Blessings

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing … Ephesians1:3ESV

How do you count your blessings? The old song says “Count your blessings, name them one by one”, and in the words of the old fiery preachers, “name them and claim them”. Sadly that wee phrase has become the byword of the prosperity gospel people, but we can lay claim to it too. I have a plaque in my kitchen which reads, “When I count my Blessings, I count you twice”. Do you have blessings like that?

I don’t know about you, but when things are not going so well, I forget to recognise my blessings, never mind count them once, and certainly not twice. Does that relate to you too? But God blesses us over and over again, even when we don’t see it, feel it, or recognise it. In one short verse, the apostle uses the word Blessed and blessing three times as if to make a point, and Paul makes it well. Simply put, we are blessed more than we deserve!

If you do a search in the Bible for the words ‘blessings, blessed, or bless, you will find hundreds of places where God will look after, or bless us, His people, and pour out so many blessings that we can’t contain them, even when we can’t feel them. God’s promise is this: “He has (already) blessed us with every spiritual blessing”. It’s a fact, not a theory. It’s a promise, not a thought. And since He is a God of His Word, we can count on it. So, next time you are tempted to think that God has left you on your own, remember His blessings. While you are there, start counting!

Giving

It is more blessed to give than to receive. Acts20:35NIV

What a difference a few years makes. It doesn’t seem so long ago that I was the one waiting for the gifts under the tree at Christmas. I can almost taste the excitement it was so palpable. The early morning start, even though I wasn’t a morning person, the festive music playing which was the signal that Christmas Day had started, and Santa had been.

There always were gifts, so I guess I must have been good. Never a disappointment, and I thought things could never get better. Ever! When you are in Primary School your world revolves around getting presents, and comparing them to the ones your friends got. No one was ever unhappy with theirs because, somehow, this magical Santa knew what you needed, and what you wanted. The best part was that he knew the difference!

I can clearly remember my mum and dad, just sitting and watching the excitement. Getting very little, but soaking in the joy of their family as they ripped their way through the wrapping paper. When I was blessed to be a dad myself, I found some of that inner joy while looking on, but I also had my own presents too.

Then, the day of the biggest and best surprise arrived. I had turned into my parents and all I wanted to see was the joy of my now grown children, and grandchildren as they tore off the Christmas wrapping paper to reveal the Christmas surprises. Just as it was with me, they were never bad so they got a year’s worth of goodness in gift form.

Scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit, so it should come as no surprise to finally realise, and accept that it really is more blessed to give than to receive. Getting a special gift from that special person is good, but it is supremely better to be the giver of that special gift! Unfortunately, to get to this place, you have to grow up. Happy Christmas everyone!!

Blessed

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3-10 ESV

I had a fresh look at the so familiar passage we call the Beatitudes, and as happens so often with Scripture, found another truth that I had overlooked before. It isn’t so much seeing something there that’s new, but more like noticing things that are NOT there!

The people called ‘Blessed’ are not seen as proud or arrogant, or self seeking, or ill tempered know-it-alls. These special people are a breed of the Kingdom of God unlike others, and bear in mind that these words were spoken by Jesus to a great crowd who were not disciples or followers. Jesus had the temerity to call these ordinary folks, ‘Blessed’!

My revelation in reading these verses afresh is that I must be open to receiving God’s many Blessings in a humble and contrite manner. I can’t presume on God’s Blessings just because I go to church and call myself a Christian. The multitude who stood and listened didn’t fall into the ‘churchy’ group. They followed because He had the Words of Life, and Jesus was showing them the heart of the matter, and the way they should act. Now would be a good time to read the list again, and better still meditate on what it means to our own lives. How can I be ‘Blessed’ or ‘happy’? Certainly not by standing on a soap box and shouting how bad we all are and deserving of hell (which we are). But by changing from the inside first, and then showing the life of Jesus to the wider community.

This is not a pithy little list of nice sayings you might see on social media to make us feel good. These are all Blessings coming from the heart first, and only then do we see the result that God has stored up for us. Seen in this light, I have found new meaning and insight into the heart of a primarily Holy, but loving and giving God who will change us from the inside out.

