Word of Encouragement (3/11/2021)

Yesterday, in talking about the importance of proper stewardship of God’s answer to our prayer, we considered Hezekiah’s negative example and how terrible the consequence was. If we are not careful, we can easily turn God’s blessings into curses. One way to do it is when we make them into a means to further our greed and selfishness. So then, we must ask ourselves why we want certain things and desire them enough to pray for them. Whatever the reason, it must not be for the satisfaction of our selfish greed.

Think about what the Bible says about God’s blessings, including His answer to our prayer. What did God promise when He called Abram? “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing” (Gen. 12:2). Here, God made it clear that His promise was not just for Abram’s blessing but also for the blessing of others through him. It is wonderful to enjoy God’s blessings. But we see our enjoyment doubled and multiplied when we share our blessings with others. It is like traveling with someone special and enjoying the sight and experience together as opposed to traveling by oneself.

Consider the contrast between two bodies of water in Palestine—the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. Both are fed by the Jordan River but the Sea of Galilee is full of life whereas the Dead Sea is lifeless. Why? There is only one difference: situated 1,300 ft. below the sea level, there is no outlet for the water to pass through the Dead Sea: it just receives and receives water from the Jordan without letting it out the other way. The water gets collected there and grows stagnant to the point that no life can live there. On the contrary, the water passes through the Sea of Galilee so the water remains fresh, allowing water creatures to thrive there.

This principle applies to us as well. Regarding our spiritual gifts (which are God’s gracious blessings to us), Peter says, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace” (1 Pet. 4:10). Paul, too, says, “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Cor. 12:7). How important it is to remember this principle in our stewardship of God’s blessings! The more we bless others by exercising our spiritual gifts, the better we get at our spiritual gifts, enabling us to bless others more and better for the glory of God. And the more we share God’s blessings with others, the greater our joy will be. We should keep this in mind even when we suffer. Paul says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Cor. 1:3-4). Under God’s sovereign and wise rule, even our afflictions are not wasted.

How has God blessed you? Has God answered your prayer recently? What is it producing in you? Can it be used to bless others?

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