God Told Abraham That He Would Bless Him and Through Him Bless All Nations
How often do we ask God to bless us? It’s a request I make most every day. Sometimes more than once. I suspect you may often ask for God’s blessings too.
What do we mean when we ask for God’s blessings? Are we asking for the intangible, more joy, peace, and clarity? Or do we desire tangible things, like money, possessions, and power?
We might ask for his blessings in a vague way, not really knowing what we’re requesting.
When God blesses us, is it simply to make our lives better? More enjoyable? Easier? Could be. He does love us, and he may bless us simply because he loves us and wants to do good things for us.
Be a Blessing
To father Abraham God promised that he would make Abraham into a great nation and bless him. In turn he would be a blessing to others. Everyone on earth would be blessed through Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3).
So, God blessed Abraham so that he could bless others. I think this goes beyond placing our hand on someone’s head and saying, “I bless you in God’s name.”
Later God reiterates his promise of blessing. He tells Abraham that he will bless him and his descendants. And through his descendants, God will bless all the nations. He will bless everyone through Abraham and his family through the ages (Genesis 22:17-18).
Like Abraham, we can bless others. Whether we have received many blessings from God or a few—though we certainly receive more than we realize—these blessings aren’t just for ourselves. God blesses us so that we can also bless others.
Is that what we’re doing with God’s blessings? Or are we hoarding them for ourselves?
If we give freely, we’ll receive more. If we cling to what we have, we’ll receive less (Matthew 25:29). Remember that God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7).
God blesses us because he loves us, and God blesses us so we can bless others. Are we doing all we can to be a blessing to others?
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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