Blessed to Be a Blessing
By Ann Stewart
To be blessed means to be consecrated, set apart, and highly favored. When God blesses you, He does not leave anything out. It is more than personal happiness, wealth or well-being. He sees His flock as holy, chosen by Him to be a peculiar people, high above all nations in praise, in name and in honor! (Deut. 26: 18-19) In other words, His blessings are designed to make you stand out from those who do not know Him! What makes you peculiar is that you are chosen to be a royal, holy priest for Him. In this role you are to be a blessing, not only to those around you but first and foremost to Him, who has called you out of darkness into His glorious light! (1 Pet. 3:9).
Blessings, therefore, depend upon your obedience to God and being a blessing to Him and others. First, you must obey His voice and keep His commandments. (Ex. 16:5-6) In order to hear His voice and be able to distinguish it from all other voices you must know Him and acknowledge Him as lord over your life. His law will then be written on the tablets of your heart, and you will be in a position where blessings shall actually overtake you. Yes! They will not only follow you but run out ahead of you, waiting for you to receive them! What kind of blessings? You will be blessed whether you live in the city or on the land; your family and livestock will be fruitful; you will always have more than enough food and supplies whether at home or far away. Your enemies will be defeated, and everything you set your hand to will be blessed. Yes, everyone will sense that you are His and that they should have respect for you. Furthermore, you will have many possessions; you will lend and not borrow, and you will not be oppressed but rise above every situation that comes your way. (Deut. 28:1-13)
King David was the perfect example of giving and receiving blessings. I love Psalm 63, where he tells God how his soul thirsts for Him and seeks Him first thing in the morning. David describes the world without God as a dry and thirsty land where no water is. He longs to see God’s glory and power! He describes God’s blessings as lovingkindness, that are better than life itself! He tells God that: “Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.” (ps. 63:7) It’s such a beautiful depiction of how we are to adore Him, as David did, blessing Him with our lips, giving Him our heartfelt thanks – even before we receive anything from Him!
In Proverbs 8 17-21 it is as if the Lord answers David: “I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches add righteousness. My fruit is better than gold; and my revenue than choice silver. I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment; that I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.”
Be on the look-out for your share of blessings. They are ready to overtake you! Expect them, thank Him for them, and position yourself mentally, emotionally and physically to receive them.
“Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Mat. 6:33)
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The remaining verses in Deuteronomy 28 gives the dangerous warnings of being cursed by God if His people would be disobedient to His laws. Because of their idolatrous disobedience to God’s warnings, as started by:
Deuteronomy 28
14 And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, [to] the right hand, or [to] the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:
and the remaining verses give the curses the blessed people would get if they would disobey God!
Deuteronomy – Chapter 28
1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe [and] to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.
3 Blessed [shalt] thou [be] in the city, and blessed [shalt] thou [be] in the field.
4 Blessed [shall be] the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
5 Blessed [shall be] thy basket and thy store.
6 Blessed [shalt] thou [be] when thou comest in, and blessed [shalt] thou [be] when thou goest out.
7 The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.
8 The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
9 The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways.
10 And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee.
11 And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
12 The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.
13 And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do [them]:
Deuteronomy 28:2
And all these blessings shall come on thee, and OVERTAKE thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.
Isaiah 54:17
No weapon that is formed against thee SHALL PROSPER; and every tongue [that] shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This [is] the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness [is] of me, saith the LORD.