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Devotional Thought of the Day:

 ²⁰  Now may the God of peace— who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood— ²¹  may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen!  .Hebrews 13:20-21 (NLT)

So many times we say, responding to someone’s sneeze, “God bless you!”  But what kind of blessing do we actually desire?

As we pray, as we ask God to bless people, do we consider how God would have them blessed?  Is it all about our lives being pleasant, or rescued from the place we’ve gotten ourselves into?

Or is there more to a blessing?

The author of Hebrews ends this incredible epistle with the blessing above….one that we often end our church services with, because of what it says

First it deals with who God is, defining the Father and Son and the role they have in our life.  How they establsihed a relationship with us (the covenant) where resurrected Christ guides us, and guards us in the very peace of God. This can occur because of His death (the blood that establishes and guarantees that we are found in this incredible relationship.  God is identified as such so we know who the blessing is from – and therefore – knowing this is God’s blessing – are assured that the blessing will come to pass.

It is as when we pray the Lord’s prayer.  We pray that certain things will happen – from God’s will, to having food, to protecting us from evil. We don’t pray this because if we do not, God will not have these things occur, but because as we pray, we realize that He is doing this!  So we are assured who is “backing” this blessing, who will make it happen.

Secondly, this blessing is one that has a clear idea of what the blessing is.- that our lives, transformed by the gospel, would be what God desires and plans for them to be.  That we become the masterpiece of God (see Eph. 2:10) That like little children wanting to please our Father, this happens, we really can, for the power of the Holy Spirit empowers us, even as God’s promises to us, happen because of Christ!

This is something that amazes me, as I struggle as we all do with sin.  So much like Paul I want to please God, but feel I don’t – because sin seems ever present. I don’t do what I want, I do what I don’t want to do.  Yet my heart cries out to God, for I want to please Him.  There are days I know I do, but just as often, if not more, I wonder what I did for God during the day. Yet this blessing goes beyond what we are aware of, the little things we do naturally, because we are being conformed to image of Jesus. Just as there are sins we commit that we are unaware of, so there are words we do, where God directs our words, or our works, and we are unaware of it.  Yet these things – these acts of love, bring joy to the Father as well.

So my friends, know the God who blesses you, and be amazed at what He empowers and transforms your life into – the actions and words that will bless others.

And remember to pray such for those around you, that they two would share in this blessing!

And know and rejoice in this most of all – for God to promise and bless you in this way… means that the Lord is with you!