Proverb 11:24-25
I want to give you just five quick areas of our lives where I feel we can all become greater channels of blessing. I believe that God can take these areas and pour out so much blessing upon them that they will have an impact on our families, our community, and even our world, in a powerful way that has eternal results.
The first area that we don’t usually think of as a blessing is prayer. We never think of saying “I feel blessed today because I can be a channel of God’s blessing on those for whom I am praying.” The power of prayer is incredible…If we could see the blessings that are unleashed through prayer we would all become prayer warriors! The next time you pray for someone, don’t just ask God to fill their need…ask God to release his blessings upon them, that they might be overwhelmed with His presence and turn to Him.
Second, God wants us to be channels of Love. We receive God’s unconditional and undeserved love, through Jesus Christ; we ought to let the love of God flow through us. The Word says that “we love because He first loved us.” Because God is love, he certainly has an infinite supply to pour into us so we can pour into others. I have said this before and it bears repeating; “If you are not going to love people – all people – unconditionally…then don’t tell them God does!” It’s the most negative form of evangelism there is.
Third, what about being a channel of God’s forgiveness? We ought to say that “I feel blessed today because I am forgiven.” I have received God’s undeserved forgiveness. The Lord, in fact, commands us to forgive others with the same kind of forgiveness we have received…And, He says, if we don’t forgive others then he won’t forgive us…That’s a sobering thought. Forgive-ness is a blessing that must be passed on…
Forth, just as God’s Word is a blessing to our lives, so our words can be a blessing in the lives of others. We can never underestimate the power of words. Words can bless, encourage, help, lift up and build up… but, they can also have the opposite effect. Think about the fact that the hearts of people can be turned toward God because of our words…and they can also be turn away because of our words. If we want to be channels of God’s blessing, we must choose our words wisely and carefully.
Finally, of course, we can be channels of all the blessings God has given us through our actions and deeds. Using our talents, gifts, time, resources, or whatever we have, to be channels of blessing to people in need. In our Doxology we sing “Praise God from whom all blessings flow”… Do we really believe that? Do we live that?
Our scripture says “He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed!” We have often heard that we are God’s hands and feet, we are God’s eyes and ears and God’s heart to the world… As we bless those around us, God pours his blessings back in an abundant supply. Proverbs 28:20 says “A faithful man will abound with blessings”.
Captain Levy, a believer from Philadelphia, was once asked how he could give so much to the Lord’s work and still possess great wealth. The Captain replied, "Oh, as I shovel it out, He shovels it in, and the Lord has a bigger shovel."
You can’t put a price tag on
the satisfaction you get when you make someone’s life a little bit better. So,
if you really feel blessed this morning – Pass it on!
No comments:
Post a Comment