Understanding Blessed and Finding God’s Favor in Every Season of Life

"Blessings to you"

Do you ever hear that said or maybe say that to others? Or maybe, when times are good, we find ourselves saying, "We are very blessed?"

We realize that not everyone may be feeling that way right now. But this week, we decided to unpack the concept of "Blessed."

Blessing, as it is defined in the dictionary, is "God's favor and protection."

That sure sounds great. But how does that play out in life? We all know we don't always receive favor and aren't guaranteed protection.

"I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings."  1 Corinthians 9:23

What are the blessings that come with being a Christian? We realized how complicated this topic can be. Many words bring association to blessing, including health, wealth, wisdom, love, strength, joy, peace, and, of course, salvation, and the list can go on and on. And then, when we read the beatitudes, Jesus flips it all upside down, talking about the poor, the meek, and the persecuted, what? Are you confused yet? We are. One thing we do know is that God does desire to bless us.

"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace."  Numbers 6:24 – 26

Better yet, we do know that God sent his son Jesus to die on the cross for us so that our sins would be forgiven and we could receive an eternal blessing in Heaven.

"Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered."

Ok, guys, maybe it's just us, but we wonder what we can do to receive God's blessing on earth. Well, we did a lot of digging and continually came across verses in the Old Testament about God's blessing through obedience and action. When we get into New Testament verses, the focus seems different. As we mentioned, Jesus flips things around with the Beatitudes.

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in Heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you."  Matthew 5:11

We aren't suggesting that we all go out looking to be insulted or persecuted, but it does cause us to reflect a bit on how we look at our lives. Maybe we are feeling good right now, successful, loved, healthy and wise. OR perhaps we are feeling quite differently and are STRUGGLING. Wherever you are today, our prayer for you this morning is that you will experience God's love and blessing, knowing that whatever happens on this earth, we ALL can have the HOPE of ETERNITY in HEAVEN.

We will leave you all with one last verse for the week. Every day, we have an opportunity to bless others, even in situations where we are hurt or frustrated. Who knows, maybe YOU could make someone's day today?

"Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult.  On the contrary repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing." 1 Peter 3:9

We are praying for you guys this morning.