Of all the posts that I have written, my “Please Pass the Biscuits” article has prompted the most feedback yet. That has led me to do a follow-up article on the power of blessing others and allowing others to bless us. We live in a cruel, hostile, fallen world. The words and actions that most people hear day in and day out are anything but a blessing. However, as Christ-shaped people, we can change the script by blessing those in our sphere of influence and allowing them to bless us in return. Blessings have an interesting dynamic. When blessings are involved, two interrelated principles are in play. When we bless someone, we are blessed by the blessing we give. When we allow others to bless us, it allows them to be blessed by the blessing they give us.
When I was a young Youth Pastor and our two boys were just little tykes, we were going to make a trip from Texas to Florida. My wife’s parents had just retired to Florida. We were going to visit them and take our boys to Disney World. The only issue was that we had an old clunker of a car. Youth Pastors don’t get paid much. In fact, my salary as a Youth Pastor was exactly half of what I was making when I left a career in engineering. The car would probably make the trip from East Texas to Florida, but a lot of prayer would undoubtedly be said along the way. Two nights before we were to leave, our doorbell rang. I answered it, and standing there was a gentleman from our church holding out a set of car keys. The first words out of his mouth were, “Here’s the keys to my Cadillac. A pastor should travel in style. I’ll drive your car while you are gone.” He didn’t embarrass me by saying my car was a clunker and might not make the trip. He didn’t try to convince me that I shouldn’t set out on the trip with my young family in our old car. He simply blessed us with the use of his new Cadillac, took my keys, and drove off in our old AMC Hornet.
After our trip, when I returned his car and thanked him several times, he said, “You will never know how much it blessed me to let you use my car.” The wonderful thing about blessings is that they go both ways. The person doing the blessing is also blessed. This double blessing is confirmed in God’s word.
Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered. - Proverbs 11:25 ESV
Allowing Others to Bless Us
We often feel uncomfortable when others bless us. In our culture of self-sufficiency, we often feel that we can handle life on our own. Often, we feel that someone else's blessing implies they think we cannot handle the situation. Or, we feel like we do not “deserve” the blessing. The truth is that we do not deserve it! The very nature of a blessing is that it is a gift of grace - it is unmerited. Also, since blessing has a two-way effect, when we refuse to allow others to bless us, we are “stealing” their blessing.
So, what exactly is a blessing? A blessing is unmerited kind words or actions toward others. Because it is something unearned, a blessing is an act of grace. This means it actually carries with it God’s favor and love. God originated the concept of blessing with the first blessing in the Bible, when he blessed Adam and Eve after creating them (Genesis 1:28).
The Power of Blessing
Since the concept of blessing originated with God, a blessing is infused not only with love but also with power. A blessing empowers others by conveying to them recognition, dignity, and concern. When we bless someone, it conveys that we recognize them as a person of worth and value. It shows that they are valued as human beings. It also shows that we have thought about them and are concerned about them. The writer of Proverbs said,
“Life and death are in the power of the tongue.”
— Proverbs 18:21
This means that true blessings have spiritual weight. A blessing spoken in alignment with God’s truth can not only encourage but also build up faith..
Why Bless Others
The primary reason for blessing others is that it reflects God’s heart. God blesses us so that we may, in turn, bless others. When God called Abraham, He promised to bless him and make his descendants a great nation. He also said that the whole world would be blessed through Abraham. The blessings that God gives us go beyond us. They have a ripple effect in the Kingdom of God. We mirror God’s character when we bless others.
This concept comes into sharper focus in the words of Jesus. He challenges us to bless even those who are considered to be our enemies.
"But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.
— Luke 6:27-28 NLT
“Bless those who curse you.” How counter-cultural can you get? Jesus’ command goes against the thoughts of our society. It goes against our human nature! It even goes against what most Christians would think or do. However, when we bless others, we demonstrate to Jesus that we love Him. He said that we show our love for him by obeying his commandments. In the above verse from Luke’s Gospel, the command to bless others, even those who curse us, is pretty clear.
So, how do we bless others? Below are some practical ideas.
Ideas of How We Can Bless Others
Speak words of encouragement
Affirm them as a person
Affirm God’s truth about them
Listen with your full attention
Listen beyond the words (to their heart and emotions)
Listen more than you talk. Practice the “James Principle” of being quick to listen and slow to speak (James 1:19)
Perform acts of kindness
Meeting specific needs
Offer to help without being asked
Celebrate others
Acknowledge their milestones (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.)
Celebrate their victories
Pray intentionally for them
Be concerned - ask how you can pray for them
Don’t promise to pray and then not follow through
Read/Speak a Bible blessing over them - the Bible is full of blessing statements. Here are ten blessings to get you started in reading blessings over those you love.
Ten Bible Blessings1
“May the Lord bless you and keep you; may He smile on you and be gracious to you; may He look your way and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26, author’s paraphrase)
“May God give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.” (Psalm 20:4, NIV)
“May God be gracious to you and bless you and make His face shine upon you.” (Psalm 67:1, NIV)
“May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it, and may you be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” (Ephesians 3:16, NLT)
“May Christ make His home in your heart through faith.” (Ephesians 3:17b, GNT)
“May your love abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:9-11, NIV)
“May you be strengthened with all power, according to God’s glorious might.” (Colossians 1:11a, NLT)
“May you be filled with joy.” (Colossians 1:11b, NLT)
“May the Master pour on the love so it fills your life and splashes over on everyone around you.” (1 Thessalonians 3:12, The Message)
“May the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way.” (2 Thessalonians 3:16, NIV)
Making Blessing a Lifestyle
Make blessing others a daily habit. Try these suggestions.
Start your day out by asking God, “Who do you want me to bless this day?”
Consciously look for opportunities throughout your day to bless someone.
Expect God to use you in blessing others.
Each day, make it a goal to intentionally bless at least one person.
From blogpost at https://shorturl.at/vMTLD