Forward This and You’ll Receive a Special Blessing

Ever have someone send you a chain letter or private FB message requesting you “forward this message and you’ll be blessed”? Or maybe you were promised a special blessing if you’d just type “Amen” or share with your friends? I love the thoughts of special blessings – but I think we’ve missed the point of blessings and where they come from. I’ve found that those share/like/send-and-you'll-be-blessed messages and graphics can be annoying and they can potentially spread malware. I apologize to anyone who sent me one of those messages because I don’t share and, in fact, I delete them. I’m so thankful I know my Father and I know the blessings in my life come straight from Him and not because I forwarded a particular message. I think we’ve misunderstood what faith is and why God blesses us. Faith is a deep conviction that no matter what situation we're facing, God is with us and will take care of us. When we contrive ways to achieve God’s blessings, aside from what His Word tells us, we are transferring our faith in God to faith in that chain or meme or a good-luck charm. We all want to live blessed lives and experience the promises and blessings of God. We want to live free from sickness and disease, our relationships thriving, debts paid, and we are blessing others. But many Christians struggle with how to take hold of these blessings. In the Bible, God gives us the key repeatedly to unlocking His blessings. That key is delighting in the Lord. Psalm 112:1 says “Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments.” God is the source of ALL blessings. He isn’t genie in a bottle who appears to grant us three wishes in life. No, no, no. God is so much more. He is the One Who was, Who is and Who is to come (Revelation 1:8). He is the Source from whom all things -- including you and me -- were created. God is THE BLESSER, and blessing originated from Him. “Every good and perfect gift is from Him” (James 1:17). God has a BLESSING plan for us to experience everything He promises, but we must recognize that the choice to be blessed is ours. “Deuteronomy 30:19 says: “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and cursings. I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!” So, we have a choice. Do we want to be blessed and live? Or be cursed and die? We must choose. We can’t say, “Well, I haven’t made my mind up about God or that command yet. I’ll make my decision later." If we haven’t chosen life, we aren’t experiencing the fullness of abundant blessings God has promised us. We choose by making a conscious decision to honor God and obey His commands. We choose to delight in Him and His ways. That is the key to unlocking THE BLESSING of God in our life. The next time you’re tempted to pass along a chain message to get a blessing – you might pass along this message about where our blessings actually come from!