Poor In Spirit

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3

This small verse has pride of place in the list of beatitudes because Jesus thought it was important enough to put it first. A coincidence? I don’t think so.

What comes to your mind when you hear the phrase, “poor in spirit”? A few thoughts pop into my head, and maybe they match some of your own. I think of the folks who live and think simply and uncluttered by life’s troubles. I think of some who are diseased or afflicted of mind, and don’t think straight. They maybe couldn’t hold down a regular job. What about those who feel down and depressed? These folks don’t get a lot of sympathy in today’s world because they make a point of keeping their feelings hidden. In fact none of these fit nicely into our acceptable mould, yes even our pristine clean church leaders and members don’t know what to do with them.

Here’s the good news, and it’s worth remembering when you think of your family and friends who are not blessed with a clear, sound mind now. Perhaps they once did, and were the life of any get together, but now find it impossible to hold a conversation, and in extreme cases, may even need help in their everyday routines. Jesus has a word for your friends.

Jesus calls them “Blessed”. That’s the same word used when the angel visited Mary to tell her she would carry and bear the Saviour of the world. “Blessed”. Let it sink in. Then as if that wasn’t enough, Jesus gives the best announcement for these blessed “poor in spirit” folks. He tells them, and everyone else like them, that “theirs is the kingdom of heaven”. Jesus confers two of the greatest honours on these people of simple thought and mind. They are blessed, and have a promise of heaven. Brother and sister, it doesn’t get any better than this does it? And straight from the lips of the Saviour. Amen and Amen!!

Happy

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are those persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:3-12

Jesus says ‘Blessed’ nine times in as many verses, so should we not take note? Firstly the word ‘blessed’ also means ‘happy’. I don’t know about you, but there are some things in these verses which any of us would find hard to be happy about, but that’s the command straight from the lips of the Master, the author of our faith.

You will have been in the company of some positive, and happy people at some time and it is impossible to come away sad or discouraged. The happiness is contagious and their smile spreads to your lips and eyes without you even noticing. You can’t help it. The best thing you can do is to pass that happiness on when you meet the next person. The message I get from these verses is that your circumstances should not be bigger than your ability to be positive and be happy, or know you are blessed! Is that hard to do?

What about the opposite situation then? How do you feel when you share some time in the company of someone who runs everybody and everything down? Someone who hasn’t a kind or good word to say about anything, and who has a face like a ‘Lurgan Spade’ as my dad used to say. For those who don’t know, a Lurgan Spade is a long, thin spade for digging deep but narrow furrows. Get the picture? I guarantee you can’t get away soon enough, and when you do come away you feel depressed, unhappy and saddened. You don’t need that, so you make sure you avoid contact with that person as much as you can. Not easy if that person is family!

What do you want people to think of you as you are in their company? Yes, it makes a big difference when you are ‘blessed’ or ‘happy’ as Jesus wants and asks. It is no coincidence that the best witnesses for the kingdom are those who shine the happiness of salvation, and your friends or family will not be trying to avoid you either. How good is that? You get to witness and enjoy their company often, and that makes us blessed indeed.

A Prayer

O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.

So even to old age and grey hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation….. Psalm 71:17,18

If you had one wish for your life, what would it be? Would it possibly take the form of a prayer like the Psalmist? In our youth, we seldom have time or the desire to think beyond our own needs, or the immediate needs of our family if we are blessed with one. The real question behind my words is, what is most important to you, and what do you want your legacy to be when you are gone?

We all know folks who have walked this life, done good, lived close to their Lord and God, and we relish their memory much more than some others. The reason for this is their quest and zest for life, and for passing something of that enthusiasm down to the rest of us. The way they did that was through their simple, unassuming, uncluttered faith. And we can do the same.

The best way for us to influence others for good is firstly to get old gracefully. We joke about that, but there is a truth underlying the words. There is no better or greater example than one given from a full heart, and a love for God which drives all other loves. When we are close to God, we automatically become closer to our spouse, children and friends and without it being an effort. So while life lasts, at whatever age we are, let us live out the words of the Psalmist when he prays: So even to old age and grey hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation.

The ageing  Apostle of Love, John, puts it so well when he records his own thoughts in 3 John 4, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” Amen to that prayer.