Life Ministries

“When He Reigns, It Pours”
Proverbs 11:24-25

    Back in the Book of Genesis chapter 12:2and 3 God promised Abraham a blessing so powerful that it would impact all the nations of the earth. And, God also said that through Abraham and his seed, all the nations of the earth would be blessed. (It is interesting to note that in Galatians 3:16 Christ is referred to as the “seed of Abraham”)…So, through Abraham, and ultimately through Christ, the blessings of God would flow out to all the world; especially and ultimately the blessing of salvation.

    God’s Word has a lot to say about the blessings of God. The power of God’s blessing can be a transform-ing power that is to flow through the life of a believer in many different dimensions. According to Acts 3:26 – the blessings of God are intended to turn people’s hearts from sinful ways and turn them back to God. We could say that the central purpose of God’s many blessings are to show him to the world, and turn their hearts back to him.
    Along with our scripture text for today, there are some other associated blessings I don’t want you to miss out on: First, Malachi 3:10 – “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” While this is not necessarily a message on Tithing, God certainly blesses us when we let his financial blessings flow through us.
    Here is another from Luke 6:38 – “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." I’ve chosen to sum up that principle this morning by taking some liberty with the Morton Salt slogan “When it rains, it pours”, and changing it to “When He reigns, it pours.”
    Flip Wilson was a popular comedian several years ago, some of you are old enough to remember him, but one of his characters was a Preacher at the "What’s Happening Now Church." In a skit that he did  He’d yell: "IF THIS CHURCH IS GOING TO SERVE GOD IT’S GOT TO GET DOWN ON ITS KNEES AND CRAWL!!!" And the congregation would yell back "Make it crawl preacher, make it crawl!...And then he would yell: "AND ONCE THIS CHURCH HAS LEARNED TO CRAWL, IT’S GOT TO GET UP ON ITS FEET AND WALK!!!" And the congregation would yell back "Make it walk preacher, make it walk."… Then he would say: AND ONCE THIS CHURCH HAS LEARNED TO WALK IT’S GOT BEGIN TO LEARN TO RUN!!!" And they would yell, "Make it run, preacher, make it run!"…Then he would say, "AND IN ORDER TO RUN, ITS GOT REACH DEEP DOWN INTO POCKETS AND LEARN TO GIVE!!!" And after a pause, and the people would say "Make it crawl preacher, make it crawl!"
    The blessing of God is not intended to make us materially rich. In fact, material things have a way of hindering God’s blessing! While he has promised to provide our needs, our hearts must be set on Him and His Kingdom; “Seek Ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.”
    I could mention many ways in which we feel blessed by God…and they all are true blessings…but, I think one of the most important and fulfilling dimensions of God’s blessings is when we are “channels” of God’s blessing. The blessings of God in our lives, whatever we have received from God in our lives, be it financial, relationships, love, grace, they must flow through us to reach people and show them God…and when we are channels of those blessings, God will turn their hearts toward Him.  When we think of the many ways we have been blessed, we ought to ask ourselves if we have just received those blessings and held on to them for ourselves…or have we had opportunity to be a “channel” and shared that blessing with someone in need?
    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 bless-ed 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 turn to Him.
    Second, God wants us to be channels of Love. We receive God’s unconditional 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.” It’s called Grace. 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. Forgiveness 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 the Church Doxology we sing “Praise God from whom all blessings flow”…Do we really believe that? I have to ask myself – “Am I living 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!