Since believers have been saved by trusting in Christ, they are the most blessed people on earth, but how can you receive even greater blessings from God in this life?

Greatest Blessing

Since believers have been saved by trusting in Christ, they are the most blessed people on earth, but how can you receive even greater blessings from God in this life? First off, this is not a prosperity gospel, which is no gospel at all. God calls the rich and the poor, the employer and the employee, without regard for man or woman. This is not about blessing others so you can get rich. God tells us through His Word “that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him” (Acts 10:35). That means we are to treat all people the same way, but for those who have less in this world, we who have more can surely bless those around us. First of all, all of us can either receive the greatest blessing of all, and that’s salvation through Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12; 16:30-31)…or we can receive the worst curse of all; separation from God and all your loved ones for all time (Rev 20:12-15).

If you want to bless someone with the greatest blessing of all, then share the gospel of Jesus Christ with them and tell them that they’re sins, like ours had, have separated them from God (Isaiah 59:2), but now they can confess the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved (Rom 10:9-13). The truth is necessary to open the way for their greatest blessing; it’s the call for all people everywhere to repent and believe (Acts 17:30). This is just what Jesus said when He introduced the gospel (Mark 1:15). Start there, and then decide to be “showers of blessings” to others as God has showered you with blessings. You don’t have to look far for someone less fortunate than you.

Honoring All Men and Women

I remember going door to door, inviting people to our church, and getting a lot of doors slammed in my face, until one man, a professed atheist, opened his home to me on that hot summer day and gave me a cold bottle of water. He let me rest in the air-conditioned air, drinking down my cold bottle of water. I was so refreshed by his hospitality. I told this man “Thank you” and that his behavior reminded me of the Apostle Paul saying that it’s more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). That’s why I believe our giving should not be limited only to those in the church. Jesus told us, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt 5:44). That’s what Jesus did for those who were nailing Him to the cross as He prayed for the Father to forgive them as they didn’t know what they were really doing (Luke 23:34). Just because this man, who had graciously invited me into his home, said he was an atheist, doesn’t give me the right to not treat him with dignity and respect. This man, like all people, is made in the image of God.

Blessing Enemies

Solomon wrote, “if your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you” (Prov. 25:21-22). This sounds pretty much like what Jesus taught. By the way, if we limit our benevolence to only those we know, including our family, we’re no better than the lost sinner, for they do the very same thing (Matt 5:47). In other words, Jesus is telling us, “Big deal! The blind sinners do that!” You may not actually feel like asking God to bless your enemies, but the fact is, when you bless others, even strangers, “the LORD will reward you.” Our business is not to discriminate who to help and who not to help. Our business is to “love [our] enemies, do good to those who hate [us]” (Luke 6:27). The fact is, you are blessing your enemies when you “love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:35-36). But, you are also being blessed by God (Matt 5:10-12; 1 Pet 4:14-19).

Finding Your Gift

One man told me that he couldn’t figure out how to find his gift. I told him that everyone has a gift, so just dive in somewhere and serve, and I believe you’ll discover it. It’s not so much ability as it is availability. I believe 90% of serving is just showing up! When you serve in your church and community, you begin to fell God’s pleasure, but I do believe most people’s gifts are tied directly to something they’re good at and/or something they love to do; sometimes it can be both. The point is, God has given each and every one of us gifts of the Spirit. Everyone has at last one gift, but more likely, they have two or three gifts but aren’t using them or haven’t discovered them yet. Perhaps it’s because they haven’t found that “sweet spot,” where the Lord desires to place them in the Body of Christ.

Find Your Place

Each member has a function that God gives specifically to each one of us, and place in the Body is designed to complete, as much as humanly possible, the local Body of Christ. The diversity of gifts is for the edification of the church; for the building up of the Body of Christ to a mature state. Again, your gifts and skills/talents are designed to function outside the Body too, as a way to show the lost sinners who Christ’s disciples really are (John 13:34-35). This kind of love, when demonstrated publically, divides the sheep from the goats before the eyes of the observing world. John MacArthur is right; we might be the only Bible people will ever read to begin with.

Conclusion

Remember that at one time, we too were enemies of God. You might think that’s a bit strong, but prior to our salvation, we were outside of Christ. That means we had the wrath of God hanging over our heads. We were one breath…one heartbeat…once accident away from eternity. Depending upon your choice in this life, your eternal destiny is forever fixed in one place or another. I plead with you, come to the Savior today and receive the very righteousness of Christ that is required to enter the Kingdom (2 Cor 5:21). Let’s not have spiritual amnesia and forget we “once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds” (Col 1:21). If you haven’t been brought to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, you are still alienated from God, but there’s no need for this because you can saved this very day, this very moment (2 Cor 6:2). Consider God’s amazing grace in that we who were once ungodly, wicked enemies of God (Rom 5:6-10), can now confess and profess our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved (Rom 10:9-13). Then it’s time to get baptized my brother or sister or child (Matt 28:18-20). If you have been saved and haven’t been baptized yet, it’s time to set that right and fulfill this act of obedience from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. What do you say?

Here is some related reading for you: The Amazing Blessings of God in the Bible

Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^® (ESV^®), Crossway Bibles. (2007). ESV: Study Bible: English standard version. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Tagged as: Blessings, Gifts of Spirit, giving, Pray for Enemies, serving