Begging For That Blessing

Earl Gillespie

Begging For That Blessing

The idea is promulgated, but not scripturally sound  is, "when praises go up blessing come down", thus creating the ATM effect.  I come to you with my hands outstretched looking for a blessing, is not an acceptable approach to a spiritual or nature father.  The same holds true with the prosperity theory.  To enforce the idea of both it requires the misinterpretation and shaping of the scripture.  

In these days of religious disconnects and amid the increase levels of praying and requesting a blessing from God, let us consider these requests, and explore the meaning of blessings.  A blessing is an act, special gift, or reward that only the giver can give.  Enjoying the good life appears to be the consensus when attempting to define blessing.  Can we conclude from that statement that the disciple of Jesus did not enjoy the blessing of God?   Imagine a minister of John the Baptist's status today.

The use of a broad spectrum to define a special act tends to be destructive to the meaning of the act.  The The definition of a blessing should be relative to the relationship between the giver and the receiver.  First, let us consider the use of the word ‘blessed’ by Jesus.  Jesus gave a message extolling the virtues of blessings.  Let us read the entire message on ‘Blessed’ to see if we can get a feel for the word.  Matthew 5:1-12, And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.”  ”Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.”  “Blessed are they, which do hunger, and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.”  “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”  “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.”  “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.”  “Blessed are they, which are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.”  “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets that were before you.” 

According to these examples, to be blessed you must endure hardship.  This is detractions from the accepted norm of enjoying the good life.  Those who meet the conditions Jesus spoke of can enjoy the fruit of the spirit, peace, happiness, and love because they have a reward waiting for them in the Kingdom of God.  In these situations, a blessing is not tangible, yet it injects a spirit of euphoria in the receiver.  The effects of the blessings offered by Jesus are a promise for the future. 

Are blessings a part of worship?  Consider this Luke 24:53, “and were continually in the temple, praising and blessing (Who?) God.  Amen.”  David said, “I will bless the Lord.”  How can we ‘Bless’ the Lord?  I have often heard that we bless the Lord thru giving.  The emphasis is on money and the more we give to the preacher the more God will gives to us.  This is a major cause of disconnect between the younger generation who is not afraid to ask questions.  The rich young ruler asked Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life” Jesus did not tell the rich man to sell all he had and bring the money to him.  He said,’ “sell what you have and give it to the poor.”  When we bless God, we give him control of our life.  To bless God is to submit our will to Him and allow him to use us.  To serve, honor, and obey seems to be the most appropriate way to bless God.  

A blessing given empowers the receiver to act.  Genesis 1:28, “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”  God blesses us when he takes control of our life.  We bless God when we give him control of our life (will) and perform according to his will. 

A blessing is a verbal and spiritual manifestation.  In the New Testament, the word blessing seems to indicate that it was a verbal expression.  James 3:10 says, “Out of the same mouth proceeded blessing and cursing.  My brethren, these things ought not so to be.”  The New Testament speaks of the blessing of the gospel, the cup of blessing, the blessings of Abraham, and the blessings from God.  In Hebrews 12:17 with reference to Judas, “For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.”  

In the Old Testament, giving and receiving a blessing was serious business.  Genesis 27:36, “And he said, is not he rightly named Jacob?”  “He hath supplanted me these two times, he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing and he said, “Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?”  He came with hands outstretched, begging for a blessing.  Birthright was the possessions of the father that passed on to the oldest son.  Blessing, here again indicate a type of verbal expression that caused the receiver to exist in a state of euphoria.  In this case, there was an expectation of earthly treasure to come because of the blessing, yet earthly treasure was not limited to the one blessed.  This type of blessing gave the receiver the power to operate in the name of the giver.  When God gives us a blessing, he is giving us the power to operate in his name. 

In Deuteronomy 11:26-27 God said,” Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day.”  This indicated the opposite of a blessing was a curse. 

  We can conclude that there are two types of blessing, a spiritual blessing, and a natural blessing.  God has already provided for our natural blessings.  We can thank him for the blessing he has bestowed upon us.  He created everything man needed to be happy before he created man.  Because of sin, our spiritual essence is what suffers most.  Here is where Matthew 7:7 comes into full play, we should ask, seek, and knock in our search for spiritual gifts or blessings.   Ask, and it shall be given you. There are three different forms presented in God’s word of seeking the things, which we need from God asking, seeking, and knocking.  The latter is taken from the act of knocking at a door for admittance. Knocking signify to seek with earnestness, and diligence, and perseverance. The promise that what we seek will be given carries the implication that we seek with a proper spirit, with humility, sincerity, and perseverance. We must also ask the things, which it is consistent for God to give. That is, things which he has promised to give, and which would be best for his kingdom and us.  1st. John 5:14, “And this is the confidence that we have in him that, if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”  Of that, God is to be the judge.  God has already provided for us, now he is willing to forgive our sins, to save our souls, to befriend us in trials, to comfort us in death, to extend the gospel through the world.   Man cannot ask no higher things of God, and things he might ask, assured that God is willing to grant them.  Seek first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness.   Ask for the fruit of the spirit.

 The religious pundits have continued a rigorous campaign to convince us that the blessing of God is about natural things.  I am not against thanking God for all things.  There was a time when praying God’s blessings was about praying for spiritual power, now it’s about possessions and worldly power.  The greatest blessing that most can attest to is the blessing of waking and getting out of bed.  Nowhere in Jesus statements of blessings did he say, “Blessed is the person who woke up this morning.”  For a religious person to place so much emphasis on living is a contradiction.   Do you believe in God?  

There are people who have accepted their sickness and know they are dying.  They are not blessed nor are they impressed when others are constantly thanking God for being alive.  People are dying every day and the religious community is praying for God to let them live.  If dying means you are going back to the father, the place where we will receive our reward, where is the blessing in living?  Thanking God for allowing us to work another day in his vineyard seems to be more appropriate.  However, when the day is over, when our Job is done, we should want to go home.  A noted preacher once said, “I wish Jesus would come back tomorrow, and mess up all of my plans.”    

The successful messengers will tell his congregation, “God want you to live a long life and be prosperous.”  This is a saleable suggestion.  The listeners are encouraged to pay money to learn the secret.  I have seen the pain that people endure when a love one die.  I have even seen loved ones suffering the pain of longevity.  I am confused when I hear church people testify of how blessed they are to be alive.  This type of testimony can cause the hearers to stumble.  It also gives the Devil a chance to mess with a suffering person’s mind.  I think of my father, my brothers, men who served God, yet they died at an early death.  Then there is the man who lied cheated and commits adultery and according to the Bible, he was a sinner, and he lived to reach one hundred.  Must we acquaint natural life and death cycles with blessings and curses?  The young pastor who died in a horrific accident on his way to preach in a revival service evoked the hollow words of consolation, “God know what he is doing.”  This type of consolation or response has caused many people to run from God.