You can write on your blog about the word “Blessed” and link up below. Please link back to this post on your blog. If you don’t have a blog, you can simply share in the comments section for this post.
Do either by Sunday at midnight and you’ll be entered the mug set above from the new God’s Heart Collection by Blessings Unlimited! Next week our phrase is Wonderfully Made. *
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